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anonymous-dentist · 9 days

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A Very Scary Night from the Merpepito AU

Read Parts 5 and 6 on Ao3!

The Sky is falling and Pepito is going to die.

It's loud. It's loud and the ship is shaking and rocking so badly that Pepito swears it's about to fall apart. Everybody is running around tying ropes and fixing the sails and scooping buckets of water out of the ship's hold, and the Sky is falling. Captain Celbi is at the wheel shouting so loudly that Pepito can hear him all the way from inside of Captain Celbi's bedroom, and the Sky is falling.

Pepito tries not to be too scared, though. Pepito shouldn't be scared, because pirates are never scared! Nobody but Pepito seems worried, so it's fine.

The Sky explodes again loud enough to make Pepito's ears ring.

Pomme yelps and claps her hands over her ears. Richarlyson cheers and runs to the window to look out at the falling Sky. Pepito pulls Pepito's knees close to Pepito's chest and tries not to think about how Apa Roier is five seconds away from the Sky falling onto him and sweeping him away into the Ocean, never to be heard from again.

It's fine!!

As soon as the Sky started falling, Miss Baghera had ushered Pepito and Pomme and Richarlyson into Captain Celbi's quarters. Apparently, the downstairs of the ship floods when the Sky falls, and it wouldn't be safe for Pepito and the others to stay down there.

Pepito doesn't get it, though. If the Sky is falling, that's it. There's nothing above the Sky. Does the Sky fall often enough for Miss Baghera and the other pirates to know what to do when it happens? How long has the Sky been falling? Is it normal? Because this cannot be normal.

"Get away from the window!" Pomme shouts, barely able to be heard above the wind the the falling Sky and the Sky's explosions.

"Fuck you!" Richarlyson shouts back. He presses himself up against the glass with his hands framing his face, up on his toes so far that his wooden leg hovers off of the ground beneath him. "This is cool! Come here! I think I can see the bottom of the ocean!"

That can't be right. The Bottom of the Ocean is a sacred place. Only mermaids and the Sea Witch and, like, evil sharks can go there. It's where Pepito came from, and it's where all baby Pepitos come from. Apa Mariana says so every time Ama Rivers starts talking about 'birth', whatever that is.

Richarlyson is probably just seeing part of a reef, which is a pretty big problem if it's true. Reefs are dangerous for ships. They eat them! That's why mermaids live there, it's the one place Sky Pepito Ships can't be.

The Sky explodes once more, and Pepito flinches so hard he ends up knocking his glasses off of his face with his knees. Embarrassed, Pepito puts Pepito's glasses back on. Nobody saw that.

"Hey, don't be scared," Pomme says. She gets up off of her spot on the floor by Captain Celbi's desk and goes to sit by Pepito by Captain Celbi's bed. Her knee bumps against Pepito's ankle.

"Yeah, don't be scared," Richarlyson echoes, but he sounds way meaner about it. He turns his head away from the window to look at Pepito, nose turned up in disgust. "What a baby."

Pepito puffs out Pepito's cheeks annoyedly. Pepito is not a baby! Pepito is a Big Pepito!

"Shut up, Richas," Pomme groans. "You're such a dick."

Pepito agrees, but also. Also maybe Richarlyson is right to be a... a rude person to Pepito. He seems to know that Pepito is a Bad Pepito, after all. He's always telling Captain Celbi that Pepito is stealing things from around the ship and that Pepito is the one messing with everybody's food at dinner and that's why it's too spicy and that Pepito is, like, super evil. And he always looks at Pepito when he says these things, right in Pepito's eyes, and he looks so smug about it.

One of these days, Richarlyson is going to tell Captain Celbi about the Very Bad Thing that Pepito did, and then Captain Celbi is going to tell Apa Roier because he and Apa Roier are Best Friends, and then Pepito will be thrown into the Ocean and forced to become a mermaid again and then Pepito will never see his family or his friends again.

(Pepito doesn't know how Richarlyson figured Pepito's secret out, but Pepito bets it has something to do with the Sea Witch.

Oooooh, the Sea Witch! Pepito is going to beat him up one day!)

The ship lurches so far to the side that all of the things on Captain Celbi's desk go flying off of the desk and into the far wall. Both Pepito and Pomme soon follow, limbs flailing as they're thrown about the cabin. Richarlyson joins them in a heap soon after, landing right on his face.

Hah!

Maybe Pepito is smiling too obviously, because Richarlyson immediately shouts and tackles him to the side.

"What's so funny?" he demands.

Pomme groans and pulls Richarlyson off of Pepito. (She might be smaller than Richarlyson is, but she's way stronger!)

"Are you really going to beat up a baby?" she asks, which- hey! Pepito is not a baby!

"Yes!" Richarlyson answers. He struggles in her grip. "It's his fault this storm showed up, anyway!"

Pepito frowns. He adjusts his glasses where Richarlyson and the moving ship had knocked them crooked.

Pepito shakes his head. This isn't his fault. He thinks. The Mermaid Police can't control the Sky, they're mermaids!

"Don't be stupid," Pomme says. "Look at him!"

They both look at Pepito. Pepito smiles and waves.

Richarlyson looks positively furious.

"Exactly!" he shouts. "Look at him! He's a menace!"

No, Pepito is a mermaid.

...Wait, no, Pepito is a pirate.

Pomme rolls her eyes. "He probably doesn't even know what that means. Look- Pepito, how old are you?"

Pepito thinks. He remembers a couple of parties, but those weren't really any different from any other time he went to Awuelo Foolish's house. Every day with Awuelo Foolish is a party!

But he guesses, anyway. He holds up a hand with all five of his fingers up. That sounds right, but numbers have never been Pepito's strong suit.

"See?" Pomme asks. "He's a baby."

Pepito shakes his head. Now he's starting to get angry. He is not a baby! They're both barely older than Pepito is!

"So what? He's the one who pissed off the gods," Richarlyson argues. "Think about it. Him and his dad show up, and suddenly it starts storming?"

"We're on the ocean! It always storms out here!"

"Not at this time of year! And he came here with the Sea Witch."

Pomme gasps, suddenly angry, and she pushes Richarlyson to the floor and leaps onto him with a cry.

"He's my dad!" she yells. "Shut up! He isn't evil!"

Richarlyson yelps and tries fighting her off, swinging wildly with his arms. "Get off! I'm just saying that they're bad luck! They're probably from the Navy and they probably have, like, storm magic, and they're trying to drown us and collect the bounty! It makes sense!"

"Gods, you and Captain Cellbit are both too paranoid," Pomme groans. "You need to touch grass."

"We're! On! The! Ocean!!" Richarlyson shouts, smacking Pomme with every word.

Pepito wordlessly gets up off of the floor and starts gathering some of the things that were thrown from Captain Celbi's desk. He does not want to be close to this fight...

The Sky explodes again, and Pepito jumps so hard that he almost falls over. Almost.

He fights against the ship's slope to get to the desk. At least it's bolted to the floor...

The desk is at too much of an angle for him to be able to put stuff onto it, so Pepito opens a drawer and pours his armful of things into it. At least this way, it's off of the floor!

"Hey!" Richarlyson shouts. "Get out of there!"

Pepito looks up from the drawer and can just barely see Richarlyson's eyes over the top of the desk, when did he stand up?

(Uh-oh, he looks angry.)

"Why are you always in my dad's stuff!" Richarlyson angrily asks. "You're so weird!"

"Is that what this is about?" Pomme asks, sounding very tired. "Richas, look at me."

He looks at her only as she grabs him by his face and makes him.

"Pepito isn't trying to steal your dad," she tells him.

Pepito tilts his head. Huh?

He comes out from around the desk and stands next to it, hands awkwardly hovering at his sides, unsure what to do with themselves.

Richarlyson stiffens. "I know that."

"Then act like it. Look how confused he is. He doesn't even know why you're angry at him."

She forces Richarlyson to look at Pepito.

Pepito smiles and waves again.

Richarlyson still looks positively furious.

"Your face is stupid," Richarlyson tells him. "And I'm going to keep my dad safe from you and your dad. I don't know why you're here, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Pomme slaps him. "Pepito isn't an enigma! He's a baby!"

Okay, that is it!

Pepito picks up a soft-ish looking thing off of the floor- some kind of squishy little ball- and throws it at Pomme, who yelps and ducks to avoid it.

Richarlyson cackles. "Wow! Imagine pissing the baby off!"

He stops laughing as Pepito picks up a much harder thing off of the floor and chucks it at his face as hard as he can.

"Fuck!" Richarlyson shouts.

"Wow," Pomme smugly says, "imagine pissing the baby off."

"I hate you both," Richarlyson grumbles.

He wrestles himself free of Pomme's hold and stalks across the cabin and crawls onto Captain Celbi's bed and hides under the covers.

After a moment, Pepito goes to finish putting the desk's lost items in its drawers.

The Sky may be falling, and Pepito and the entire ship might be five seconds away from getting killed by the falling Sky, but he can at least clean the floor before dying. He may be a Bad Pepito, but he isn't a Dirty Pepito.

"Thank you, Pepito," Captain Celbi says when the Sky is done falling and he's inside his cabin checking on Pepito and the Richarlyson and Pomme. "I was worried that some of my things might have gotten lost in the storm."

Pepito basks in the praise, grinning wildly. He's such a good pirate!!

("Whatever," Richarlyson grumbles.

Pepito is just going to have to learn the hard way that stealing someone's dad is a bad idea. When he loses his dad, he'll be wishing he never tried stealing Pai Cellbit in the first place!)

#a.d.'s fics i suppose #a.d.'s fics i suppose.#merpepito au #oh richas...

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bougiebutchbinch · 6 months

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On Izzy Hands

Popping this on this blog too, just so it'll show up in the tags... My superior alternate suggestions for a S2 ending are under the cut. We all know I'm right.

Honesty Hour time. The reason we were all like 'I bet he's going to die' is because WHENEVER a character has a cool redemption arc OR a queer character comes out and experiences genuine queer joy for the first time in their life, their mortality rate goes up by 90%. But it was such a disappointment to be proven right.

I think we all expected better of the writing team. They've committed to doing genuinely new and interesting things with this story in the past, rather than just trotting out tired old tropes! But... not in this case.

People say they want more Zuko-esque redemption arcs, but we can't have that if every character who was A Bit Of A Dick at first gets killed off. And... c'mon. The whole arc of Izzy finding a family in the crew, and healing after being abused awfully for ages, and finding happiness, and openly embracing his queerness and disability.... then just randomly getting shot by a dude? Not even as a dramatic 'protecting someone' sacrifice? He just randomly got shot?? And we're all supposed to feel sad about that rather than just kinda let down?

Yeaaaaah, I do not think they achieved what they were going for.

I understand that a lot of that was because they had to shorten the series SO MUCH more than they wanted, but still.... it would have cost nothing to let Izzy just sail away with the rest of the crew as the Captain of the Revenge, while Ed and Stede retired!! It felt kinda like they were building towards that all season! Hell, that would've been a more meaningful progression for all of their characters.

We'd have Ed and Stede letting go of Blackbeard for good and building something new together on land - but we'd also have Izzy finally moving beyond the 'Blackbeard' persona he helped Ed create (and, arguably, did more for than Ed!). He'd be a captain who actually gives a shit about his crew, but who has learnt from Stede and Ed the importance of being a bit softer and gentler rather than brutally efficient 24/7. He evidently already admires Zheng (the face journey he goes on when she downs the big guy at Jackiez is ... it's sure something!) and I want a million more hours of them interacting. I bet they could be a super-funny duo. Plus, he could inevitably drag Stede and Ed back in next season! And get revenge on the prince who shot him!

