#who framed stede bonnet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nortsauce · 2 days

Note

Can we have more cartoon-Stede-lighthouse-of-my life? 🫠🥺 He's a treasure

YOU MEAN YOU’RE ASKING ME TO DRAW MY FAVORITE EVER?? OF COURSE!!!

Currently i’m in the deep abyss of finals 😭 but i swear i’ll get you more Stede and his Crew of Toons aoon!!

#who framed stede bonnet #ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #the talk show

26 notes · View notes

arsenicflame · 1 year

Text

i Do Not Trust people who make Mary the bad guy in their stories when the show went out of its way to specifically show us how she was suffering just as much as stede was in their marriage and that shes, yknow, a good person

#mary is specifically framed in a sympathetic light in all of her appearances. the show switches to following her narrative so we can see #how much better her new life is for her too!!! like yes she tries to kill stede but we are shown in the narrative WHY she makes that choice #and that she struggles with it and we see stede understanding this too! he supports her decisions and her new life and is happy for her!!!#at no point are we shown anything that makes mary a bad person or bad mother- honestly i generally like mary far more than stede anyway #but even if you dont you should be able to acknowledge... that if u make her the bad guy??? w. what did you take away from the show??#idk it has the vibes of. the girl character all the fans hate because she gets in the way of their precious little gay ship #or whatever. you know what i mean #ofmd #our flag means death #mary bonnet #mary allamby bonnet #everyone whos a mary hater is also an izzy hater bc theyre coded the same character type. betrayed wives my beloved #(this is a joke.)#uh. this might be one to add in the tags on again sorry gang i have too many thoughts

965 notes · View notes

bullagit · 2 years

Text

the narrative is so purposefully anachronistic/modern in how it examines stede and mary’s marriage but a lot of meta on it likes leaning hard into whatever portrayal makes one or the other of them look like The Big Villain.

the modern lens on them is the whole point! they were both unhappy together! they were both uninterested and unable to connect even when they tried bc they are incompatible people! they BOTH felt trapped and BOTH! wound up being hurtful to each other in ways while that marriage was being upheld! because they BOTH wanted love and became more and more aware over time that there was no way they would find the love they wanted in each other!

this is so NOT black-and-white idk why it keeps getting reduced to finger-pointing

#ofmd #stede bonnet #mary allamby bonnet #like if u wanna go so hard into The Times and Societally Speaking as far as arranged marriages for wealth go #getting hitched to stede is abt as good as u get barring the possibility of love or attraction like #marriage for love is a HOPE its a thing you wish for it likely wont happen next best thing is like tolerability #comfy material life plenty of wealth husband who is equally unintersted as you are in him who is overall not awful just removed #u dont touch each other apart from having ur 2 kids #then he fucks off #(the fucking off was poorly done and hurtful but also go figure beneficial)#like historically thats making out like a bandit!#stede being like i forgive u for sleeping with doug is him being a huge BITCH not him passively threatening to ruin marys life over it jfc #truly sick of all the malicious framing and like #'stede sees everyone else as novelties/side characters in HIS story' 'stede naturally believes he is Above XYZ person' stuff #like if u think of stede as someone who is self aggrandizing and genuinely self important u missed the point of stede #thats a man with no self worth a passive death wish and raw desperation to find the validation and approval he's never had #thats a man with so little social development experience that hes in his 40s and doesnt know how to navigate relationships like #fuck off im going full apologist from now on the end

20 notes · View notes

nonpracticinghumanbeing · 7 months

Text

Izzy IS about community. He’s ALWAYS BEEN about community in his own messed up way. The Canyon was right and the haters were wrong.

He wanted Blackbeard back because that was what kept the crew safe. He was terrible about it and hurt the man he obviously loves in the process, but it WAS for the greater good. It wasn’t a purely selfish act the antis love to frame it as. He wanted to feel safe again and he wanted the crew to be safe as well.

Hell, he was doing his best to help Edward through his post-breakup depression. He didn’t understand what was going on and was clearly distressed by it but he provided what Ed needed. He *knew* he lacked the emotional capacity to help his captain himself so he agreed to bring him Lucius. I really think he would have just gritted his teeth and suffered through it if Ed didn’t say the one thing that could collapse his whole world.

"Why do we even bother being pirates?" That was what freaked Izzy out so much that he pushed Edward to violence. Not because he selfishly wanted Ed to be close at all times but because Blackbeard the legend was the pillar of his community. That legend kept everyone safe and even if Izzy is a horrible asshole, he *does* care about his crew. He knows the world is a horrible hostile place and he focuses on risk mitigation, even if it means hurting the one person he really cares about.

He really tried to provide that to the crew when Edward and Stede took the Act of Grace. It was a terribly misguided attempt at keeping things under control and it was certainly influenced by his submissive tendencies which make him crave structure and feel safe within hierarchies. He *knows* he lacks Ed's charisma and ability to think outside the box and with such huge shoes to fill it's not really surprising he acted out in anger and in result failed miserably. But he was *NEVER* an asshole just for the sake of it.

Now he realizes those days are gone for good. He's already done everything he could to bring Ed back to his senses, including using *Stede fuckin' Bonnet’s* name. It didn’t work. The realization that his one true safeguard is really gone must be terrible, but it also pushes him to take action.

The moment he realizes the crew are in real danger, he takes things into his own hands. He not only goes against the hierarchy he believed to be sacred but also against the man he *LOVES*. He fucking shoots his beloved captain to save the crew. You don’t get much more *community* than that.

