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freshmangojuice · 10 months

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one of my favourite Lister looks is this piratical outfit from Justice (ignore the space mumps)

#it's giving ian malcolm from jurassic park #it's giving regency gentleman goes goth #it's giving dracula makes it to the 1980s #it's giving ofmd blackbeard in space #red dwarf #fmj #fmj: text

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niniroi · 7 months

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-Fuck you, Stede Bonnet.

So. The second season.

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queerly-autistic · 3 months

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One thing that I absolutely love is that Ed is not, for one single second, jealous of Stede's newfound fame. It would have been so easy for the writers to use that as the point of tension between them, to have Ed struggle with Stede suddenly being famous and people being more interested in him than Blackbeard, but there's not a single iota of it to be found. That sort of jealousy is just not a thing that exists in the equation of their relationship.

Look at him here. Although he initially assumes that the group of admirers is looking for him, when they say that they're actually interested in Stede, Ed isn't put out by it at all. His first reaction is to look on with interest, then to genuinely smile/laugh as he watches these people fawn over Stede, and then finally to sincerely congratulate him in this adoring proud voice. This is a man who is so fucking chuffed for his boyfriend.

Even in the bar later on, he's gleefully and enthusiastically giving Stede all these tips that he's learned over the years, helping and supporting him in ways that he no doubt wishes someone would have done for him when he was in the first throes of pirate infamy. He's not upset that Stede is over there with admirers rather than hanging out with him - he's giving his advice, essentially going 'HAVE AT 'EM TIGER', and then watching him go with big proud doe-eyes. If anything, he's thrilled that everyone else has joined him in seeing how spectacular his boyfriend is.

And when the conflict does come, it's not jealousy that fuels it. Instead, it's all about Ed panicking that they're at different places in life, with Stede succeeding at piracy just at the point where Ed himself is truly done with it. In fact, I think it's even arguable that a part of it is that Ed doesn't want to have to ask Stede to give all this up for him (even though we all know Stede happily would). There's not a single whisper of Ed actually begrudging Stede any of this.

It would have been such low-hanging narrative fruit to have jealousy play a part here, and I sort of expected it because so many shows would do it, just because it's easy drama. But not the OFMD writers. They took one look at it and went 'nope, not in this relationship', and I want to kiss them all lovingly on the forehead for it. Yes, in many ways they are both very immature, and they don't know how to be in an adult relationship, but in this? This is something mature and grown up that they just inherently do without thinking. This is a relationship where they love each other, and support each other, and genuinely delight in each other's achievements. They love each other completely and utterly, with no space for petty interpersonal jealousy in that love. And that's why, in spite of all the messiness and issues that they are going to have to overcome, they are strong enough to make it through.

#your honour i love them and i want what they have #ofmd #our flag means death #edward teach #stede bonnet #ed x stede #gentlebeard #blackbonnet #our flag means gay #s2 e7 #man on fire #ofmd meta #erin waffles

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cat-hesarose · 6 months

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Izzy Hands and broken promises

Now that I've had a day to digest the ending, I'm still in the "Izzy should have lived" camp but can better understand why it soured an otherwise great season finale for me.

Keep reading if you like rants about storytelling and queer catharsis from people with a Bachelor degree's worth of overconfidence and strong opinions.

Bar a handful of icks (Zheng Yi Sao getting outsmarted by Ricky, etc), I loved this season and don't see a wealth of problems that would not have been solved by two additional episodes. That said, Izzy's death is one of the things I can't see making any more sense if they had more time to explore his journey because his journey is what problematizes djenk's stated reasoning for his death.

In that one interview (and to be fair, we only have a brief window into his intentions as of right now), djenks positions Izzy as two things, specifically to Ed: a mentor and a father figure. And yeah, mentor figures often die. Their student surpasses them, or acquires a new narrative drive from their mentor's death to continue a quest.

Neither of these things feel like a fit for Izzy and Ed's dynamic nor their respective arcs. Neither does "father figure". Izzy was a love interest. He was described as a love interest. He confessed love to Edward. His mentor relationship was more established with Stede, if anything, who is an unreliable narrator and may well have been lying about Edward claiming that Izzy taught him everything he knows.

The journey that Izzy went on this season was parallel to Ed and Stede but it was with the crew. It's one big queerplatonic love story essentially, of him finding himself as an individual through the support they give and the space they hold for him. Season 2 Izzy Hands is, among other things, a love letter and showcase of the queer community's power to revive hope and purpose.

Izzy has the world's messiest breakup with Ed when they're both at their worst, and his healing begins with the crew of the Revenge. He only interacts with Ed again after bonding with, and growing through, the crew. So yes, it absolutely makes sense that his journey would proceed towards making peace with/saying goodbye to "Blackbeard". But it does not make sense that it would end there, with his death.

Djenks says that they're pirates, and people die. And yeah they do. But in the hand-wavy logic universe of OFMD it feels dismissive to say that about the death of a major character. And odds are, David "Izzy is my favourite character" Jenkins is not dismissive of Izzy, so that leaves tragedy.

My issue with that is, season 2 Izzy is no longer an innately tragic character. If you told me at the end of season 1 that season 2 would end with Izzy dying in Edward's arms telling him to go forth and change and accept love, I would've gone "that's sad but it makes sense." Because it would have, at the time. Season 2 Izzy departed from the trappings (so I thought) of the doomed fate of the bitter old repressed grimdark pirate when he put on the gold-painted wooden hoof and embraced his new role as First Mate of Stede Bonnet's gay floating kindergarten.

His death feels like a betrayal because, in a show that does queer characters Really Well, Izzy's arc feels like a broken promise. To say nothing of the politics of having a character attempt suicide, begin to heal, then say "I want to go" before dying, I wanted Izzy to want to live. It really felt like that was where his character was going, where his character was supposed to go.

Death for a character who is showing all this potential is only a natural ending in a tragedy. It isn't presented as peaceful or to punctuate another character's growth. Season 2 Izzy Hands had ceased to be reliant on and subject to Blackbeard. If anything, he was tied to the crew, who all stood back and felt much more removed from his death than they probably would have been if the show had more time to show their emotional responses. Having him die in Ed's arms, apologising for fueling Ed's destructive tendencies and encouraging him to be himself and accept love, feels like he got shunted off his new arc and back onto the old one. It feels like he went through all of that just to take a last-minute huge step back and re-subjugate himself to this character who does not reciprocate his devotion.

It makes me wonder if his death scene was one of the first ones written, before all that energy was spent giving him a new life and new connections and new, you know, new reason to live.

Anyway, that's how I feel about it. TL;DR Izzy's growth should have included LIVING HIS HARD-WON NEW LIFE and if I ever see djenks i'm going to cross the road and avoid eye contact.