It would've been perfect.But no, they had to kill him off because the OT3 potential was too strong, and bury a career pirate on land. Meh.

I'm tempted to watch the next season, if there is one, just for Olu/Jim/Archie/Zheng, but I can't say I care that much about the writing anymore. I won't be crying if the show does stop here, but I will be crying over everything that could have been!

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

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buggaboizz · 9 months

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Kwazii Ref Sheet +Character Details and Backstory!

Character Details!

Headshot:

He has a gold tooth, lol

Also, though he does wear an eye patch and has a scar there, he does in fact still have that eye. He wears it cause Calico Jack wore one.

Earrings:

I once read in someone else's headcannon that pirates would have a gold earring that said their home (like, in case they died away or smth) and I thought that was SO cool, so his say "Octopod" (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Fish Biscuit

I just needed something to fill the space, he does love fish biscuits tho

Bandana

It's a red bandana with gold stitching that once belonged to Calico Jack. It was given to Kwazii before Calico Jack left for the Amazon River. Ever since he has worn it on his tail as a piece of his long lost Grandfather.

Knife

It's the knife from his pirate days. It doesn't get much use nowdays, but he loves using it whenever he can.

Kwazii's Backstory

Kwazii's father left as soon as he was told she was pregnant. Luckily, Kwazii's mom wasn't alone in this as she had her dad, Calico Jack. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through child birth, so Calico Jack had to face this on his own.

Kwazii was raised mostly out on the sea, being a pirate and learning the ways of the water.

Kwazii was only 14 when Calico Jack set off for the Amazon River. He didn't want Kwazii coming as he knew it would be dangerous, but he promised he would come back to him. He left Kwazii with his bandanna, the only surviving piece of his grandfather.

Kwazii spent years searching for Calico Jack. Sailing across the seas, searching every dock and town, but he never found him. He did sometimes find Calico Jack's old crew, but they all said the same thing. They didn't know where he was or what happened to him, or even worse, that he was dead.

Kwazii was at a dock town when he got into a fight with some sailors. He was sitting in an alleyway, beaten and bruised, when someone walked up to him. Barnacles was in the Navy when his ship came to this place. He was just having a night on the town when he found Kwazii. Kwazii was just some beat up kid in an alley with no parents or family, so he took him in and fixed him up. Of course he couldn't stay long as he was in the Navy, but for that short moment in time, he was the family Kwazii needed.

Why did Kwazii Join The Octonauts?

Kwazii continued searching for Calico Jack, and continued getting the same results. Years past until at the age of 22 he found himself at a dock. He overheard some Seagulls talking about this group of people that went around the world's oceans and helped creatures in need. He learned more about these people, they were called The Octonauts.

He had decided that he had done enough searching, that he needed to make something of his life. He was wasting himself and his life just searching, so he decided to join. But, deep down inside, he still had hopes that maybe he'd find Calico Jack on his journeys with them.

When he had his interview, Captain Barnacles was out, so Dashi was doing it. They decided it would be good to have a pirate on the team. Who knows the sea better than a pirate? Plus, he was very passionate about it. So he was made a member of the team.

Later when Barnacles returned he went to meet their new recruit. They recognized each other as soon as they laid eyes on one another. It was a very happy reunion. Kwazii finally had the permanent family he needed.

Headcannons and Bits

-Kwazii plays the fiddle

-Him and Barnacles like to groom together

-Kwazii was named after his mother

-He LOVES getting pets and scratchies

-He sleeps in a hammock

-His fur coloring is based off a local stray cat named Pickles (they are very sweet)

-Kwazii uses A LOT of pirate slang

-Kwazii transitioned after Calico Jack had left, so he didn't know Kwazii was now a boy. But once he was back they did have a heart to heart talk about it (CJ loves and supports Kwazii no matter what) that was also the first time the team learned he was trans (only Peso knew, cause doctor things)

-You can point to ANY of his scars and he'll tell this crazy story of how he got it

-He LOVES snuggling

-He HATES licorice (but that's cannon)

#octonauts #art #octonauts fanart #redesign #kwazii #octonauts headcanon #headcanon #backstory #Kwazii has trauma #captain barnacles #cat #pirate #pirate things #calico jack

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mysteriouslybluepirate · 6 months

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Thank you for offering your askbox. I've been thinking that Izzy being just a side character whose story wasn't main plot thread makes even better proof that not everything was well planned? If I was a writer and this would be easily the most discussed topic about the finale, I'd reflect on storytelling decisions I made. There's a good reason why Izzy's fate overshadows everything despite that he wasn't the point of the show.

(Post posted 10/31/23) Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree, we're all here for discussions.

Thank you so much for this amazing question!! [If you're seeing this and want to discuss some aspect of S2, or my thoughts on OFMD overall, SEND ME AN ASK! I love doing this]

TLDR: Vague characterization from historical records means Jenkins is free to bend history without a lot of guilt. During early days of casting and during scene changes Jenkins got inspired by Con's audition tape. Con was told to play this shit as a Jesus/Judas relationship. An amazing performance in S1 keeps the character relevant in fandom spaces in the hiatus, and in Jenkin's mind for S2. The S1 season finale accidentally reveals a really interesting dynamic in Ed/Izzy's relationship. [Speculation from this point on] Jenkins feels like he needs to explore, with little plans to fully explore it. Fleshing out both Ed/Izzy abuse and love.

Jenkins realizes 'Oh shit, Izzy wasn't supposed to be this' midway through S2. But he still follows his original plan in killing him off, because he's not needed for the story in his outline, leading to him accidentally killing off a character as they're growing and healing. Leading to what some consider a move SO off-brand for the show, they are leaving the fandom.

[*Tin Foil Hat On*] I expect the original cut of S2 to include more scenes of the crew. I bet for every other Izzy scene, we got a crew scene. So when 'extra' not plot-relevant scenes had to get cut, they kept the Izzy scenes due to Izzy's stable arc, the fact that he'd die at the end either way and Con's amazing performance.

EXPLINATION AND DEPTH BELOW! It's a long one. A lot of this post will be speculation, interviews from Jenkins, and highly dependent on if you were in fandom between seasons 1 and 2. If you need me to hunt for sources, I can do that for you.

I'll separate everything into a chronological timeline as much as possible.

Before we touch on why Jenkins wrote Izzy to stick out in the story, we need to assume how he outlined this entire show.

Pre Con O'Neill:

I am of the personal belief that Jenkins likely wrote out an imagined arc for Ed and Stede. Including a lot of cool set pieces, fights, etc. for the three seasons he wanted vaguely based on the real lives of Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach(watch a YouTube vid documenting their history, it's a wild ride) turning it into something explicitly romantic. This is easy enough to do, as most of what we know about them was written YEARS after their deaths.

Next was filling in the cast. This is where we get our crew, mostly characters Jenkins made up, as very little is known of the men either sailed with.

Izzy Hands being a pirate under the age of 18 whose notable actions with Blackbeard include- Captaining his own vessel, running a ship aground, being Blackbeard's first mate, and getting shot by Blackbeard maybe on accident.

[THEORY] So. If you're any writer you see that and think 'cool a side character we know almost nothing about'. You slot him in as being Edward's one thing keeping him to the pirate lifestyle. Not necessarily romantic, but a serious Boss/underling relationship. This is a bit of how Izzy was written in S1 UNTIL-

Con O'Neill is cast as Izzy.

In interview, Jenkins has admitted that Con's audition tapes influenced how he wrote Izzy. As a writer, this shouldn't necessarily be ringing red flags. But he has gone on record as admitting to changing the script before shooting to suit Con. IN SEASON 1. My guess is Izzy at the end of episode 10 was meant to be more of a side character. Another Frenchie, or Wee John, who serves their purpose and then gets pushed to the side by the plot.

But at some point, Jenkins wrote how important the dynamic was between Ed and Izzy. Describing Izzy/Ed to Con before filming S1 of a 'Jesus and Judas' relationship like in Jesus Christ Superstar.

If you tell a (then closeted) queer actor who has been playing queer roles since the 1990s that his leather daddy character was having a Jesus&Judas JSC dynamic in a TV show that respects and celebrates queerness? 🤩 MY GOD.

[Speculation] That's how we get an Izzy Hands who is watching the man in front of him slip away, trying to dig his heels in. Hell, if I were Jenkins, I'd be adding a few more lines for Izzy to be pissed just to see Con have fun in the role. Let him be mad. Let him be in the background of scenes just glaring. Let us see a man slowly lose something he's built up his whole life.

[As mentioned from Comic Con- From Con O'Neill] This was important for me to bring up as Jenkins could have said 'henchman' but he didn't. Hell, when Taika and Con did hair and makeup they'd listen to the JCS cast album. It was a choice on both their parts.

[ovservation from here on out] Con plays it up, and a lot of queer fans saw this and grabbed hold of a man so desperate to keep the man he loved close that he sacrifices almost everything for it (Izzy also signs the Act of Grace to get Ed out of there).

Izzy, in a show full of openly queer people, is still on the fringe of society. SO MANY queers saw this and said 'OMG me'. ME INCLUDED. With a super supportive actor who genuinely is respectful of the fandom? Of art, and fic and meta? The Izzy 'Canyon' became so loyal because Con is a Queer Elder we didn't know we all needed in our lives!

Jenkins accidentally wrote into what could be an amazing story of a queer character living in a homophobic society where he learns to open himself up. All without ever writing a 'coming out' scene for Izzy. Jenkins knows this. Hell, since S1 Izzy fans have been telling him how cool that type of arc would be.

Now here comes the issue of where to take a side character, when you have loose plans for them.

S1 IS TIGHTLY WRITTEN ONTO ITSELF... S2?

Something we might forget now is HOW tightly written Izzy's falling out with Ed is tied into Stede and Ed falling in love. Beat per beat, Izzy is shoved away as Stede takes his place. That's really fucking smart. So smart, it was planned in the writer's room. The fact that some took it as romantic, that Ed could ever really love him back? Well...this is where Jenkins had a decision to make.

So he dips his toe. Let's make Ed even more violent than at the end of S1ep10. Let's include the bit where Blackbeard shoots Izzy Hands. Let's have Izzy confess his love for Ed and have it not be enough for Ed to change his mind. Let's show Izzy rising like a phoenix reborn after a failed suicide attempt where Izzy chooses to mutiny on Ed to protect the crew. Let's see Izzy growing. Because Jenkins loves Con's performance. Everyone in the cast enjoys him as a person. Let's give Izzy one last hurrah.

Jenkins knows this character meant a lot to Con. It's obvious in the way Jenkins recently confessed he told Con about Izzy's death midway through shooting. Sadly we likely will never be told when Con was told. But imagining Con filming the AMAZING character change of S2eps 1-2, then AFTER being told Izzy would die anyway? Oh. I wouldn't be alright. Not after all his fans had spent the last year telling him how much seeing a character like Izzy 'being accepted because they are worthy of love'.

This is the 1 thing that fucks me up. Not telling Con until midway through shooting, Versus his belief that writing Izzy's death was a fitting way to end his story. BOTH CAN'T BE TRUE. Right? If Jenkins felt the need to take con aside and go grab a meal to announce Izzy was dying but then market the ending as a 'Good Idea'. Then...What? If Con felt it fit the character, then he would have likely guessed Izzy would die. But that wasn't the vibe in the fandom at the time. It feels like a decision Jenkins made this season.