#ofmd #ofmd meta #ofmd spoilers #ofmd season 2 #ofmd season 2 spoilers #izzy hands #storytelling #comedy and tragedy #why yes i am participating in #discourse #media literacy #fandomposting #stede and izzy should have fucked

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celluloidbroomcloset · 5 months

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Narratively, Izzy’s arc only ends two ways - his redemption and death, or his full immersion as a villain. This is going off from what is discussed in this post by @areyoudoingthis, but I didn't want to start writing essays on someone else's post.

The problem of redeeming antagonists is that it’s often in the eleventh hour, and often not emotionally satisfying because it ignores or discards the violence (emotional, psychological, or physical) done by them earlier in order to give them a saving grace.

In the case of OFMD, Izzy suffers, and he suffers as a direct result of the choices he made and the consistent violence he inflicted on Ed and on others. He becomes beloved by the Kraken crew because they see him suffering along with them, and using what little influence he has to try to stop Ed from descending further. But that doesn’t erase what Izzy has done, which is born out by the attitudes of Stede’s crew and Izzy's continued isolation from them until the unicorn and even after.

Does Izzy bear the brunt of Ed’s direct physical violence? Yeah, he does. He's the only one that Ed physically harms (and the cutting off of toes and limbs seems to be a leaveover from Hornigold, as Ed performs the role of the monstrous father who tortured him). That suffering is part of the redemption narrative. It is one of the narrative conceits for Izzy to atone for his sins.

(Please note - I am talking about narrative conventions and how the show is using them, not making a moral judgment on characters' actions.)

Again, narratively, Izzy being the target makes sense. He has systematically tried to deny or eliminate every spark of happiness in Ed’s life. He has tried to have Stede killed multiple times, all of them either by Ed or in front of Ed. He has allied with a repressive regime, itself the biggest villain in the show, that wants all pirates dead or in chains. Failing all that, he has attacked Ed in the only safe space he has - Stede’s cabin - and told him that if he doesn’t turn into the caricatured monster of Blackbeard, then Izzy will KILL him.

He has zero claim on Ed’s mercy and Ed shows him none, not least because Ed's descent is exactly what Izzy insisted on from the very start. Ed, half mad with grief and self-loathing, directs his hostility at his jailer and at himself.

All of that sets up a redemption arc, but how much does Izzy touch on his own culpability? He tells Stede that Ed "took my leg because I dared to mention your fucking name," which is not true. Izzy blames the toxic atmosphere on the ship not on himself and not even on Ed, but on Stede. It is Ed's feelings about Stede - his namby-pamby, pining for his boyfriend feelings - that Izzy thinks have created this violence. And Ed shoots him for suggesting it. Izzy misses his role entirely, that Ed was in fact in the depths of grief but not a violent suicidal spiral when Stede left him.

It may be that Izzy does indeed recognize his role at this point, but he's not admitting it - the furthest he goes is to say that "we did this to him," but he never fully defines what that means, and in this case he's appealing to Stede to save the crew.

Later, when Stede reappears and Ed recovers, it is quite obvious that Ed himself is still angry and still hurt and still distrusting, but the mere mention of Stede's name or sight of Stede's face doesn't send him into a rage. Stede was the source of his grief, but Stede and Ed's feelings for him did not cause the toxic atmosphere on that ship.

Throughout, Izzy does indeed begin to find redemption. He accepts the crew's offering of love, and he begins to express himself outside of Ed and Blackbeard. He decides to move on from what Ed did to him (and he cannot really control if Ed decides to forgive him for his part). He offers sympathy to Stede, and support for their relationship. His suffering is part of that arc, and it is a function of Ed's arc - Ed cutting off the gangrenous limb to save himself. But we never see Izzy taking on the blame for his earlier behavior. Unlike Ed, we don't see him working through, or trying to work through, the pain he caused others and what that says about himself. Which makes sense - Izzy is a secondary character, not the lead. His healing matters less to the narrative than Ed's, and his characterization from the beginning is not of a man given to introspection or longing for something different. Him suddenly embracing Lucius or being really kind to Stede wouldn't make sense.

The only possible narrative conclusion here is for Izzy to die. He cannot continue to exist in the same space as Ed. His character cannot continue to interfere with Ed's healing and relationship with Stede. The show gives him peace and love, and it gives him an opportunity to tell Ed to let go (though, again, he cannot control Ed letting go, and he cannot and should not be the character who "gives" Ed his family - Ed already had that). It allows him to suffer so that he can indeed have redemption that doesn't happen in the eleventh hour, and an arc that feels moving and satisfying, in which Ed crying for him (Ed, who did not care when Izzy got thrown off the ship in Season 1) has resonance. But it was always going to end like this.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd season 2 #izzy hands #edward teach #ed teach #stede bonnet #gif #ofmd meta #tw: abuse #sorry i wrote way more than i thought i would #i may be repeating myself or others #but this just all came out #as always thoughts are appreciated #though i will block rude people

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thetardigrape · 2 years

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Most of my meta so far has dealt with Ed and Stede. As it should, they're the stars of OFMD.

But now I wanna talk about Lucius and Izzy. Because I've been dying over "Have you ever been sketched" for weeks and I need to talk about it. This is less of a meta and more of me just picking this scene apart because I love it so much.

The scene starts with Izzy naming a long list of chores Lucius will have to do. At this point, Lucius knows about Izzy the Spewer. He knows Izzy doesn't actually have the authority to make him do anything, and he knows a secret that Izzy definitely doesn't want spread around. So with his response to Izzy's demand that he does these chores, Lucius readies for his first blow.

Lucius has already used this line before. Crucially, back in the galley, he had nothing else to use against Izzy, and Izzy won that fight. But now, Lucius is armed. And Izzy's about to give him yet another weapon.

Izzy makes two mistakes here. First, he steps into Lucius's space. He's trying to use this as an intimidation tactic, and it might have almost worked, if not for his second mistake. He drops his gaze to Lucius's mouth. At this point, Lucius knows he's won.

Lucius purses his lips to the side and then licks them. Now he's just toying with Izzy. He goes on to shatter Izzy's offense, telling Pete himself that he drew Fang naked. Pete has a totally positive reaction, backing Lucius up. So Lucius counterattacks. He deploys the weapon Fang gave him.

Lucius has won the fight, no question. You can see it in the way Izzy's smirk falls. But this is just a single battle. Lucius means to win the war. He makes it so that Izzy will never try this shit again. He goes for the killing blow.

He was able to put together Izzy's "oo daddy" nonsense in the galley plus the way he kept stepping into Lucius's personal space plus that slightly-too-lingering look he gave Lucius's mouth and came up with the truth: Lucius wields a sexual power that they both know will break Izzy completely.

And it works! It works perfectly! Izzy never goes after him again, never calls him names or assigns him chores. Even when Blackbeard asks for Lucius specifically, Izzy refuses to look him in the eye to deliver the message.

The incredible power of Lucius's blatant sexuality. I love it. I just love it. This man uses gay as a weapon and he wins. Good for him. Good for him.

#it would NOT have worked so well if izzy weren't so tightly wound he was about to pop #nor if izzy were just accepting of his own and other people's sexuality #but he is how he is and lucius sees right through him #yes this DID provide the basis for an entire fic series i wrote #what of it #lucius spriggs #izzy hands #ofmd #our flag means death

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sarucane · 5 months

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Stede Bonnet's Stories (S1)

My favorite theme (right now) in OFMD is storytelling, and how the characters' stories shape the narrative and one another. In OFMD, stories are how people connect to one another. How they figure out their place in the world around them, how they form communities, how they grow and change. Because stories are also how the characters come to understand themselves.

In the first season, Stede is the loudest and most determined storyteller of them all. He's literally paying someone to follow him around and write his story; he's built the entire ship and outfitted it to create a certain story; he's wearing mad, impractical clothes in a harsh climate to express his personality.

On the one hand, this is a dumb thing to do. The crew can't read the library he's provided for them; his clothes (and incompetence) make his first "raid" a disaster; the pirates are plotting mutiny very quickly indeed. And his attempts to "toughen up" wind up nearly burying the crew in a larger, imperial story of race and class.

On the other hand, it's an immensely brave thing to do. Stede doesn't really try to be "like Blackbeard." He doesn't disguise his accent, wear ugly clothes, or make an example of someone on the crew to show his "iron fist." He is trying to do something genuinely different. To be a gentleman and a pirate. To tell a story that hasn't been told before. And to create space for others to tell a story: when Wee John voices criticism, Stede hands over his own fabrics to the crew and encourages them to "express yourselves." Between the bedtime stories and Stede's lie about Nigel (which is revealed very quickly afterwards), the crew decide they'll try telling his "new" story with him.

At first, the weakness in Stede's story seems to be that he's telling it in the wrong place. That his fiction is too far from reality, which is going to crush his story (as so many stories have been crushed throughout history).

And that is a problem, and his misjudgments wind up with him being betrayed by pirates and almost executed by Spanish naval officers. But it's a solvable problem, with help.

From the moment they meet, Ed and Stede are at their best when they tell stories together. When they work together, they figure stuff out about themselves, they connect with one another and with the crew, and they find a way to write the third story in a world that tells them they have only two options (gentleman or pirate). They make ship into a lighthouse; they bring a kraken to life and finally beginning to understand it; Stede uses his ship's mast and Ed's trick to outwit Izzy; a treasure map yields actual 'treasure'; the ship is invaded by the English, but everyone emerges safe and alive.

But it doesn't last. Because the real weakness of Stede's storytelling isn't the context. It's that Stede doesn't believe it himself.

Stede is doing all this to try to be both a boy worthy of respect from his father, and a boy who picks flowers. He's still defining himself by the terms of the world he came from. By running away, not running towards something.

So, when Chauncey confronts him with his own "monstrousness," Stede believes him. It's all his insecurities come to life. And he believes Chauncey when he says Stede's "brought history's greatest pirate to ruin."

If all Stede will ever be is a "little rich boy," then he needs to stop trying to be something else. Because telling that story means hurting others.

Stede's wrong. Telling a story, even when you don't fully believe it, changes you and the people who listened to your story. And when Stede gives up on his storytelling, the causes and effects circle round: Stede told stories. As a result, other people told stories. And even if Stede stops telling stories, or tries to tell different stories, other people won't.

Stede lied when he confessed to Nigel's murder. Said he deserved to die for leaving his wife and family. But he doesn't die there, because Ed tells his own story about grace, and the crew takes Stede's mad stories as their own.

And because of what Stede did, Mary Bonnet was able to tell her own story, fully and on her own terms. And to believe in it completely. Ed and the crew were able to tell their stories, too--which comes near to an actual transformation.

In the end, it doesn't matter that Stede didn't believe his story. He changed anyway. He created space for other people to change, to tell stories that unraveled his own lies, that saved him from himself. And he awkwardly, finally, figured out what story he wanted to tell. His own truest story.

And to escape the truth he's accidentally been trapped in, Stede tells a story that inverts what he did before. At the beginning of the season, Stede was telling a story that no one believed. That only he even really tried to believe. But in the finale, he stages an elaborate fuckery to tell a story that everyone believes--except him, and the people who matter. Truth materializes from the fiction.

Stede's stories set so many people free. And in the end, when he's brave enough to lie his way to the truth, Stede's stories set him free, too.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd spoilers #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #legit i could go on about this for agggges #just about every ep has a storytelling moment or 4 #there's all these nuanced ways the stories affect the plot and each other its so complicated and i love it

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 2 months

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02/25/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; How to help; Reviews; Cast & Crew; Kristian Nairn; Watch Party reminders; People of Earth S2, Uncle S2; RhysDarbyFaction; Fan Spotlight; ManifestingMoonglow; UK Folks; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika feat Pedro Pascal;

== How to Help ==

= Reminder: Rotten Tomatoes reviews! =

Thank you to @bzy_hands on twitter for continuing to lead the charge on getting s2 to 1000+ reviews!

Need help? Visit the report for How to Rate on Rotten Tomatoes

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

=Kristian Nairn =

Reminder that tomorrow is Wee John Wonday! Thank you @lisahafey and @labellapirata for the news that "The next few weeks are locked in, and I recon they are gonna be really good ;)" Sounds like it's time for some more clown/honking.

Kristian was also spotted on IG working on his Borg look:

...and he's released a new track on Spotify! Keep it warm

==Watch Party reminders ==

Hey all! Watch Parties are back!

= People of Earth S2 =

Feb 26-Mar 1: 9 PM GMT / 4 PM EST / 3 PM CST / 1 PM PST

#PiratesOfEarth

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOur Crew

If you don't have access to the show to watch, reach out to @iamadequate1

= Uncle Season 2 =

Join @libbyroseitm on Twitter 28 Feb & 29 Feb at 8 pm GMT, 3pm ET, 12 pm PST

== Rhys Darby Faction ==

Remember Max aka Poll Guy, the guy who inspired the new #RhysDarbyFaction hashtag? Well good news, looks like he's on board now and also signed the petition (wait to go @lisahafey)! Remember poison to positivity is definitely the way to go! Wanna vote in the last round of the poll on twitter? Check it out here.

== UK Folks ==

As a heads up, the BBC Schedule for OFMD is changing. Please visit the BBC Schedules page for more information.

== Fan Spotlight ==

More Collages for the month of February from our fabulous crew-mate @WanderingNomad on Twitter! Almost caught up!