Because yes, some general audiences predicted that Izzy would die. But when your core fanbase for a character don't expect it, you didn't plan the death correctly. Fuck, I thought Izzy was trying to RECOVER this whole season. Not that Izzy was hiding how hard he was struggling. That's not a good sign when I've ALWAYS called Izzy as some brand of suicidal/depressed.

[Quote from Jenkins Entertainment Article: Oct 26 2023] 'What's the best journey we can give him(Izzy)? And what's the most interesting thing we can do with Con, who can do just about anything?'

That is not the quote of an author who has planned everything out. That's a writer who knows points A and E and is fighting to find everything in between.

The Fly in My Ointment

There's a point most writers know when a character or story slips out from under you. You didn't mean for this to happen. Hell, I write Scene by Scene outlines. My stories change. When Izzy Hands' growth arc became the most interesting part of S2, Jenkins had a choice.

How far was he willing to bend his idea to keep a character that wasn't 'essential'? Not that fucking far apparently. Because for some reason, Jenkin's labeled Izzy in his mind as 'Blackbeard' and tied Ed and Izzy's fates together. Ignoring how this season Izzy died to separate his old life with Ed from his new life with this crew.

Your question poses it perfectly- If I was a writer and this would be easily the most discussed topic about the finale, I'd reflect on storytelling decisions I made. There's a good reason why Izzy's fate overshadows everything despite that he wasn't the point of the show.

That's a trick they teach you in some writing podcasts. That in the end, you are telling one story. You can have twenty side characters and a romance arc, but in the end, you are telling one story. Each side character is going to show what happens when you fail or succeed at the central thesis.

What do we have in S1? What does Frenchie sing to set up where our story STARTS-

"A pirate’s life, [it’s] short but nice,” -“we won’t live long,” AND “to death we go, a certain death we go.”

Our characters expect a short simple life of what most pirates EXPECT. In my mind, this story has ALWAYS been about survival. From the extravagance of Stede's ship, and a crew ready to throw him overboard, to the barebones Shark eats Shark type of survival described in Ed's own fleet. OFMD is about living in a world that doesn't want you there. About surviving and thriving. About these two men from different worlds coming together and forging a life of kindness for them and for their family.

Saying fuck you, I'm here, I'm still alive, and I'm going to THRIVE. I deserve kindness, happiness, love, and a fully lived life. I deserve to spend my short time on this Earth happy.

IN S2? The ONLY character that matches this thesis is Izzy. After scenes of Izzy struggling. Of finding himself. Of crawling up from his own personal hell, Izzy dies. He dies from a random bullet wound in the same spots that didn't kill Stede or Ed in the previous season. Breaking the one established rule for wounds in this universe that the left side is the safe side so that Izzy can die.

Even if Izzy spent this entire season wanting to die, he tried to live. For a few days after a breakup of over 20+ years of casual intimacy. Of a bond where Izzy was the murderer, the brawn. The dangerous right hand. Where Izzy dying meant not just his death, but likely that of Ed. Given the man's constant depressive moods, crews that didn't like him, and reoccurring suicidal tendencies. Ed didn't need Izzy Hands anymore. Ed had Stede now. He was ready to finally leave Izzy for good. What will Izzy Hands do now?

He gave up. He tried to move on. He listened after being told he was too rough, too loud, too mean. He tried. He tried to survive this new way of life surrounded by people who supported him. But he was tired. After so many years of putting up a mask, tearing it down was too much work. So he wanted to die. In the end. Izzy died in the arms of Edward surrounded by his family.

Buried on a plot of land Jenkins has already told us Stede and Ed will leave when things get boring. Left behind like the corpse of a pet the family has forgotten. Buried without his ring and cravat, items Izzy is only seen without when he's naked. Without the prosthetic gifted to him by a family that cared about him.

Izzy wasn't mourned for more than five seconds, before Stede and Ed were making jokes on his fresh grave, and then the episode moves on to a wedding.

RIP Izzy Hands- a man who loved more than he was ever loved in return.

Was this the right message? FUCK No. But for those of us who believed that theme of queer survival and community- We saw framing Izzy's death like this as a fucking betrayl.

Izzy Hands isn't buried with his most prized possessions- they're left out to be stolen or rot in the front yard. With only one man crying over his death and a silent funeral. He leaves this world without more than a 'he was intense'. Which...isn't great coming from the man Izzy loved for most of his life.

The reason why we're mad about Izzy isn't that it's Izzy. It's that when we boarded this flight we were given a set of rules to follow. It's a comedy about men falling in love on a boat that sometimes gets serious. That's it. To watch a character start to grow only to die for NO PLOT SPECIFIC REASON. Is insulting. If your death has no tie to the narrative (sacrifice or it comes with a revelation) it's a death just set up for shock. Izzy and Ed could have had that deathbed confession talk at the start of episode 7.

A REASON WHY I'M MAD BEYOND THAT SPECIFICALLY. [Very Personal Gripe]

A SALUTE TO CON O'NEILL -AGAIN!

I had the privilege of hyper-fixating on this show from the entirety of S1 ending to S2 beginning. During this time I explored the catalog of Con O'Neill's work on Tumblr under the tag 'Conography'. I watched this man play queer roles since the 1990s. Genderqueer/somewhere on the Trans spectrum, Gay, Bi. This man loves to play a queer story, even if it's sad. If it's tragic. He will breathe new life into their lungs and express their moments of Joy. Of love. Of community.

After the filming of S2 at a con, Con he felt comfortable publicly coming out due to the love and support he felt from our fandom. Do you know JUST how crazy that is? That Con KNEW Izzy was dead, yet he loved our fandom so much he let himself be vulnerable, and come out as queer? It's fucking INSANE to me, and shows just how much this show means to him.

He's not just Queer. He's a Queer fucking elder whose been protective of this entire community since S1. This 57-year-old man has proudly stood up in the name of Trans rights this entire time. Treating everyone, but especially Trans Izzy fans with so much fucking respect. Trans Izzy is a common headcanon partially because of how comfortable people feel knowing they won't get harassed because they interpret Izzy a certain way. That trans people feel at home seeing themselves as a misunderstood character with a chip on their shoulder.

I'm pissed for every in universe thing listed above AND NOW THIS. Because our Queer Elders are dead. There is a generation of Queer people we can never get back. They died from a mix of society pressuring these people into the closet or an early grave. Of disease running wild in communities unchecked. Of media ruining the careers of anyone who dared to come out. To see Con O'Neill So Fucking Happy and having it cut short because Jenkins thought Izzy was better dead than being an actual background character makes me see fucking red.

No. Jenkins probably didn't know Con was Queer when writing S2. But I'm assuming he still saw how happy Con was at Izzy fans before S2 was written which still makes it feel shitty.

Sure. Give Izzy all the amazing speeches about family and belonging and rip that right from his hands as soon as Izzy realizes it's something he might want for himself. Let's have Con O'Neill say all the prominent lines that are a blatant metaphor for why the Queer community needs to stick together.

Izzy's arc isn't just overshadowing the conversation because it was mismanaged and feels unplanned, it also just feels cruel to the central arc of this series. Add that to an actor who was so vocal about loving this community, it feels pointed to give him a tragic ending.

Jenkins doesn't need to consider why people hated this finale. Because there are SO MANY Ed/Stede fans who just don't care. They put Izzy in the box with every other side character and decided to put their effort into the protagonists and point and laugh when we suffer. Jenkins won't rethink anything because he can just say the 'Izzy community was passionate and are sad their favorite died'. Ignoring how this season made Stede into a shittier, less sympathetic captain and gave Ed an interesting arc only to give up before the finish line.

#Now. I didn't bring up how viewing Izzy as being useless post disability ALSO pissed people off but there are posts everywhere about that #physical disability is not my place so I don't overstep #THE WAY IZZYS DEATH WOULD WORK SO MUCH BETTER IF HE STEPPED INFRONT OF A BULLET MEANT FOR STEDE #Or that post floating around of Ed getting shot for Izzy. Showing that yes. Ed cares. that they're both fucked but are working on it #If most of the fan base hates the *implications* for S3 thanks to this ending it wasn't the right move #GOD I DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THE DAD/MENTOR THING. Ah well #it's taken me 3 hours to type this up. I'll add later if it needs be lol #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands #ofmd s2 finale #ofmd critical #ofmd meta #omfd analysis #israel hands

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domain-of-sentience · 9 months

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ch 35 part 3 ramblings

yes im catching up on the story...

also umm some things aren't in order bc i just tossed all of my screencaps haphazardly in a file 🥹

the dream/collective unconscious stuff was much more understandable than all da physics which is kinda funny coming from a former engineering student. but also i eat that jungian psychology shit up.....

phenomenal entry. is there anything better than girlbeef

i saw this dialogue ages ago and it still hits so hard. nothing else at stake here nope!!

from a jungian perspective i just think these texts were neat. hos is someone who puts on an egotistical mask/bravado but is actually very sensible about her power and place in the world, seeing how she knew very well that she couldn't defeat kevin head on, and is still afflicted by the "traces of fu hua" to this day and therefore lacks a true sense of self

the latter thing really bugs her, so much so that i personally think she Was considering "ego death" to get a fresh start and ultimately free herself from memories that never belonged to her. but at the same time she is the most fucked up paradoxical character who also wouldn't want that for herself... do you understand me (no

here is an example of such paradoxical traits ("childish" and destructive but also very smart and likes to hold back her power/not show her trump cards). but also mhy keeps doing this thing where they show hos being immature googoo gaga and then later they remind the audience like "she's not ACTUALLY childish she can hack your mind hehe...." like i get it. i mean 90% of the fanbase still doesn't but like please find a middle ground...

this description was sexy though.

overall the hos segment of this was REALLY good and i loved all of the cool poses/expressions/one-ups she had. it was kinda smooth sailing from here until the fuckin ai-chan shit which broke up the tension and pacing of everything and i feel it'd be much better if she was cut out completely... although this did give me a stroke

i must say i pogged at the whole spaceship fight sequence....

i don't have anything to say about the ending cg other than it was the thing that pissed me off so much that i had to take a hiatus from this game. i'll cap it off with this though

this PART gets a 7/10 and was significantly better than the previous parts and chapters (everybody say thank you hos for the carry and also this captain

#dos txt

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ya-boi-haru · 4 months

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Rewatching Treasure Planet for the 1000 time so here are my brain brrr thoughts/ things i noticed...

• During the opening scene where Jim is freely Solar Surfing the area, the music that plays over it comes back again in different tones: when they take off from the spaceport, when escaping the supernova and when Jim saves them from the planets destruction and that's pretty poetic

• I was thinking "why are they the only humans" but then why is anyone one species. I dont think you see 2 of the same species around. It also makes sence since they own/work at an Inn and the movie takes place on other alien planets

• Amelia from the start clearly states she doesn't like the crew Delbert hired, yet she doesn't push for him to hire a new crew or anything. She maybe be the captain and a really good one, but in a way (despite what Delbert says) she does know who she's working for

• Amelia and Arrows' whole dynamic. "I said something rather good before coffee" (- Amliea) they're besties

• Doplers bulky suit runs on 3 AA type batteries 😂

• When Silver said to Jim "I have two new friends I'd like you to meet" before he revealed it was a joke to do chores, Jim looked genuinely interested in new people to meet. He's finally on a spacing adventure that is based on his favourite legend since childhood and he gets back to doing more things he was doing at the Benbow, so I think his disappointment is some what valid

• Silvers crew either severely sucked up and faked their resumes and/or took out any competition to get that job, which is why they got the job and not a better crew

• Jim built his first Solar Sufer when he was 8 and probably did it as a way to be closer to his dad (I think he was still around at that age)

• In the flashback of his dad leaving, Jim woke up startled and worried. It then cuts to his dad already walking away then his mother crying at the table, so they probably had a massive fight as he was leaving which woke Jim up. They probably fought a bit before hand as well

• Morph turned into a wrench to help Silver, so Morph can hold the weight/strength of things he shapeshifts into

• Its been pointed out that Jim's cloths are a symbolism of his development. He starts with a black shirt and jacket then a tan shirt and black jacket and by the end its just the tan shirt.