Day 7: Nathan Foad

Day 8: #WeLoveSamson - Samson Kayo

Day 9: Con fuckin' O'Neill

Day 24: Stede Bonnet, The Gentleman Pirate

Day 25: Blackbeard, Ed Teach

== Moonglow Manifesting ==

As many of you know, #MoonglowManifesting came to an end yesterday the 24th with the full moon. I wanted to make sure to highlight some of the incredibly creative altars our crew-mates put together!

== Articles ==

HBO Renews 3 TV Shows in 2024, Cancels 4 Others & Reveals 3 Are Ending This Year

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. Do you ever do/say something and then not long after you start feeling massively anxious about whether or not you should have done it? I know I do.

This is especially hard on the internet now a days because tone and sarcasm is so difficult to express and understand.

Just know that it's okay to feel anxious. When we don't get feedback at all (which happens a lot on the internet), or the feedback we expect, our brains can make us feel like something's worse than it might be. If you can help it, don't borrow that anxiety before you know it's an issue (I know it's hard, believe me).

Remember to take a deep breathe, drink some water, and remember even if it didn't turn out the way you expected, you're allowed to make mistakes, and you're allowed to have opinions on things. Just be sure to respect others' opinions and safe space as well.

If you're worried about something in particular, reach out to your crew and ask! We're still a safe space ship here, and we love to talk it through as you all know.

You're doing great, remember to give yourself some credit too.

Hope you have a great start to the week lovelies, we'll see you tomorrow.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight is a little different. Instead of gifs of our guys, it's their characters! + Special Guest and SAG WINNER Pedro Pascal

#daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #ofmd daily recap #rhys darby #taika waititi #kristian nairn #wee john wondays #watch parties #moonglow manifesting #collages #RhysDarbyFaction #Rhys Darby Faction

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edandstede · 6 months

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some thoughts about ofmd 2x07 and the “break up” (it’s not, it’s ed being an impulsive sensitive fool (affectionate) but i digress) so spoilers abound, just wanted to share my pov

ok so!!! ed panicked. he’s still trying to figure his shit out, trying to heal from literally dying, from losing stede and getting him back and every dark thing that happened with the crew. so much has happened in such a short space of time that his head must be spinning. we see him flashing back to it, he’s still processing, and it’s all going so fast.

and then the revenge gets boarded and he has to watch stede be tortured, watch stede take a life purposefully for the first time, be reminded of killing his own dad, and then they fall into bed together after ed went to him to see if he was okay. they have sex, and ed makes stede this lovely breakfast, and he throws his leathers overboard whilst wearing his nice blue robe. he immediately wants to shed blackbeard for good and live in this new bliss where he can be soft and safe, but that’s interrupted when stede says that near-death situations are hard to avoid in their line of work. he’s brought crashing back to reality and thinks, shit, this isn’t gonna work is it? what have i done?

his head and heart are being pulled in so many directions and he really is facing an identity crisis, a personal dilemma, trying to answer the question “what do i want?” while all this is going on, while he’s faced with the fact that they’ll never truly be safe doing this and they could lose each other again. he might never get proper peace and bliss with stede, and he wants it so much. he wants a life where he doesn’t see stede in danger ever again.

and ed is insecure too, is the thing. he’s so highly sensitive. about the twine on the tray, the fish he caught. stede isn’t the only one who runs and buries his head in the sand when shit gets tough, ed does it too. whim-prone. this time, running off to be a fisherman is ed’s blanket fort. he’s like, okay, i’m feeling bad so that must mean last night was too fast, a mistake, and i don’t wanna do the pirate thing anymore but stede is loving his new fame, so that must mean i should leave. it’s almost like he’s rejecting himself before stede can, before stede realises this isn’t gonna work, that they want different things; they’re not compatible after all and it’ll hurt less if he walks away first this time. he’s trying to save himself the heartbreak.

i don’t think ed truly thinks them sleeping together was a mistake, i think so many feelings are just being mixed inside and that’s the conclusion he’s come to. he got to have this little taste of what their life could be like if they were safe and out of harm’s way together, settled down, but he doesn’t think it’s possible. he’s pissed off with himself for giving in to that temptation when he already knew he wanted to retire.

stede tells him their relationship can be whatever they want it to be but ed isn’t listening because he’s already made that impulsive choice and he’s stubborn, he’s afraid, he’s spiralling, he’s angry it has to be this way. he doesn’t even stop to think that, actually, it doesn’t have to be this way. they could find their middle ground, it doesn’t have to be one life or the other, but they cannot do anything without talking it through.

ed feels doubt, uncertainty, and takes a job on a boat rather than actually telling stede what’s going on in his head. what he wants. he wants to retire, has this fantasy in his head of owning an inn with stede, having quiet domesticity away from a fear of death. clearly he doesn’t think they can compromise, it probably hasn’t occurred to him or it has and he just thinks it isn’t possible to have the best of both worlds. but it is, and they’ll get there, and i think s3 will see them really find the life they’re going to keep.

honestly they should just look at their crew, really look, at how they look after themselves and each other. they could learn a thing or two.

#ofmd spoilers #ofmd #ed x stede #ofmd meta #quill to paper

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melvisik · 7 months

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OFMD S2 SPOILERS

Warning: This post contains non-explicit, brief implications of sexual assault/harassment and invasion of personal space. The subject of consent is delicate and complex and I am no expert, so if any information/opinions in this post are evaluated to be erroneous, seem careless, or cause too much controversy, this post will be deleted and apologies given.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

This post is essentially just a bunch of stating the obvious and taking in the observations of the fandom, but just want to emphasize and reiterate: Not that anyone would imagine (canonically-speaking anyway) that Stede would force or manipulate Ed into anything, but one of the loveliest parts of this scene…

…is that Stede stops when Ed tells him to stop with no sense of hurt, indignation, or bewilderment. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't...I was...thinking...no, I know."

Since the scene aired, there's been an explosion of suggestions and analyses of just what Stede had been thinking during that kiss. There's the most common assumption - of course he frickin wants this beautiful, incredible man whom he loves and who loves him back. It goes without saying that (as far as we know) Stede more than likely has only shared physical intimacy with Mary, someone he is at least fond of but clearly was never in love with. Assuming he is a person who desires and enjoys this kind of thing (and we already knows Ed does), he now has the opportunity to share it with someone he loves and adores, and by god is he ready for it. (Plus, he is all about dropping a lot of the 'gentlemanly' qualities now. Guy is kinda running off a 'successful pirate captaining' high this evening.)

But according to the fandom, his eagerness could be attributed to a couple additional reasons. First of all, he must assume Ed wants to move in this direction. Ed was ready to throw his pirate life away to run off with him to China, moving their relationship forward immediately. That's Ed's pace, Stede thinks, and now that Stede is on board and damn certain of his feelings, he might as well go with Ed's flow (kind of tossing his whole 'whim' speech out the window). He (Stede) is also game, so why not? Also, the last time Ed and Stede kissed, Stede later ran off to Mary (yes, we all know he was really kidnapped, dressed down, and retraumatized, but he still hasn't divulged that to Ed). So perhaps now with this kiss, Stede is trying to reassure Ed that he's not going anywhere this time. This time, he is all in. Another thing to consider is Anne Bonny's almost disparaging inquiry and the subsequent mockery...

As if sexual activity is the signifying feature of a romantic relationship (it isn't). So perhaps there's a modicum of pressure being felt on Stede's part here as well.

However, Con O'Niell once expressed in a panel that 'sex is sex on that ship' and love is another matter. Blackbeard has had sex before, passionate encounters, dalliances if you will... But Edward wants it to be different with Stede, something he considers might make it much deeper (and what's more, he's just not ready). So he pulls back. To state the obvious - not engaging in any form of physical intimacy is totally fine, just as passion for passion's sake (or occasionally using it as a way to express love) is totally fine; there are many different, wonderful flavors of relationships. But even the most dynamic of them has boundaries that are not to be crossed and there are agreements to be established beforehand, even with whims. At the very minimum, everyone involved should be staying safe, have personal autonomy, know explicitly what they are signing up for, and not have any kind of outside influence affect their ability to consent (if they want to give it). So, whatever the case, it's important to note is that the moment Stede feels Ed pull away, noticing that hand on his shoulder, an area of his body that Ed has always affectionally punched or patted…

…he reads Ed's signal and he stops.

And Ed doesn't apologize, he doesn't need to. Stede waits and listens and immediately accepts that he got a little too passionate and that Ed isn't ready for that yet.

To use a classic Youtube video comparison - Stede offered tea, Ed said no thanks/not right now, and that was that. But this analogy isn't exclusively applied to just sexual or intimate activity; Stede might not have even been asking for sex here. But in all relationships (whether romantic, work-related, familial, etc.) consent just to be touched in certain ways is granted differently depending on the relationship and what the involved parties agree to. This can stand out particularly in romantic pairings because the partners involved are often given permission touch more or differently than outside entities. Take for example a pair of classic scenes in the first season - it's been frequently pointed out that Ed's reaction to Antoinette invasion of his personal space…

…was violently different than when Stede waited for permission to touch his beard...

Or (going back to more intimate touches) Stede's reaction to Anne Bonny's assault...

It’s a stark contrast to how he wants to pull Ed closer. Quite frankly, if a person hasn't given you permission to touch them in intimate areas (or in most cases anywhere), you DO NOT touch them. Some may think it's daring or somehow seductive to ignore that, but it absolutely is not. Stede currently has some permission to touch Ed, but he can only go so far. Ed has boundaries and Stede should respect them. And of course, the same applies to Ed in regards to Stede. No matter how you look at it, Ed did kinda blindside Stede with that kiss...

In this case, it turned out fairly ok since Stede did in fact reciprocate Ed's feelings and responded positively (which Ed gradually gauged during the kiss)...

...but it was a surprise kiss nevertheless, and Ed's later proposal ultimately ended up leaving Stede in a bit of a panic. But now, consider that moonlight scene. We've all seen it, it's been shouted from the fandom rooftops. In these first beginning steps of their romantic relationship, both tentatively get closer until each gives his own silent consent…

This time, while Stede is willing to go farther, Ed isn't, as he's taking Stede's words to heart and trying not to move too fast again. And Stede seems to already respects those boundaries. Early on when he calls Ed out from purgatory...

...he doesn't devour Ed's mouth to try and 'smooch him out of it' like some Snow White or Sleepy Beauty fairytale. He knows he's probably not on the best terms with Ed right now and he isn't in a position to be giving Ed passionate kisses. Instead, he grabs Ed's hand and tries to guide him back. From Ed's end in the mermaid vision, MerStede never touches Ed and Ed never touches him. They draw closer slowly, tenderly, and together...

All relationships are different, but it seems the kind Ed and Stede are going for here hasn't exactly been established on the best footing, even though both know their love is reciprocated. Ed knows this. Stede knows this. It's totally ok to go slow if that's what someone needs (not stringing along now, that's different.) So for now, THIS is enough...

No hand snaking around the waist or the shoulders (a move Ed made with their first kiss). Just the feel of one another's palm in the other, the weight of each other's hand relaying all their mutual love and support. A sweet, beautiful show of respect and consideration, and it is much appreciated. P.S. Plus this is just so friggin cute...

...oh my god, these two...

#ofmd s2 #ofmd #our flag means death #edward teach #stede bonnet #ofmd s2 spoilers #self indulgent #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

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cobbbvanth · 6 months

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to me the really interesting thing about the way ofmd handles piracy as a metaphor for both masculinity and queerness is this. stede sees piracy in general as an escape from heteronormativity, and the way he runs his ship specifically as a way of deconstructing toxic masculinity. both of these things allow the crew to become a safe space for him to express his queerness, surrounded by other queer folks at different stages of their various queer journeys. meanwhile piracy for ed is a space for queerness (anything goes at sea) BUT to him it's also irrevocably represents toxic masculinity, not an escape from it. and this is where their opposing arcs come from in s2, because they're at different points in their journey.

piracy to stede is about the community he's built that allows him to be himself in all his camp effeminate gay glory, but for ed it reminds him of the abuse he now knows he doesn't have to endure anymore. and ed realises this because he met stede. (which makes me so !!!! the effect they've had on each other since day one!!) ed supported stede on his piracy journey, helping stede understand that his worth as a man didn't have to be tied to how effectively he played his role in society. this helps stede put his masculinity/queerness/piracy triangle in balance, seeing his life of piracy as a positive departure from the stifling expectations of masculinity and heteronormativity of his old life.

his time with stede kind of has the opposite impact on ed though, and that's where their conflict comes from. ed thought he had a functioning balance in his masculinity/queerness/piracy triangle - because being a pirate meant he could at least have his queerness, and he'd found a way to keep performing masculinity as 'blackbeard'. but stede helped him see that he didn't need to keep performing, he showed ed that there can be room for softness even in their line of work. stede giving ed the option of a different lifestyle did lead ed, the impulsive king that he is, to attempt to cut out piracy altogether. he reacts this way because he's not quite at the same point in his journey that stede is. stede was able to reach a balance after stepping away from piracy and going back to his family in s1, and we see ed doing the same thing by leaving piracy to be a fisherman in s2.

ed's (brief) time away from piracy shows him that he can't keep neglecting one part of his piracy/queerness/masculinity triangle - he needs to find a balance and acceptance of all three. in the end ed puts his leathers back on for love, and was able to lay 'blackbeard' to rest with izzy, helping him properly understand that piracy can be a positive analogy for queerness AND masculinity. stede and ed step away from piracy at the end of the season anyway, but they both do so with a much better understanding of how piracy gave them freedom to be themselves. i just think the way the show handles all of this is pretty neat

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #edward teach #blackbonnet #stede x edward #text #**#shout out to elio for understanding my ramblings about this akjsgsl #i just. god yeah shout out to the ofmd writers

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kaelyx-zac01 · 7 months

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Okay, I love the second season as much as the next guy. But, I'm still waiting for Stede's development: for his trauma and pain to come up. And I know it will come up, I trust in OFMD show runners on that account. But yeah, as much as we would all love for Blackbeard and Stede to be together, there's just so much unresolved with Stede's character that definitely needs to be dealt with before he and Ed could be in any relationship.