He gets the tan shirt and black jacket when they start the voyage, but loses the jacket part way through the "I'm still here" sequence. He wears it again after Arrows death then loses it again when Silvers true intentions are revealed to him.

• Jim and Silver did fasten their lifelines after being told to - during the supernova - but they had to undo them to get the sail at the front of the ship. So if Jim hadn't caught Silver when he fell, even his lifeline would t have helped him

• When bracing themselves for the last Migella in the Supernova, Silver holds Jim and the pole, looking down to make sure he's ok

• At the start of the movie Jim uses a Purp to sus out Silver, and its the same Purp barrel Jim is hiding in when he overhears what Silver says to the crew

- Jim using the purps to try and hint that he's onto Silver vs Scroop using the purp to emphasise that Silvers gone soft

• Treasure Planet was using drabooln currency before tiktok deemed it cool

• The parallels in Arrows and Scroops deaths.

Bonus cause:

Scroop: Do say hello to Mr Arrow

Jim: Tell him yourself!

• When trying to find the gate, the crew threaten to kill Jim but Silver looks worried. When he says "I suggest you get the gizmo going again and fast!" It was more a warning, cause he looks scared for Jim when they prepare to attack him...

• B.E.Ns eyes going from green to blue I think is a little clever bit of symbolism. They started green which was the colour of Treasure Planet (map, portal etc) and then when he got his memory circut back and could help them get out, they changed to blue

• Morph, Morphs into things around him, which is why he copies what people say, he's Morphing/copies their words

• When Silver is saying goodbye to Jim he smiles up at him, showing his non cyborg side

Hope you enjoyed, feel free to tell me your thoughts on this movie, that I feel normal about

#treausre planet #movie essay #treasure planet analyses

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mugeesworld · 10 months

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I HAVE A WATTPAD 🤯

One of my stories has been getting popular so I thought I would share it on here cause why not.

Almost 4k reads ⁉️

Let me give a small summary. (God I lied it ended up long)

This is a child reader x one piece

That means their's no smut or anything like that cause that's gross. The only relationship that is happening is family. Nothing more. It's any age really. I can't remember If I put Y/NS age. But what I picture is like 13-16.

Y/n is a devil fruit user. She ate the rock rock fruit as a kid. The rock rock fruit is inspiried by kirishimas quirk from MHA. That being said this is not a cross over story. I just like his quirk. I changed it a bit also. Y/n can harden her body. Right now their are 4 levels of hardening. It talks about that more on wattpad. I have a 5th it just needs to be introduced. Not only can she harden her body but it also becomes sharp and jagged. Like a porcine almost. Or a human sword. She's a close up fighter.

That being said. No matter how sharp she is. HER CLOTHES WILL STAY INTACT OK??? I have her ideal outfit listed on wattpad but you can change it. I'll give a small summary on it tho. It's has the baggy pants and belt like kirishima. He doesn't wear a shirt tho so I gave her one. It's a tight turtle neck tank top. Ik that sounds lame but it looks cool. She wears kirishimas mask when fighting. And when she's not fighting she wheres long finger less gloves. She removes then before fighting. Back to the clothes ripping. The clothes ripping cause of how sharp she is definitely sounds cool. And I'll add that. BUT! The most that will happen. Is her baggy long pants turning into shorts and POSSIBLY MAYBE the shirt turning into a long crop top. I haven't decided if I want to do the shirt tho. Cause she's a kid ya know. Nothing private will EVER be revealed tho. That's what I'm trying to say. I haven't decided if I want her pants to rip when getting into a big fight or if I want them to un zip or something. But then she will have to carry random ass pants legs💀either way you get the idea.

She got the devil fruit from her father. Her mom and dad met at water 7 when her dad's crew was sailing by. Long story short they fell in love but he made a promise to his captain that he had to keep so he couldn't stay with y/n. He was aware of the pregnancy before leaving. The mother passed away at birth and y/n ended up being raised in a orphanage. (Classic parent tragedy💀)

Eventually y/n got tired of the orphanage and left. She was on the streets for a while until Franky found her and took her in. Ever since then Franky looks after her like a big Brother or even a father. They do everything together!

I won't say anything else other then what the last chapter I wrote ended on. They are currently on the train to CP9. OMG I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN 🤯⁉️🤷‍♀️

Also I want to make something clear. Idc what body type you are. It doesn't matter. All that's gonna happen is you're gonna get sharp. You don't need to be a certain size for that. If you want your outfit to change then please change it. Make it something comfortable for you! Same thing with hair. Long or short it doesn't matter. Its just gonna get sharp🤷‍♀️⁉️ this is all body types/skin tones inclusive. If I ever write something that doesn't involve all of those things LET ME KNOW. IT WON'T MAKE ME FEEL BAD🙏🙏🙏 for example. Blushes that's a light skin tone thing I'm pretty sure.(I might be wrong) I write embarrassed or flustered.

Under no circumstance will their be any kind of romantic relationship. This is a kids story. This is me healing my inner child. No kissing. Only hugging. Maybe a kiss on the forehead or something but that's ALL.

ONE MORE THING THEN I'M DONE. I FORGOT TO ADD. This crap is long. When i write this I'm watching one piece on Netflix. And I'm writing every sentence almost. So if you're not into that then this might not be for you. It started with galley law taking down the pirates that refused to pay and right now we're are on the train talking with lucci as he explains Nico Robin's past. Their are 17 chapters out each one being 1100-2000 words each. Slow passed. Like the actual one piece. WE AREN'T RUSHING. So if you don't like reading "she says, he yelled, they groaned, etc" then maybe it's not for you. Just wanted to put that.

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bougiebutchbitch · 6 months

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I am genuinely so sorry for the Izzy betrayal

This feels like a betrayal between writers and audience on the level of supernatural tbh

(Even the naruto ending feels better if the posts I'm seeing are to be believed)

yeah it's really.... not great

Like the reason we were all like 'I bet he's going to die' is because WHENEVER a character has a cool redemption arc OR a queer character comes out and experiences genuine queer joy for the first time in their life, their chances of dying go up by 90+%. But it was such a disappointment to be proven right. I think we all expected better of the writing team, as they've committed to doing genuinely new and interesting things with this story in the past, rather than just trotting out tired old tropes!

People say they want more Zuko-esque redemption arcs, but we can't have that if every character who was A Bit Of A Dick at first just gets killed off. And just the whole arc of Izzy finding a family in the crew, and healing after being abused awfully for ages, and finding happiness, and openly embracing his queerness and disability.... then just randomly getting shot by a dude? Not even as a dramatic 'protecting someone' sacrifice? He just randomly got shot?? And we're all supposed to feel sad about that rather than just kinda let down?

Yeaaaaah, I do not think they achieved what they were going for. I understand that a lot of that was because they had to shorten the series SO MUCH more than they wanted, but still.... it would have cost nothing to let Izzy just sail away with the rest of the crew as the Captain of the Revenge, which is what it felt like they might be building towards all season, while Ed and Stede retired!! Hell, that would've been a more meaningful progression for all of their characters.

We could still have had the scene where Izzy tells Ed he has family and that he's loved! We could've had a fake-out death where we had all the drama and expectation that he would die! Then in the last scene he comes out as the new captain to officiate Lucius and Pete's wedding! We'd have Ed and Stede letting go of Blackbeard for good and building something new together on land - but we'd also have Izzy finally moving beyond the 'Blackbeard' persona he helped Ed create (and, arguably, did more for than Ed!). He'd be a captain who actually gives a shit about his crew, and who has learnt from Stede and Ed the importance of being a bit softer and gentler rather than brutally efficient 24/7. And he could inevitably drag Stede and Ed back in next season! It would've been perfect.

But no, they had to kill him off because the OT3 potential was too strong, and bury a career pirate on land. Meh.

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finxwrites · 1 year

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So I saw some cool fanart and got a craving for an Age of Sail au of Stranger Things, but I kept tripping up on how a proper fancy naval ship has like a hundred guys at least. I do not want a hundred guys. That is way too many guys. Half the point of this show is the secrecy, the “no one would believe me if I told them,” the us-against-the-world isolation that’s inherent to all of its genres.

There are two solutions to this problem. One is to shrug and ignore it, focusing only on the main characters and treating the rest as a faceless crowd with conveniently uniform opinions. This is the standard for writing these stories anyway, so it’s not like it’s even cheating really.

The other is to just…leave the guys behind. At the bottom of the sea. Sorry, guys.

Hopper was a captain of the Royal Navy, on track to be an admiral someday, but that was then. These days he captains a merchantman with a skeleton crew, because despite everything he couldn’t quite let go of the sea. He never takes his eyes off the horizon. That’s not quite the same as never looking back, but it’s the best he’s got.

His crew is the folks he works with in canon. This means they’re going to be apprised of the horrors before we’re done, unlike in canon, but I’m okay with that.

He knows Joyce Byers from the old days, when they were both kids going wild together, and even after he got himself a position as a midshipman, whenever he came into port they’d spend a night going wild together again, for old times’ sake. They remember this fondly, but they haven’t spoken in years – they saw each other once in the time after Lonnie left, and only once.

Hopper takes on passengers sometimes, to make up profits when margins are slim. This time he takes on Joyce and Jonathan, who are traveling to the Americas for a fresh start; and Nancy Wheeler and her companion/lady’s maid Barb, who are going to visit an aunt in the Caribbean. Will and Mike have been friends for years, even before the two of them took service on the same ship a year ago, so Joyce has promised to look after Nancy on her trip.

Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are midshipmen in the royal navy, all serving on the same ship. Someone’s parents are landed gentry, maybe with a seat in the House of Lords or something, so some strings are pulled to get that ship to escort Hopper’s, or to get Hopper’s ship into the convoy that the boys’ ship is guarding, or however that works. I have not done research :P We’re going to call the boys’ ship the HMS Middlefast, because they’re. um. in middle school. Look I didn’t think too hard about this and neither should you. The Hawkins was already taken, that’s Hopper’s ship.

Also serving on the Middlefast: Steve! He’s a lieutenant, aka one rank below the captain, even though he’s like nineteen and has barely been at sea a full year. (His dad 100% bought his rank.) He starts courting Nancy almost as soon as he lays eyes on her.

Tommy’s also on the Middlefast, because we need him there as a set piece for Steve’s character arc. Unfortunately this means Tommy will not survive this story. Sorry, Tommy.

In my defense there’s no evidence he survived in canon either. It’s not like we ever see him again after his fight with Steve! For all we know he and Carol got eaten in the woods while Steve was cleaning off that marquee.

You know who else is on the Middlefast? A snappish midshipman called Max who keeps to himself and doesn’t seem to want to be friends with anyone. Dustin and Lucas think he’s really cool and spend a lot of time trying to befriend him whenever Will is hanging out with his family on the Hawkins. (Mike does not think Max is cool, he insists, he thinks Max is annoying. The feeling is mutual. They’ll get over it eventually, but not before they almost die a lot.)