I mean, with Ed, at least we get the gravy basket. He's able to realize that the heart of his self-destructive behavior is his self-hatred and the belief that he's unlovable. At least, we see him trying to work things out about himself and resolve that on his own.

But with Stede? Not so much. His strife and insecurities are very much left in the dark. He was literally burdened by guilt the entire first season. The mix of Chauncey's last words and Mary being happier without him literally hammers the fact that he is unneeded -- a burden to others and a presence who destroys everything he touches. And he's afraid that it's the same with Blackbeard. No wonder he's so frustrated with himself that he doesn't blame anyone else but himself for Ed's "death". Or that he doesn't feel very much like a captain. He still believes that he has to be this masculine ideal to be so.

And yet, Stede remains very much a great leader. Despite his issues, he continues to look out for his crew, even if it meant banishing the man he loves. He gives advice to Lucius. He doesn't lash at his crew, despite them literally murdering Ed. He considers the consent of the crew first before bringing Blackbeard again on board. Not to mention, the literal positive impact Stede has on the crew in general. Because of his influence, they're able to create a safe space for each other. His advice in addressing conflict, of talking things through, echo from the mouth of Izzy Hands himself. And don't even get me started on Stede's impact on Ed -- he literally brings the man from the dead.

It seems the entire crew reflects how much positive things Stede has brought to their life. Of his worth as a person. And yet Stede still doesn't see that. To him, he's a shit captain and person, especially with what he did to Ed. And thus, he tries so much to make amends, it tears at my heart, god.

So, yeah I just want the crew to validate Stede. He tries so hard to be a positive, comforting presence to everyone. But, no one AT ALL has sat with Stede to assure him that he's seen -- that he is worthy as he is. And I really hope we get that -- especially if it's Ed. Gosh, that would triumph all the "You wear fine things well" scenes for me

#stede's the therapist friend who always look out for others but no one looks out for him #and to Stede haters fuck you #the narrative of the story is literally “look at how stede changed these people” like fuck me ack-#i love stede's character so much he needs a hug so bad #ofmd stede #ofmd stede bonnet #omfd s2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta

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theclaravoyant · 7 months

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AN ~ For @fictober-event’s Fictober 2023 prompt: “Okay, show me.” Set during s2, written pre-airing, insp. by the official trailers. No spoilers beyond those. Masterpost of my Fictober OFMD fics

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Characters & Relationships: Stede Bonnet, Izzy Hands, background Ed x Stede. Tags: Canon Typical Violence, Canon Typical Izzy Being A Prick

Training

The sword clatters to the deck at Stede’s feet. He looks at it, and his eyes trail up to Izzy’s sneering face.

“Pick it up.”

Stede puffs his chest. “I think we’ve already proven who can best whom in that particular contest.”

Sure, it had taken him getting pinned to the mast through his guts. And sure, Izzy wouldn’t fall for that particular trick again. But something about Izzy’s constant judgment makes him want to be a real bitch about it.

Izzy is unfazed by said bitchiness. Maybe he’s used to it by now. Maybe he sees it for the bluster it most definitely is. Itching to raise his own blade and teach this ponce a lesson, he steps up to Stede. Right up to Stede. Closing right in on his personal space in a deliberate - and unfortunately, highly successful - attempt to make him uncomfortable.

“What are you going to do,” he prods, “if you’re stuck down below. Or on a beach. Or anywhere you don’t have your fancy cherry mast to do the work for you?”

“Edward’s already shown me-”

“A real swordsman won’t slap you on the arse and smile like a schoolgirl when you cut your little fingies.” Izzy’s voice is laced with loathing. He remembers that supposed ‘swordsmanship lesson’. The two of them moaning and screaming like horny cats. Bloody infatuated fucking Blackbeard and stupid fucking Stede Bonnet. “What. Are you going. To do.”

Stede bristles. He can smell Izzy’s breath - can practically feel his overpronunciation-spit. And he decides, fuck it.

He shoves Izzy as hard as he can, dives for the sword that lays at his feet, and executes a surprisingly solid roll across the deck toward some cover. Beaming, he gets back to his feet and braces himself for the battle, but he doesn’t have time to get further than that before Izzy is on him. Relentless. Hounding. Chasing him with such a thorough thrashing that it’s only seconds before he’s rounded up against the side railing - where there’s nothing high enough or solid enough to pull the gut-stab trick again - and then slammed onto his belly before he can blink.

Izzy’s wooden leg crushes down between Stede’s shoulder blades, pinning him to the deck. His other foot presses Stede’s sword hand until his fingers smart and he lets go. Izzy’s right, he thinks. He’s a child. What the hell is he doing?

“You should’ve stayed home playing house, Bonnet.”

That’s all you’ll ever be.

“I can do better.”

Stede curses himself as soon as the words are out of his mouth. He’s an idiot. Izzy’s blade is all too close to all the wrong organs right now and he curses his foolhardiness and squeezes his eyes shut and waits for death. Pain. Something.

After a long moment, Izzy sighs wearily.

“Okay,” he says. “Show me.”

The pressure lifts from Stede’s back and he cracks one eye open.

“What?”

“I said, show me. You think you’re ready to be a pirate? Grow a fucking pair and show me."

Izzy steps back, baring his teeth, but giving Stede the space to collect himself and his weapon and return to a somewhat ready crouch. He watches Izzy closely. Something about that sparkle in his eye has changed. Sure, he still wants to kill him, but it seems that he’s decided beating the life out of him repeatedly is going to have to do.

Stede bows his head, just slightly. Just enough to show that he’s grateful. He might not be feeling that way for much longer. It’s going to be a long day.

“En guarde,” he says.

Let’s go.

#fictober23 #stede bonnet #izzy hands #ofmd #our flag means death #prompt me stuff #clara's fic tag #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers

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nextstopwonderland · 2 years

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Masterlist of Taika/Rhys content I’ve posted on tumblr

Because I do so love archiving things.

(If putting anything on Twitter, especially photo edits/vid compilations please give proper credit)

Videos

Compilations (do not repost without credit)

Us Against the World: Interview compilation part 1

We’re in this Together: Interview compilation part 2

We were there for each other: Interview compilation part 3

We have similar souls: Interview compilation part 4

A Taika gushes over ofmd & Rhys 15 min supercut

Rhys + “the managerial role”

Rhys + “the managerial role” - the WWDITS edition

Rhys & Taika + working together

Taika + Rhys + “perfect”

Taika + Rhys + “great(est)”

Yet another casting related compilation

“Taika and I get each other’s vibe” -Wilderpeople bts compilation

“Do i ever make you laugh that hard?”

“It’s one of my favorite scenes in the film, because of him” - What we do in the shadows directory commentary compilation

Taika + the most fun being with Rhys

“You weren’t acting there, were you?” - in which the FYC q&a is like an established relationship romcom

Clips

“I never want those moments to end”

Rhys and the blackbeard bar & grill scene

“I was doing an erotic dance for my friends” vibes

“It was always the most exciting - for me- when it was just me a Rhys”

“We’re gonna work together forever. I know that.”

“Having Taika there made it easier to do. Because we’re in this together.”

“Put your Kraken arms around me... and take me... and squeeze me”

“This is all perfect” | full version

“The parallel between fiction and fact and life and creativity was so close”

Rhys discussing 2002 Fringe Fest and Taika

“We met on the comedy circuit in New Zealand”

“To trust each other”

“I spoke to you bro!! 🥺”

“He invites me into his special tent” (private 🔒)

Rhys discusses OFMD beginning of filming (private 🔒)

Rhys discusses adjusting to the filming schedule & guest stars (private 🔒)

Compilation of Rhys’s OFMD talk on The Cryptid Factor (private 🔒 )

“When’s the werewolf question coming up?”

“I only come here for the ring toss!”

Wilderpeople Sundance compilation

“One of the reasons he probably said yes is because he was opposite me”

Rhys discusses being cast in ofmd

“Finish each other’s sentences”

“I DO take direction well!”

“We had a each other to lean on”

“There’s just this synchronicity between our brains and the way that we act or improvise where we always seem in tune”

Rhys discussing scenes with Taika and next goal wins

Taika discussing Rhys during Wilderpeople DVD commentary

the FYC private foot tap

“See you in there, babe” - S2 spoilers (BTS footage)

“When I direct him, it’s easy. And when we act together, it’s even better.” - bts interviews, S2 spoilers

“See you in there, babe” - the Samba edition (edit, S2 spoilers)

Other Collabs

Rhys’s part of 2015 Taika directed charity vid

Rhys in Crazy Domains commercials directed by Taika

Audio

“I love how he makes movies, he’s fucking fantastic”

“I always knew i’d end up working with Rhys. I always do.”

Rhys talks being directed by Taika

“We really dig a lot deeper in this show to get into the psyche of these two characters” (Takes place right after the above audio)

“Thanks, Taiks!”

“I love him”

Taika on being able to have fun acting, fanart, and s2

David and Taika discuss the romance aesthetic and the end of episode 1

Rhys discussing his ghost experience at 2002 Fringe fest

Rhys discussing early comedy days with Taika and next goal wins from 2020

WWDITS Australian promo tour compilation

“He’s an amazing artist and I’ve seen everything he’s done”

“We haven’t changed who we are.”

Picspams

Taika and Rhys through the years

Taika and Rhys + Space Waltz (includes link)

Unicorn floats

No thoughts just these photos

WWDITS promotion

Gifs from vids

Find someone who looks at you...

Find someone who… part 2

Taika agrees with the above find someone’s apparently

More press promo tours

Another pic compilation

Taika photographing Rhys for FOTC

Taika + Rhys + hands

Taika + Rhys + beatboxing + heartseyes

FYC q&a stills

Next Goal Wins premiere

Quotes

“It was a pleasure romancing with you, Ed”

Quote compilation part 1 (in which i originally say they met at Fringe in 2002 because Rhys confused me, but in actuality they knew each other before that. Post has since been edited 🤣)

Quote compilation part 2

Pics + Quotes Compilations

“We’re good for each other, so it just works”

“Let’s just have some fun”

“Just Breathe, Rhysie”

Yet another photo + quote compilation

1996 vs. 2002

Rhys once again discussing their chemistry, love, and “magic”

“Rhys is inherently loveable. You can not help but love him.”

Ed + Stede + romance tropes

“I still see within Taika the same alternative comic from the 90s.”

“Taika has obvious sex appeal and I never have.”

“We’ve kind of been taking on the world together”

“I always play the nice guy and he’s always a prick”

“So, all of Rhys’s lines.”

_________________________________

Graphics

Mixes with cover art (Blackbonnet)

Without the one you love

The reason I hold on

The part of me I can’t let go

#taika/rhys #masterposts #masterlists

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noctiseclipse · 6 months

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OFMD Season 2 ep 8 spoilers

Or: I Am Very Upset

(added a break because apparently I had a lot of thoughts about the whole show)

I stuck with this show for Izzy. Con O'neill is one HELL of an actor, and honestly, without his scenes breaking up so much of the silliness in Season 1, I probably would have never gotten past the second episode.

Izzy was initially such a shit. He was an antagonistic fuck and by far the most capable and conniving character over the course of season 1. He was endearing BECAUSE he was such a bastard to everyone, even when he was the villain.

His relationship with Stede and Ed was what really sold me on the show. Romantic or not, he was a perfect foil to the head-in-the-sky way Stede and Ed were together. He also bridged the captains to the crew perfectly. without him I find Steddy often feels like they're on an island all on their own.

Then, we got to see all the ways Izzy could be more than just Blackbeard or his loyalty to Ed. We got to see him suffer and DIE and become more than just a foil to Steddy; to explore his interests and skills and his OWN connection to the crew.

With all the character development he went through in the second season, it just feels like such a loss to still have Izzy die because he's supposed to represent piracy as a whole? Being a pirate?

We watched him develop into his own person outside of Blackbeard over the course of the season, and then... what, all of it is still second to his service to Blackbeard, both the person and the legend?

This is without even mentioning how rushed (and frankly, kind of weirdly lighthearted?) the end of the episode and Izzy's death/funeral felt. He was such a big part of the crew/show as a whole and the sendoff he got REALLY did not feel proportional to his impact on those things.

And like, I get it. I saw the death flags in the episodes before, I knew it was at least a possibility.

That said, I would have expected a show that had such a high standard of character writing up to that point to do a better job of giving a character's death scene the time and space to have the appropriate degree of impact shown with the rest of the cast/characters.

I think the intention of the earlier monologue to Banes was to act as a sendoff for Izzy; to summarize his character and growth, but it just... didn't work for me? Didn't feel like it actually marked the end of his character on the show? Maybe it's because the actual funeral and death scene were far weaker than that monologue, but instead of the loss of Izzy feeling earned it felt pretty cheap in the end.