We’re going to just smush seasons 1 and 2 together, because I’m the boss and I say so. (Also bc s2 is kind of about Things Festering, and being unable to move on, and PTSD, and that just doesn’t jive for this au. We’re not going to hold still long enough for anything to fester, this is just one really long, really cursed voyage.)

So that’s how things stand for a while. Steve and Will take every excuse they can to get assigned duties on the Hawkins, and after a while the captain of the Middlefast just gives up and makes Steve & the boys the default option for whenever someone needs to go stand watch there or whatever.

Will hangs out with Jonathan and his mom a lot, and spends the rest of his time playing silly games with his friends. (They should be standing watch, yes, and they do, but also they’re twelve, they goof off a lot. The only people on the Hawkins who ever berate them for it are Hopper and Steve, and Steve’s busy wooing Nancy while Hopper does not actually care that much, so it’s not like they have that big an incentive to stop.)

Steve and Nancy are dancing around each other as she puts up the protest she knows she’s supposed to, while Barb is increasingly done with her nonsense but does her best to be supportive.

The night everything changes, two terrible things occur.

Nancy finally lets Steve into her bed. This is not one of the terrible things, although Nancy will think of it as one for some time to come. It will be a while before she can untangle her guilt from that which she does not actually regret.

Barb decides that there are certain things she doesn’t want to overhear her best friend doing and goes for a walk along the deck. It’s a clouded night, not even stars to keep her company, but she leans on the railing and gazes out into the blackness anyway.

Will is on watch that night. Jonathan usually keeps him company when he’s on watch alone, but he’s been trying to learn all he can about navigation from Hopper’s pilot, both because he believes in picking up useful skills when he can and because if he helps with the calculations the pilot will slip him a bit of money for it. It’s not a salary, it’s not reliable, but it’s extra cash and he knows how deeply his mom dipped into their funds for this gamble on a new life. So Jonathan is too tired to stay up all night with Will. Will sends him off to bed with a laugh and a roll of his eyes—“I’ll be fine, Jonathan, oh my god, I’m not a baby, I’m not going to die of boredom without you.”

This is not one of the terrible things either, but Jonathan will think of it as one for the rest of his life.

The first terrible thing happens with no witness but one: a good man dies. He dies helping a frightened little girl, who sees his death and flees faster and further than those chasing her had thought possible. She weeps as she runs. Her salt tears drip into the salt waves beneath her feet.

The second terrible thing appears as a glimmer of moonlight on the black waves. The glimmer spreads, slow and viscous as molasses, and brightens as it does. And yet the moon is still hidden behind thick clouds.

The light spreads upward, illuminating the rotted hull of an old, old ship. The ship itself seems to glow in the false moonlight. The light spreads further: the deck, the quarterdeck, the poop deck, the forecastle, all bare of any souls, living or otherwise. A broken bowsprit over a figurehead so encrusted in barnacles it’s impossible to make out what it was once meant to be. Three masts in full square rigging, the sails billowing taut before the wind despite the huge ragged holes torn through the fabric.

A ghost ship, hollow with haunting. And it sails straight for the Hawkins.

It sails through the Hawkins.

It does not leave empty.

Nancy wakes in the dark before morning. (Steve does not.) She goes outside. She’s not looking for Barb; she hasn’t thought of Barb once that night, with a casual selfishness she has not yet outgrown. But she finds Barb’s shawl, soaked through with seawater, caught on the deck railing. It’s glowing like the still-absent moon.

The glow disappears in the first weak light of dawn. It does not return. No one believes her the next morning when she insists it was real.

And so, the aftermath.

In this story, Nancy and Joyce are united in their insistence that something happened. In this story, there is no obvious explanation for the disappearances: yes, they fell overboard, so tragic, it happens, but why both of them? On a calm sea? There’s something wrong here. Neither captain wants to admit it, but they both know it to be true.

In this story, the boys are convinced Will is hiding somewhere. They know him: they know he’s careful and sensible and has been at sea over a year, and wouldn’t just fall overboard like an idiot. They know he’s dutiful when they’re not dragging him away with games, and wouldn’t leave his post unless he saw something. They think he witnessed something awful—a crime, a murder, maybe Barb’s murder!—and he’s hiding from a scurrilous villain. They steal through every nook and cranny of both ships looking for him.

They find a girl instead. She is terribly afraid. When they decide they have to tell their captain about her, a huge wave crashes through the nearest porthole and blocks their passage.

They’re far above the waterline. There’s no way for a wave to reach them so high. They all rush to the porthole to confirm it, and then bicker amongst themselves about what’s going on.

It takes another wave before they realize it’s El.

In this story, Joyce dreams of her missing son. She dreams of him at the stern of a ghost ship, reaching for her. She wakes at the railing of the Hawkins, reaching back, about to step overboard into the waves.

It’s Hopper who grabs her before she can go over the side. He turns her around to shake her, demand answers, and his words die in his throat.

Her eyes are glowing. They’re filled with eerie light from end to end. Like phosphorescence. Like moonlight.

She blinks awake. The light vanishes. She registers where she is, who’s holding her, and the grief-worn lines on her face harden with determination. “He’s alive,” she swears. “He’s alive, Hop, I know he is.”

This time, he believes her.

Some plot stuff happens. Honestly I’m not too fussed about pinning it down just now; I’d rather leave some wiggle room in case I ever actually write any of this. Here’s the gist + some essential bits:

We’re going to lean hard on the fantasy elements. The whole point of an Age of Sail au is to change the aesthetic, after all, and this story’s aesthetic includes ghost ships and hungry mermaids and ancient curses.

El can walk on water. She can command the waves to some extent. If she strains herself, she can summon a storm. She’s a child of the sea; when she begs the sea for aid, the sea heeds her.

She can find the ghost ship, too. At some point she’ll point them toward it and they’ll sail to its home port.

Its home port is an island found on no map, because it’s actually a massive sea turtle whose shell is overgrown with greenery. It’s where El grew up, raised—no, more like kept—by a witch (Brenner) who can command the creatures and spirits of the sea. Of which she is one.

I really want to have Brenner work for the East India Trading Company. They’re just such good villains for the setting! Plus the way they operate semi-autonomously, not really answering to any government and without a hugely centralized hierarchy, gives them room for a top-secret laboratory magic island full of experimental sorcery.

But I also like the vibe of a mad witch alone with his monsters, and after all half the fun of an au is changing things around. I don’t need to give the man a laboratory and official funding.

Decisions, decisions…

Anyway, Brenner sent the ghost ship to find El. She managed to hide herself from it, so it scooped up the closest people it found: a kid about her size and shape, and a girl who was acutely alone. (Ghost ships have some rather unusual criteria for what makes two people similar.)

Nancy’s going to go on an expedition onto the turtle island to find Barb and blow shit up. This fic, should it ever exist, will be called Cherry Bomb. Possibly Jonathan (and maybe Steve!) will come along, but the story is hers. She deserves to blow shit up.

Maybe she even gets to Barb in time to save her. Or maybe she doesn’t, but Barb isn’t entirely lost—she might be a ghost, bound to a locket that Nancy wears ever after round her neck; she might have been transformed into a siren, or a selkie, or some stranger creature; she might be cursed with an enchanted sleep. Maybe Nancy gets to carry Barb with her and search for some way to save her. Maybe they both get a second chance.

Steve gets that character arc. He talks shit to Jonathan, gets punched in the face, rows over to the Hawkins on a dinghy to apologize, and then gets caught up in the sudden escalation of plot and is onboard when everyone goes to the turtle island.

The HMS Middlefast sinks. Probably when a kraken eats it. Sorry, Middlefast. Our main cast is conveniently on the Hawkins when it happens.

Possibly the captain of the Middlefast decided that the sensible thing to do when faced with a witch who commands the dark powers of the sea is to arrest him. So now there’s a witch in the brig, laughing at them, and, well, it goes about as you’d expect.

At some point it comes out that Max is a girl who disguised herself as a boy to run away from home and have adventures. Not sure how she became a midshipman, since her family definitely didn’t buy her commission; possibly she started as a ship’s boy and earned the rank for valor in combat.

Possibly she gets tossed in the brig or something and the boys bust her out and smuggle her onto the Hawkins. None of the adults over there really care about the impropriety, they’re too busy dealing with ghosts.

Kali is also a daughter of the sea. A siren, maybe, who beguiles with her song. Or maybe she’s something totally unique, like El—perhaps she commands the winds as El commands the waves, and she and her tiny crew of pirates always have fair skies and a strong tailwind.

As in canon, she invites El to join her. She promises freedom, agency, and the chance to know herself truly and fully. (If we go with Brenner working for the East India Trading Company, she can promise vengeance, too.)

As in canon, El declines, and chooses instead to go back and save her friends. Possibly from that kraken.

This fic is called A Room Where the Light Won’t Find Us. It’s about finding a place you belong; it’s about hiding, and choosing not to hide anymore despite the risks; it’s about fear, and family, and the struggle between being a wild, glorious, unfettered thing and binding yourself to others through love.

Will gets possessed for a bit. Sorry, Will. Maybe the ghost ship anchors itself in his ribs and keeps trying to steal him away again. Maybe he slowly becomes a siren, eaten away from within until there’s nothing but a coyly smiling monster that wants to draw you in and drown you. Maybe it’s a leviathan of the deep, long buried in slumber, and Brenner planted some seed in Will that’s calling to that creature so that it slowly wakes.

At the end Brenner gets eaten by a kraken, El manages to excise the evil thing from Will, Nancy blows some shit up and maybe sort-of rescues Barb, Joyce gets her son back, they all live happily ever after. (Except for everyone who’s now at the bottom of the sea in the wreck of the Middlefast. Sorry, everyone.) We sail along peacefully for a while, perhaps make it all the way to the Caribbean, and then—ACT TWO!

#act two may take me a hot minute #I'm trying to meld setting-typical tropes & supernatural elements into a plot that vibes with s3 #it's not going to be the same as s3! but the vibes you know? the shape of the horror #stranger things #st pirate au #highkey I am in love with this au #many thanks to tom and tano for the fic titles #and to the lovely anon who sent in that love song – that one's probably going to be in act 2

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house-afire · 1 month

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The Waves (Fang/Lucius)

Prompt: 100 words of reunions

“Where’s Lucius?” Fang had asked Izzy, on the day everything had gone to shit.

Izzy’s lips had been thin and white, pressed into a rigid line; he’d been on his feet for hours by then, leaving drops of blood all over the deck, and he must have been hurting something awful. He needed to sit down, but you could never tell Izzy to do anything.

“What the fuck does it matter,” Izzy said, exhaustion scraping his voice up worse than ever. “He didn’t do anything around here anyway.” He looked at Fang, and then he swore softly under his breath; scrubbed one hand over his face. “Dead. Blackbeard told me.”

The world around Fang wobbled, like some of Captain Bonnet’s marmalade struck with a spoon. “Dead?”

“He said it was quick. Painless,” but Izzy’s gaze skated over him as he said it, and Fang had won enough card games against Izzy over the years to know what it looked like he was making something up. “He was only using you to get out of work anyhow, the twat. Don’t waste your tears on him.”

“You are shit at comforting people, boss,” Ivan said, closing his hand around Fang’s arm.

“I’m not fucking trying to comfort any of you lazy, lollygagging pieces of shit,” Izzy said, his mouth twisting up horribly again. He stomped off, leaving more bloodstains behind him.

“Lucius liked you,” Ivan said quietly. “He drew you more than anybody but Pete. He called you cuddly once, I heard him.”