I don't know. This is getting a little rambly, but I have a lot of feelings that are still all so tangled up about how rushed a lot of the end of season 2 felt. Izzy's death is a symptom of that for sure, and I'm... concerned, I guess? for how the dynamics between all the characters will be changed if season 3 ends up happening.

Without Izzy (Con O'Neill really), I can't see myself enjoying a third season of this show. Maybe that's a little entitled or overly critical or something, but his loss leaves such a gaping and unsatisfying hole in the cast of this show I can't bring myself to be excited for more of it.

#our flag means death #ofmd season 2 #ofmd season 2 spoilers #ofmd season 2 episode 8 #ofmd #ofmd izzy #spoilers

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sarucane · 5 months

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Stories within Stories (within more stories!): OFMD Meta Analysis of Ep 1 E4

This is the first episode where we get to really meet Ed, and the episode with Stede's backstory. It starts with a story within a story: a flashback to Stede's life with Mary and his family. We learn that Stede's life until he ran away on the Revenge was a told entirely by other people. His father dictated his early life to him, and then Mary--though she really was trying to tell a story with him--ended up telling a story to him.

This, we learn--and Ed begins to figure out--is the story within the story of the "gentleman pirate." The stories are linked by piracy, and betrayal. Stede remembers his daughter pretending to stab him despite his protestations that he "had a family," remembers that he got here by betraying his family's trust. He was telling a story, "playing pirates," and he got betrayed to the Spaniards.

Stede set out to live a life that is more authentic, more himself, by becoming a pirate. That's a brave thing to do, but Stede calls himself "a coward" as he remembers the family he left behind. He paradoxically believes both of the stories--that he's the Gentleman Pirate (however bad a pirate he actually is) and that he's "a lily-livered little rich boy--and neither, at the same time. But though Stede fears this contradiction damns him (literally), it's also what's saved him, what's drawn Ed to him.

Ed knows the story of himself "Blackbeard" doesn't fit him, just like neither of Stede's stories quite fit. And Stede isn't just focusing on telling one story: he's trying to combine the person he was with the person he wants to be, the gentleman with the pirate. That gives Ed space to start trying something really different, not just apparently different. To look inward in a way he probably never has before.

At first, it seems that Ed's inner and outer stories are aligned. All through the episode, Ed acts erratically towards Izzy and the crew. But--aside from what he does with Stede--none of his apparent whims are actual whims. They're all part of a plan supporting that "outer story." Ed's following the rules the whole time. Izzy's nagging him all through the episode to come up with a plan, but they're already in a plan that Izzy has unwittingly participated in earlier.

But when Stede asks Ed if he works for Blackbeard, Ed seizes the chance to follow a different kind of whim. An impulse that speaks to his inner self, his inner story and his desire to write it. And it's something that surprises Ed himself. It's true that he's been unhappy, he's likely already plotting to murder Stede and steal his identity--but this "I'm Ed" is something new.

And it's not a clear-cut division. Ed doesn't hide that he's Blackbeard from Stede, as soon as it comes up in the conversation he owns the name. Yet, when Stede and Ed are alone together, Ed is noticeably more relaxed, more open to new experiences. To writing something genuinely different. To acting on whims and impulses that speak to his inner story of "Ed," not his outer story of "Blackbeard."

And Ed's able to truly articulate his frustration to Stede, more than he did to Izzy (who kept trying to focus Ed's attention back on the outer story, life and death and piracy). Ed's trapped in a persona that looks larger-than-life but that he's experiencing as smaller than life. Like Izzy says much, much later, Ed's outgrown being Blackbeard.

And Ed can talk to Stede like this because Stede breaks the rules. Stede doesn't have a clean division between his inner and outer story. And he offers Ed the first chance Ed has had in a long time to literally "just be Ed." To have the self he wants to see, the story that feels real, reflected back at him through another person. To link up his inner and outer stories.

Ed clearly loves it. He loves looking at Stede's stuff and hearing Stede's stories. And he decides to take it up to 11, and to use his Blackbeard persona to make everyone call him "Stede." To try to be Stede, who is so much more free than him.

It's misguided. Aside from the bigger picture that being someone else isn't going to make Ed happy (wherever you go, there you are), Ed's so isolated within his outer story (which has happened because of his own choices, like he's trying to escape the Blackbeard story by sneaking out the back) that he lost track of the date. And he kept his plan secret until he thought it had already succeeded, which nearly gets everyone killed.

But it doesn't get killed, because of Ed and Stede. Because when Ed feels vulnerable, he goes into Stede's room and is alone with him. Because Stede looks at a memory of his old life and is open about it, open about a deep insecurity with a man he's barely met. And because Ed is still Ed, and still knows the rules of the sea. Together with the crew, they tell a story of a lighthouse. Link inner and outer stories and make a safe space ship. They tell a story together.

But while Stede was ready to leave his life behind, to break rules, Ed isn't ready to let go of his old stories yet. He could have found another reason to stick around with Stede, to tell stories with him because they enjoy it. Instead, he proposes a defined story to Stede: I'll teach you about being a pirate, you teach me about being an aristocrat. It's just a new outer story, but it's one with space for the real inner story--"It's the most fun I've had at sea in ages"--to grow.

Except that sometimes the outer stories crush the inner ones.

Mary and Izzy are the real antagonists of this episode. Both are occupied with trying to get Stede and Ed to stay in the bounds of their societally dictated stories. Mary does this with more ambivalence than Izzy, but Izzy actually does it with more generosity than Mary. He doesn't tell Ed to stop being weird. But he also pointedly ignores Ed's weirdness, further isolating Ed. And he turns to shame as a weapon when Ed has too much fun, challenges Izzy's ideas of the world too much. But the real problem is that in this episode, we see that Izzy allows Ed to do something that's bad for him: to keep telling the story of Blackbeard, even when he doesn't really want to. Izzy's been doing that for years, thinking he was doing something "right." But really, Izzy's been trapping them both.

And the thing about fucked-up toxic dynamics like the one that grew between Ed and Izzy--and the one that lingers between Stede and Mary--is that both parties become complicit. Stede left Mary, but he's wracked by guilt that will drive him to make terrible mistakes. And Ed, rather than letting Izzy leaves, proves that he's "still got it." The inner story he's been telling with Stede, Ed suggests, is all lies. Ed's still a pirate. He's using Stede, making another Blackbeard secret-clever-plan. This is all in service to an outer story.

But there's hope within the hopelessness. Ed's outer story is an escape route: he doesn't want to "have it," as Izzy said, and he's found a way to own that. He's failing in the right direction. And not just in terms of shaping a new life for himself. As Ed walks away, we see that Ed knows this isn't who he really is. That this outer story of Blackbeard isn't a story that overwrites all the others. That his heart isn't really empty, no matter how he might want it to be.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #ofmd meta #ed teach #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #izzy hands #mary bonnet

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