“He was nice.” Fang felt like he was breaking apart. He wanted to sag into Ivan’s arms, but he didn’t dare: it was only Lucius and the others who had made that sort of thing all right. The most he could do was let himself cry. “Funny. He was beautiful, and he acted like I was too. I never felt like that before. It’s not right. Why does he have to be gone?”

Ivan hadn’t had any answers for him. And then Ivan had died, and Izzy—another toe down by then—hadn’t had any answers about that either. They’d wrapped his body in sailcloth and tipped him over the side—in the dead of night, like it was a secret. Frenchie and Jim would have come to see Ivan off, Fang thought, but it’d felt best to let them sleep while they could. Poor dears were run ragged.

“Here,” Izzy had said, before they’d stitched the sail closed around Ivan. He’d forced a quill into Fang’s hand. “The boy’s. You can see him off too.”

Fang had kissed it—the feather cold and stiff and bristly from being clutched and hauled about—and slipped it in between the gaps in the canvas. Salt air. Cool breeze. His eyes burning. He’d wondered how long it would be before he’d have to stitch Izzy up in his shroud, too, and he’d cried a little for all of them.

And now—

Now Blackbeard was dead, and it was like knowing there’d be no more lightning, never again one of those flashes of violet that raised the hairs on your arms and took your breath away, never again the kind of powerful dazzle that seemed to tear the sky open. It didn’t feel like much of a victory, not after Fang had kicked him in the crotch a few times and screamed Lucius’s and Ivan’s names into his slack, rain-wet face. Just felt like one more loss, really.

Blackbeard was dead, and Izzy had lost his leg, and—

And somehow, Lucius was alive. Harder and a bit hairier, sure, but alive all the same. Seeing him filled Fang up inside, like it was all part and parcel with the soup they’d given him, nourishing and with a sharp, warm bite of ginger.

It was ages before Fang really got the chance to talk to him, though. (Their scheduled execution had cast kind of a pall over everything for a while there.) It wasn’t until they were back on the Revenge—a ship that felt like a proper ship again, like a home instead of a prison—that Fang let himself get close, risked waking up from this lovely dream he was having.

“Mm, there you are,” Lucius said, nuzzling up against Fang the moment Fang opened his arms. “Do you mind the beard? Is it too scratchy?”

“No, it’s perfect.” Fang kissed him on the new whiskers, hoping this would elbow out the memory of kissing Lucius’s quill when he’d buried all he’d had left of him. “I thought you were dead.”

“Yeah, well.” Lucius heaved out a massive sigh and gave Fang a brittle smile. “There were times when I probably would have been happy to have that be the case, but here we are. And I’m very glad to see you.” He kissed Fang’s closed eyes, one wet and trembling lid after the other. “I’m sorry you were all in some kind of … end of days Blackbeard cult, with kohl and raw seagulls and murder.”

“The raw seagulls only came in at the end,” Fang said.

“Oh, see, I had puppets and raw rats, but the rats were more at the beginning. We—” Lucius rested his palm against Fang’s chest, like he was trying to feel his heartbeat. “—are symmetrical like that. I haven’t—I haven’t drawn anything in, like, such a long time, haven’t even had a sketchbook on me, but I’d like to draw you again.”

“Can you do a self-portrait too?” Fang asked, before he could tell himself not to rush things.

Lucius blinked. “Sure. Of course. So cute, that you want that.” He brushed his lips against Fang’s. “But you can look at me anytime you want, you know. I am not at all opposed to that.”

Fang couldn’t say, I want something better to bury, next time, without sounding a little too dark.

“I know,” he said. “But it’d be a treasure. I’ve never really had anything beautiful before. Not to keep.”

#fang #lucius spriggs #izzy hands #ivan #fang/lucius

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our-death-means-flag · 1 year

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{ Just A Bunch of Ideas }

You might have noticed the section I left in my master list for longer fics. I have a few ideas, here they are, let me know if any of them really catch your interest!

I’m probably gonna write all of them at some point. But you can help me pick the order! :D

BlackBonnet x Reader (possibly becomes Steadyhands x Reader), post-season 1, exploring the unhealthy sides of their relationship

Ed and reader we’re sort of together pre canon (they are very in love but they’re not really official) they end up pulling Stede into their relationship and making it official but then the end of the season still happens

Both Ed and Reader are struggling with Stede leaving them behind. Reader is handling it better than Ed (outwardly).

Of course the whole canon Kraken thing happens with Reader going along with it. They do their level best to keep everyone safe while that happens (including rescuing Lucius) but Reader is still doing just as bad as Ed.

Focuses on Reader and Ed, Ed and Izzy, Reader and Izzy and exploring how they are all kinda fucked up (Reader is kind of a mediator so the Ed and Izzy stuff is mildly better than canon but not by much). I find the unhealthy relationships in this show really compelling and I want to focus on them.

Eventually Stede comes back (possibly Izzy realizes that he Fucked Up™ and gets him) and they have to try and put everything back together.

Steadyhands x Reader, modern AU (kinda), time travel, shenanigans, Established Steadyhands, Based on a dream

Ed, Izzy and Stede are not having the greatest day. After being separated from their ship during a very strange storm, they find themselves completely lost. Luckily they stumble on a ship with a friendly stranger willing to help them out! :D Though it’s undoubtedly the weirdest ship they’ve ever seen. It’s made of some kind of strange material with no visible sails or oars and the stranger manning it is all alone. Said stranger is just as bizarre, dressed in strange clothes and not making any sense. Why would they want a “phone” to “call someone”? What’s a “phone”? What’s a “GPS”?

Meanwhile, Modern!Reader is incredibly confused when a trio of strangely dressed men in a tiny dinghy show up in the middle of the ocean. You have no idea how they got out here or what to do. Especially since they seem so baffled by regular topics. Did they get hurt somehow? A concussion? What year is it? Wait what?!?

Basically just modern!reader showing our boys some cool things in the present while you try to find a way to get them back home.

Steadyhands & adopted child!reader; this fandom needs more platonic/parental fics. Established Steadyhands

Reader, desperate to escape a terrible situation, stows away on the Revenge. You manage to stay hidden for a few days but then Stede finds you. You’re more than ready to fight to defend yourself or offer to work non-stop to be allowed to stay. Instead you’re invited into the captains’ cabin for a nice meal.

You’re stunned by the kindness of the crew and (despite your best efforts) end up getting very attached to them all, especially the strange captains and the protective first mate who all but adopt you.

Unfortunately, running from the past is a tricky thing, both for you and your new parents…

Izzy x Reader to Steadyhands x Reader; you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, jealousy

Stede and Ed are happily in love and Izzy is having a bad time. The Revenge gets damaged during a raid and they have to stop for repairs. Stede declares an impromptu vacation and Izzy is basically forced to come along.

Then he runs into Reader, an old friend who he hasn’t seen in ages (and who Ed doesn’t know). You two immediately reconnect and spend the entire time together first as friends then as lovers.

Initially Ed is glad that Izzy isn’t just sulking, but the longer he watches the two of you spend time together, laugh together (when was the last time he saw Izzy laugh?), dance, spar, and sing (you somehow managed to convince izzy to sing with you), the more jealous he becomes.

Eventually they have to leave and Ed is kind of glad to leave you behind. But you offer to tag along with them. Stede accepts, glad that Izzy’s been less trouble with you around.

Ed tries to figure out how to deal with his jealousy (and his weird feelings for you on top of that). Stede tries to ignore how much he likes this side of Izzy and also you. Izzy tries to let himself have nice things and wrestles with feeling like he’s betraying Ed for being around you and how much less annoying bonnet is when he's not laser focused on Ed. And reader tries to figure out what the fuck is going on with these three charming handsome idiots.

#concepts #fic concepts #our flag means death x reader #our flag means death #steddyhands x reader #steddyhands #steddy hands x reader #edward teach x reader #ofmd x reader #izzy hands x reader #ofmd #israel hands x reader #stede bonnet x reader #platonic ofmd x reader #blackbeard x reader

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skinnyscottishbloke · 1 year

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TOP SHOWS PART ONE

Okay here’s a list of my top shows, in no particular order, based on rewatchability, acting, cinematography, writing, surprising moments, and overall season by season/series satisfaction

HEARTSTOPPER

Perfect 10/10 A+ emotional fluff serotonin producing GORGEOUSNESS. The casting, writing, directing, acting, music choices, cinematography, and impact could not be improved in any way. I cannot wait for s02!! Queer joy forever 💖💖💖 Nick and Charlie are my children now and need to be protected at all costs.

SENSE8

One of the most unique, stunning, surprising, and satisfying shows I’ve ever seen. A+ 10/10 would not change anything (except how it got cancelled, fuck off Netflix). ALSO QUEER JOY FOREVER 💕💕💕💕 The Wachowskis are goddesses of film making sorry it’s true I don’t make the rules.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

It’s kickass, it’s groundbreaking, it’s funny, it’s campy, it’s sad, and the 90s fashions are ON FUCKING POINT. It’s a classic for a goddamn reason okay??? For a show about supernatural beings it manages to be one of the most human and relatable things I’ve ever watched.

PEAKY BLINDERS

A show about working class gangsters with a Roma background set in Birmingham England right after WWI?? YES PLEASE. Amazing acting and costume design and a whole lot of ‘what the fuck just happened?!’ moments. Come for Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, stay for Helen McRory as Aunt Polly. Cause she’s a baddaassssss.

LEVERAGE

Found family found family found family!! A show that manages to take 5 main characters on arcs that end in better places than they started, which is so so refreshing. Incredible acting, and plots that manage to combine humor and gut punches with a slight hint of camp (aka my happy place). Added bonus for calling out capitalism and corruption without seeming too overbearing. 10/10 A+ no notes.

BLACK SAILS

Technically it’s a prequel to Treasure Island set during the Golden Age of Piracy; realistically it’s a hell of a lot more surprising, heartbreaking, and GAY than that. Another show that manages to make you go ‘what the fuck?!’ at every turn. A+ costumes and cinematography. And the characters themselves are so complex and intriguing; they’re angry and defiant and have a relatable ‘we’re gonna lose this war but we WILL make it an end to remember’ energy. Also Toby Stephens as Captain Flint. I mean. GODDAMN.

BONES

Probably the most ‘normal’ show on this list but like. IT IS SO GOOODDDD. The cases are well done, the cast of characters is interesting, the music is on point and so poignant, and the finale is satisfying. Do they have some misses along the way? Yeah for sure. It ran for 11 seasons it’s not really a surprise there were some problems. But they also had great representation for an early 2000s show (Cam, a black woman, running the lab, Angela being bisexual), great plot arcs, and some of the best individual television episodes I’ve ever seen (Gravedigger anyone? Judas on a Pole?) Plus these 2. I just love them so much.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

Where do I even start with this one? Cool world building? Check. Awesome animation and design? Check. A wide variety of characters, especially nuanced and non stereotypical female ones? Absolutely! ATLA will make you laugh, cry, and think about the world, all in one episode. Then there’s Zuko. His arc is just one of the best examples of character growth ever seen on TV. I love this show as much as the cabbage merchant loves his cabbages. 10/10 A+.

NORTH AND SOUTH (BBC)

If you love period dramas but are sick of shows that focus exclusively on upper crust rich people problems, watch this 2004 mini series. It’s based on an 1850s novel by Elizabeth Gaskell and follows the story of a girl who grew up in the countryside in the south of England but then moves to the grittier, darker, more industrial north. There’s in your face poverty, worker’s strikes, political upheaval and a whole lot more. It’s fabulous. Brendan Coyle and Richard Armitage star and let me tell you, RICHARD IS IMMACULATE. It also features the BEST ONSCREEN KISS OF ALL TIME I MEAN JFC LOOK AT THAT JAWLINE I AM DEAD.

BROOKLYN 99

Aaaaahhhhh this show!! It’s diverse, it’s poignant, it’s clever, it laughs at toxic masculinity, it’s quotable af, it’s a sitcom that proves you don’t have to be an asshole to be hilarious. The ensemble is lovable, the relationships are on point and oh, did I mention it’s HELLA QUEER? 10/10 everyone go watch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Doctor Who

I love particular seasons of it but not every doctor or season soooo I can’t really say it’s a favorite all time overall show. Ninth and Tenth Doctor tho? THOSE ARE MY BOYS.

Merlin

I know I know I know - how is it not a top show when 60% of my blog is Merthur? Idk man. I’ve only watched it once and I really like to live in the fic universe more. Sorry. Maybe I’ll do a rewatch and my feelings will change but until then…🤷🏻‍♀️ I still love you Colin and Bradleyyyyyy.

Good Omens

Another show that I’ve only watched once. I absolutely ADORE the Aziraphale and Crowley dynamic but I don’t really care about the rest of the show or characters? So I can get all the ineffable spouses cuteness I need from fic. I am looking forward to s02 though!

The White Queen

Based on a Philippa Gregory novel, this is another Tudoresque historical drama telling the story of Elizabeth Woodville and the Wars of the Roses. The acting is really good and the pacing well done. I’ve watched it a few times and really enjoyed it.

#tv #about the blog #about me #long post #long post for ts #wow a lot these shows are hella queer aren’t they #HMMM I WONDER WHY THAT COULD BE #lol #my post #mine #queeranomaly #nelsonandspringforever #if you guys need new shows I guess these are kind of recs!!

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mysteriouslybluepirate · 1 year

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Favorite Head cannons of the OFMD community as of S1

-Izzy and Ed knew each other during the Hornigold era, and Izzy chose Ed as his captain after the mutiny.

-Roach had very little to no experience as a ships surgeon before joining the Revenge, he's just passionate and a fast learner, and we love him for it.

-Calico Jack wanted to fuck Izzy. If it was mutual is up for debate.

-Ed sleeps on Stede's couch for most of S1.

-Ed fucking loves the Swede. Ed sees this anxious guy and is just so fucking nice? Like, yeah, bare minimum. But he doesn't put him down once. Immediately getting the vibe of 'oh, this is the ships nice guy, i gotta fit in'.

-Lucius was running away from something when he happened upon Stede and the ship. Be it a crazy life, a marriage, a criminal past. Who knows? But he found safety in an idiotic man willing to hire a scribe for a ship.

-Izzy also has a bounty on his head for abandoning the English, but it's usually Ed's bounty that will cause problems. Since, like everything else in life, Izzy is easily ignored, and would be found with Edward either way.

-Frenchie and Wee John knew each other before joining the Revenge. How much is up for debate.

-Anne and Mary totally abandoned Jack's ass on an island, taking over his ship, and getting away scott-free. As Jack was their jackass laze about husband that forced the two to run the ship. But I do believe they all once loved each other, just didn't communicate (as with the rest of the established couples in the show)

-Izzy is VERY into whatever Ed is willing to give him. Ed just wants a nap and a cuddle.

-Oluwande is supernaturally earnest and willing to put up with almost everyone's shit. Especially Jim. Which they love him so much for. Oluwande will probably see some type of leadership role in the next seasons.

-Stede/Ed are fucking like rabbits. They are the most PTA couple and while Lucius/Pete are at least conscious of when they're in public Ed/Stede are not. And honestly, good for them.

-Izzy has tummy issues. Either from anxiety, age, diet, stress, or health issues.

-Buttons has a history as a pirate, yet no one can verify them. His crews are always gone, dead or missing...no one sees this as the red flag it should be (my vote is always that he's a cryptid, and changes the reality of the ships he's on).

-Buttons COULD be the best first mate around, hell, he probably was once...But things changed for him as he aged and seen all his crew die off, that and he lives for the drama.

-(personal) Izzy was a rope monkey growing up, his size means (if izzy was a pirate before the age of 20) he would have been thrown up there. I also think Ed was a higher-ranking rope monkey or was one in the past. Ed would fucking love the risk, of climbing up high and getting wind in his hair(My only proof is how easily he balances on the railing in EP 4, cause it was the first thing that made me really go 'WOOF'. Competence is hot, babes). (I also totally see young Ed jumping down from heights, fucking up his knee)

-Oh, that Ed having knee problems is TECHNICALLY a head cannon, but at this point...it's canon.

-Most problems could be solved with communication, its a shame each member of the crew speaks in their own language of bullshit, trauma, and stubbornness.

-Ed never paints his own nails. Honestly, mood my man.

-Lucius/Pete get married long before Stede/Ed. Personally, I vibe with this because Stede probably holds a lot of beliefs about what weddings mean for a relationship (stagnation, settling down, and fulfilling societal duties). While Stede is a romantic and would love to marry Ed, I think he'd need to see Lucius and Pete make it work, especially with their open relationship.

-Their historical deaths will be real, but be fuckeries. Honestly. I know S2 is a gap season, but FUCK S3 could be so COOL if they go this route. (Blackbeard's ship sailing into Ocracoke for a wedding and party, being unable to escape and having to fight it out being what happened. Stede getting hung a few weeks later)

-Ed can play the piano/harpsicord', Stede can not.

-'Ed' vs 'Edward' has VERY specific meanings depending on who and why they are saying it.

-Izzy's loyalty was somewhat bought from Ed saving his life, either metaphorically (giving Izzy a happier life as a pirate) or literally (saved from being hung/saving him in a fight). In Izzy's eyes his only purpose is to protect Edward.

-Stede WILL go back to the fancy dress and accessories. The Ep 10 look was a rebirth, a new slate to build a happier version of himself. As much as I love 'tuff' muscled Stede, that's not who he is. He loves finery and being soft.

-The crew is a family, and if EP 9 ended how Ed wanted it to they could have been happy together yes. But they'd be alone. No family and friends to support them.

AND as always:

-Lucius is still alive.

#ofmd #edward teach #stede bonnet #lucius spriggs #izzy hands #frenchie #wee john feeney

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popculturebuffet · 2 years

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Monthly Muppets/Pirate Month: Muppet Treasure Island Review!: The Darkest and Most Tim Curry Muppet Film of All (Comission for Emma Fici)

Hello all ye swabs and welcome back to pirate month, my look at a bunch of pirate media as we sail out of summer, as well as Monthly Muppets, my monthly look at muppet media as comissoined by my good friend emma.

Today’s film is one I did see as a kid but hardly remember as did my co-pilot for this one @jess-the-vampire. I dont’ remember hating it but I do remember drifting off, findng parts boring and only remembered cabin fever and part of Kermit and Piggy’s duet. Little Me was just ambvalient to it unlike say Problem Child , Heavyweights or Little Rascals which conversely i’d watch on loop at my grandmas. Classics one and all that i’m bound to cover someday (Or sooner if you want to comission it, wink wink)

So it took me until the tender, innocent age of 30 to not only watch it again.. but to truly enjoy it. Dosen’t mean kids can’t, i’ve heard plenty of people loved and grew up with this one, i’ts just the weird ass path i’ve taken in life I suppose. On rewatch.. this film was excellent if not at all what I expected. I mean it is in ways; i’ts an adaptation of a classic british novel , done because Christmas Carol was a huge hit so the Muppet Crew wanted to keep going down this road, and as far as I could tell production went well. While Tim Curry wasn’t the first choice in mind, they also had the equally great casting of David Bowie and the baffling casting of Mic Jagger (who is a great musician but just dosen’t have Curry or Bowie’s Charisma), in mind, otherwise productoin went well and while the film didn’t do great in the box office, thus leading to muppets from space, the first film covered for this feature, it as should be clear did great on home video.

What caught me off guard.. was the tone. See I forgot just how seriously Christmas Carol took things, essentially being an almost straight adaptation of the book but iwth some muppety jokes and the various muppet cast members dotted about and playing apporirate parts. Still fully muppety but far more serious than the usual madcap antics. Treasure Island takes that and runs with it, but while Christmas Carol’s darkness comes from the fairly dark subject matter, a bitter greedy old man, the things that he lost becoming this way and the horrible things to come for him and those around him should he stay th ecourse, this is an adventure story and being an adventure story written before censors stepped in for children.. it’s one shockingly paved in blood and something that the movie mostly stays very close to. The OPENING SCENE is a dead serious and wicked cool musical number, and as has been standard since Labyrinth i’ll get to those later on their own, about pirates, dead men telling no tales.. and that ends in Captain Flint MURDERING most of his crew to keep the treasure secret. We don’t see it but most muppet productions don’t open with cold blooded murder for pure greed, nor are most bits of mupet violence played dead seriously like this

And this isn’t a tonal clash: While there are PLENTY of jokes, and all time great ones for the muppets as a whole the story and it’s stakes are mostly played dead serious. And you’d THINK this wouldn’t work.. while the muppets can have truly good truly deep stories, see the 2011 movie, usualy their more in the line with personal drama when drama does crop up. The muppets usually don’t do big sweeping adventure stories. Yet.. it works pefectly. The jokes are spaced out well from the dramatic scenes and the action set pieces, so the transition isn’t jarring. For instance at one point Tim Curry’s Long John Silver valiantly holds back his traiterous crew to save Jim, our human lead more on him in a sec, we get some space to progress the plot more with Jim, and then we cut back to an all time great gag as his crew literally hand him a black spot (a black spot, aka the black death, was seen as a polite vacation certain doom. Full credit to jess for just casually knowing that) The film can be as madcap as a muppet film needs to be, with it’s all time best bit being the roll call

youtube

I saw this on tumblr years ago and it’s lived in my head with ME paying it rent for the pleasure of staying ever since. One of the best muppet bits period and one of my personal faviorites. I mean you have this, yet it dosen’t detract from the story.

Getting into the story so we have context, and because it makes it easier to get into some bits, the story follows Jim Hawkins, a young lad played by the equally young at the time Kevin Bishop. He is incredibly good in the part despite his age, being a bit shouty (as child actors tend to be) but still earnest, heartwarming and when needed steadfast in his convictions. And i’m proud to say Bishop had a career after this, mostly tv but he IS the current voice of 2D of the Gorillaz, and that will never not be the highlight of anyones resume.

Jim is an orphan, a slight change from the original where his parents both lived and his dad only died shortly into the story, but one that makes sense: it streamlines things and makes his close friendship with Gonzo and Rizzo, who are apparnetly also children? It’s Vauge, and both were SUPPOSED to be in jim’s part entirely, but the execs figured the two just didn’t fit for the emotoinal core of the story.. and were right. The two are amazing characters but they just don’t WORK as a wide eyed 12 year old boy. Granted that leave sme scratching my head why they didn’t just use robin, the actual child in the muppet troupe, but Bishop was great, so it worked out.

Jim toils at an inn for a selfish boss who can always tell what anyone says “how does she do that”, listenting to the stories of Billy Bones played by Billy Connoly, who has pride at being the only person killed in a muppets film to die on screen. The landlady, Mrs. Bluvridge is played of course by british icon Jennefer Saunders. Always a delight to have her pop up in something. While most of the pub thinks bones is full of rum soaked barnacles, turns out he was righ tin the tale he tales, of being one of the only ones to know where Captain Flint’s treasure is via a map he stole. Naturally he gets beset by other pirates, and Jim and co barely escape thanks to Jennifer Saunders FIGHTING THE PIRATES OFF. God I love this job.

They convince the son of a lord, played by Fozzy, and his assitants played by bunsen and beaker who naturally had a gunpowder mishap shortly before meeting our heroes, to fund a trip. Unfortunately the rich dimwit son trusts the tiny man in his finger to hire the crew

So while the captain is the utterly stalwart, kind and resonable Smolett, played by Kermit the frog here, and his first mate the stick in the mud who wants to commit attrocities in Smolett’s name only for Kermit to say

Or somethign like that, the rest of the boat is a wretched hive of scum and villiany, and to no ones shock are both the ones behind the attack on bones and the former crew of the traitorious captain, all lead by the MVP for the film, the man with the sexiest non-keith david voice in the world, the sexiest man to ever put on panty hose, and that’s a long list, and one of the coolest guys to ever live, Tim Curry, playing Captain John Silver.

Curry is the best part of the film, and yes i’m aware it’s a film filled with the muppets at the top of their game. He’s the rare actor who upstages the fucking muppets, and he does so with gusto, playing the roll of Long John Silver to the hilt, and doing so better than I’ll wager anyone ever has. I could be wrong as i’ve barely seen any adaptations of treasure island, but I doubt I am.

He plays Silver as smooth, charming, able to easily bond with young Jim and quickly taking the kid on as a surrogate son, genuine in his love for the boy and care for him. That said he’s also cunning, ruthless and when he goes full ham he goes FULL HAM, with a wonderful song we’ll get to later to show that off. He’s at the same time threatning and charming as all hell because i’ts tim curry, it’s what he was born for. He’s clever, ruthless, and cool, yet also can be funny as seen with the black spot scene and his musical number, without ever breaking character. He plays off the muppets without missing a beat and the film would not be as good without him as it’s core. And that’s INCREDIBLY rare to say for a muppet movie, but it’s the truth; Tim Curry takes the film seriously when he needs to and has fun the whole time, and this is to this day one of his faviorite rolls and makes me even sadder he’s retired. He’s a swashbuckling badass bar none and the gold standard for pirates for me now on... well okay much like the gold standard for sexy voices it’s a tie but in fairness.. his competttion is VERY steep

So yeah Curry rocks as silver and rolls easily, with him and Kermit playing move for move. Kermit is also amazing in this, being a tough but fair captain, only taking jim’s map when it’s clear the danger of someone stealing it is too great and almost, ALMOST beating silver: after Jim overhears he’s behind the mutiny, Kermit plans to MOTHERFUCKING MAROON THEM FOR A YEAR. It only dose’nt work because silver, being tim curry, is one step ahead and takes jim.

And Silvers relationship with Jim is another key part of the film, as the two geninely bond and the only thing you can trust about silver.. is that he cares for the boy. His attempt to make jim join them dosen’t seem born out of ego or neceisity, he could simply just toruture the boy into it or have his crewmates back on the ship bring someone as a hostage.. but he dosen’t. He wants Jim to join him because he wants his son back, gladly defends the boy and kills poor dead tom at gunpoint when that fails, and the final confrintation between the two is truly heartbreaking. We’ll get to that. Curry and Bishop play off each other wonderfully.

For now though, our heroes thankfully sent a landing party of Steed, Gonzo and Rizo. Unforutnatley they run into the weakest part of this some wild pigs

Not you pal, but it IS nice to see you again.

No it’s another stock “savage natives’ sterotype , who have made piggy, aka Benjamina, a CHOICE for a name instead of just calling her benni since she’s adapted from a male character. I am so fucking tired of running into this crap in my reviews. Like i’ts not just general racisim. I’ve seen plenty of that too. but this kind of stupid shit was in everything and i’m glad i’ts gone because this was irritating and Piggy really adds nothing to the film. She has a romance plot with Kermit.. and that’s about it. Their number as they hang off a cliff together is also a crime for the ears.

So with that we cue the music for a second. And the music here is mostly really good.. but what isn’t grinds the movie to a halt. So let’s talk about them

The opening number, Shiver Me Timbers, is an omnious, forboding and perfectly mood setting piece, and easily the films second best number, with only one we’ll get to topping it. It woudlnt’ be out of place in any work with pirates and should be mandatory for pirate works but alas, not the world we live in.

Something Better is a VERY boring, very typical “I WANT A BETTER LIFE BY GOSH BY GOLLY” number. It’s nowhere near the best in it’s genre and just wasted 2 minutes of my life instead of really adding anything. Could’ve been cut without any real issue.

Sailing for Adventure on the other hand captures the spirit of adventure the other song was going for MUCH better as the crew of the hispanola sings their hearts out about the voyage and it is awesome. Flawless, no notes.

Cabin Fever is the most fun song and a wacky number where all the muppets aboard not part of the plot bar fozzy and the ambigoiusly gay duo have a party have a ball. A true bit of fun.

Professional Pirate is my faviorite. It’s also tim Curry’s main song and as should be clear anytime tim curry sings it’s fucking trancendant. Though we already knew that LONG before this movie

youtube

It should be also mandatory tim Curry sings this in every work he’ sin, but sadly not the world we live in once more.

Love Led Us Here Blows. It’s a power ballad between kermit and piggy, and we’ve not only got better love ballads from both, but this one goes on for an enternity. The only entertainmetns is the weird cuts to the pirates findign the gold and partying, the best being the shot I used as the main one for the review: Tim Curry grinning ear to ear while making it rain. As bad as that song is, it gave us that and i’ll give it that.

The final song is Love Power by Son of Bob Marley. It’s a generic Reggae Song and is only MARGINALLY better than Love Led Us Here. It dosen’t fit the film at all, feels horribly out of place and feels like the most “Stuido Mandate” thing i’ve seen since the Iluminati section of Multiverse of Madness

The climax to the film before that though is great as we get a full on action scene that works with the muppets.. and Sam, who was sent away on a dinghy but I forgot, who is THE ONLY verison of mr. arrow to surivive suprisingly enough, boogtey boogetys the pirates into fear and allows our heros to save the day. we also get kermit swordfighting tim curry and doing backflips

It’s the scene after that’s the real climax, as Silver attempts to sneak away with a few treasure chests.. only for Jim to confront him. It’s utterly heartbreaking, with Jim wondering why Silver did all this, and Silver admitting he can’t turn back, it’s too late for him.. but that his love for the boy, for his son.. was never in question. Both are clearly heartbroken.. but both have taken a path the other can’t follow; Jim has found a family who values his honesty and inegrity and Silver can’t be a part of it. The best he could do is stay and be executed.. so go he must as the two tensely stand off, Jim with a whistle, Silver with a pistol.. and Silver backs down, unable to hurt his son. Turly effecting stuff, especailly Kermit who was there.. and who says Jim did the right thing. Our heroes take off for wherever adventure takes them, Silver ends up with his boat sinking (an original additon though him somehow escaing is part of the story. Weird), and we’re out

As you can probably tell this film is awesome it’s only problems being love lift us up and the piggy subplot that feels tacked on just to get her into the movie. Seriously cutting that could help the film’s pacing amazingly and get rid of some good old 90′s racisim. Everyone wins. But otherwise.. this film is a masterwork, it’s rightfully loved and I recommend checking it out. As for where it ranks with the muppet films i’ve covered so far, well thanks to letterboxed instead of typing you, I can just SHOW ya

It sits at a comfy #3 as while having a weaker plot, I felt most wanted was slightly stronger, though both are pretty close in quality.

Next Month: It’s time to hit the big apple as the muppets take manhattan! Will I like it better this time than I did first seeing it years ago?

But find out next month and thanks for reading.

#the muppets #muppet treasure island #tim curry #jennifer saunders #pirates #pirate month #treasure island #kermit the frog #miss piggy #fozzy bear #gonzo the great #rizzo the rat #jim hawkins

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jaydonsjam · 1 year

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Man-Thing IX

Man-Thing #13-14

Man-Thing #13 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler(s): John Buscema, Tom Sutton | inker: Tom Sutton

Man-Thing #14 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler & inker: Alfred Alcala

Man-Thing fights pirates in the sky! I really enjoyed this arc because of how bonkers it was. It reminded me of some of Steve Gerber’s really strange and mystical Man-Thing stuff which I find myself enjoying more than the typical inter-personal stories Man-Thing gets involved with in the swamp. We meet a crew of people who are venturing into the Bermuda Triangle because a scientist wants to investigate the mystery of it. Man-Thing finds himself on the ship because he feels anger coming off of two crew members. Maura Spinner is the name of the scientist and she turns out to be a pirate queen who was granted immortality by a Satyr named Khordes. She had no memory of her previous life though. When Maura was a pirate queen, she and her crew including Captain Fate had found treasure in a tower but then Khordes appeared and offered them a choice between leaving Maura with him and they could take all of the treasure. Her crew jumps at the chance and leaves her in the tower. She curses them to endlessly sail forever which Khordes then makes happen. Although she stabs him. It’s better if you read it because I know it’s a lot of information and I think it’s interesting enough to check out. There’s a cool backstory here and I think the exposition does a good enough job to explain the pirates and the Satyr. There’s some cool moments of Man-Thing regenerating with the help of the magical tower from ooze to monster again. The action is your typical Man-Thing fighting where he’s just smacking, slapping and throwing fools left and right. This was just a fun horror adventure story.

Giant-Size Man-Thing #3

Giant-Size Man-Thing #3 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler & inker: Alfred Alcala

Yes! Dakimh, Jennifer Kale and Korrek return in this Giant-Size issue! This was by far the best and my favorite giant size issue of Man-Thing that I’ve read so far. It felt like a continuation of my favorite arc of Man-Thing and it had a great ending. I was sad to see Dakimh die but since he’s a wizard maybe he’ll come back? I guess we’ll see. Alfred Alcala’s art was great although I wish it would’ve gone weirder since they were back to the castle in the sky and Korrek’s homeland. I loved how Man-Thing dispatched the evil wizard and the trope where he didn’t believe Jen that something was behind him. There was a lot of great action with sword fighting, magical spells and Man-Thing just smashing people. I hoped there’d be more of an interaction between Jen and Man-Thing but she was more focused with Dakimh and Korrek. I definitely want more Jen and Korrek so I hope they come back before the end of Gerber’s run. This was definitely the best of the batch of Man-Thing issues I read for this post.

Man-Thing #15

Man-Thing #15 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler(s): Tony DeZuniga, Alfred Alcala, Rico Rival | inker(s): Alfred Alcala, Rico Rival

A candle gives off hallucinations to an old friend of Ted Sallis. This one was weird. I don’t know if what I read was the true account of Ted and Sainte-Cloud’s relationship or if it was mixed with false hallucinations. I gotta say this one was weird and unethical because when Sainte met Ted she was 17 and he had to have been in his mid to late twenties-thirties and even asked her to marry him. I just found the underage aspect of this story to difficult to enjoy or move past. I didn’t look up age of consent laws in the 60’s but maybe it was fine back then but it’s just gross and wrong in my eyes. This was probably one of my least favorite issues I’ve read of this comic and if I ever do a reread of Man-Thing, I’ll skip this one. I liked seeing the differences of thought and politics between Ted and Sainte but there wasn’t much here for me to enjoy. I will say it’s pretty scary when she sees Man-Thing come out of Ted’s bedroom and chase after her. That was excellently done but that’s about it. Next up is Werewolf By Night!

#marvel #marvel horror #marvel comics #horror comics #70’s comics #70s comics #man thing #man-thing #ted sallis

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