He is clearly struggling. He's just tried to fucking kill himself after being maimed AND told he was disposable by a man whom he's apparently served for dacades. He will have to reevaluate his whole life and he *knows* it. But he puts it all to the side and he does what needs to be done. He took all of Edward’s abuse without complaint it seems but the moment the crew are in real danger, he intervenes. You can’t tell me a community (*any* community) doesn’t need people like that.

It all feels very old-time queer to me. The willingness to make terrible sacrifices to protect one's space. The decision (conscious or not) to be effective rather than liked. The choice to stay alive despite terrible heartbreak and go on fighting.

He's absolutely NOT an irredimable villain. He’s an asshole who tries to keep his little world safe. He’s Larry Kramer getting kicked out of GMHC for being too confrontational and politically incorrect to be palatable to the general public.

#ofmd #izzy hands #our flag means death #ofmd meta #our flag means gay #ofmd season 2 #izzy canyon #ofmd spoilers

620 notes · View notes

dean-winchesters-clit · 8 months

Text

Another theory post about OFMD S2 because it's all I think about anymore

I had a theory forming about the pearl necklace Ed is wearing that I wanted to share with y'all. I was originally speculating about where Ed got the necklace, thinking that maybe he stole it off one of the wedding guests or even the bride because you can see a lot of the women wearing pearl jewelry in these shots.

But the only pearl necklace we see is much larger than the ones Ed is wearing, and I did some digging and found out that pearl necklaces mostly went out of style in Europe due to a war and the church getting all uppity about people being excessive, so it would be unlikely that any of the other women would be wearing pearl necklaces, especially when the earrings and hairpins made with pearls were usually larger and more uniform than the ones we see on Ed's necklace.

So, where did the necklace come from? I think it makes perfect sense that Stede gave it to Ed because of course he did, but when? It's hard to see Ed's neck in any of the shots of him raiding the wedding ship or in the captain's cabin aboard the Revenge, but I think it's safe to say that he doesn't have it at that point in time.

The first time we see it clearly in the trailer is when he's in the forest, confronting the mysterious figure (who I have a theory about, but that's for another time).

So, Ed gets the pearl necklace some time between raiding a bunch of ships as Blackbeard and getting stranded on an island. What could possibly happen in the interim that could cause him to acquire a pearl necklace from Stede?

Well, we all know Mysterious Merchant Susan is definitely the Chinese Pirate Queen Shi Yang/Zheng Yi Sao/Ching Shih or some approximation of her (since the real Zheng Yi Sao was born in 1775). We also know that she's masquerading as a merchant for some reason. What if the scene of Stede and Oluwande at the market happens before Stede sends his message in a bottle to Ed?

What if, when talking about Blackbeard and Ed, Susan convinces Stede to buy a string of these?

Chinese freshwater pearls. They're smaller and less uniform than the pearls we associate with classic European pearl jewelry. And they match up in style and size pretty well to the pearls on Ed's necklace.

What if Stede buys these pearls from Susan and places them in the bottle along with his message to Ed? Then, when Ed gets stranded on the island, he finds the bottle on the beach and the pearls inside. That's why he goes from no pearls on the Revenge to pearl necklace on the deserted island.

Just some food for thought!

Edit

So, @naranjapetrificada pointed something out that kinda sinks this theory, but I do really like where this new info leads us.

Ed is wearing the pearl necklace before being stranded on the island. You can see it in the "fuck you, Stede Bonnet" frame, but it's easy to miss.

There she is, when Ed is very clearly on the deck of the Revenge.

So, this does burn my theory to the ground, but that's okay!! That's the fun of theory crafting! Someone noticed something I didn't and flipped the whole script!

I love the implications that the necklace is something Ed chooses for himself, rather than something he is gifted. He still likes fine things and wants to feel pretty and finds something that makes him feel that way. Babygirl is having a rough time and deserves some happiness, dammit!!

448 notes · View notes

celluloidbroomcloset · 4 months

Text

OK, since we're arguing about this: the scene in "The Art of Fuckery" where Izzy challenges Stede to a duel.

The progression of the scene seems pretty clear, but to note—Stede and Ed come onto the main deck. They applaud the crew—Ed says that the fuckery "scared the pants off me" and then compliments the Swede on his voice. Stede tells them all how proud he is. Then:

Izzy: Stede Bonnet, draw your weapon. Ed: No, Izzy, we're not doing this. Izzy: No, you're not doing this, so I must.

Of note here: no one has drawn on anyone yet. Stede has not accepted a challenge nor has Izzy yet directly issued one. Ed interferes immediately and tells Izzy, quite clearly, "We're not doing this."

Now, could Ed directly order Izzy to stand down? Yes, but he seems surprised that Izzy is going against his orders already, and there's every chance that another order won't make a difference. Izzy has decided that Ed's not going to kill Stede. Ed is telling him no, and Izzy is acknowledging the order and then saying he knows best. You can't be more explicit about the fact that he's going against his captain's orders.

From the moment Stede accepts the challenge, Ed steps back, but he makes it very clear that he's on Stede's side: "Stede, be careful, he does know his shit."

The whole scene proceeds with Ed withdrawing further and further, at the end unable to even watch Stede being run through. But his lack of interference does not at all indicate a lack of caring—there are a number of reasons he doesn't interfere, not the least of them being that a challenge has been issued and accepted, and him getting into the center of it would shame Stede and undermine him to his crew (there's a lot to be said about shame and honor on this show, but I'm not doing it here).

The other element is that Ed has just relived the trauma of his father's murder, including the violence that his father (an angry white man) perpetrated against his mother, leading to Ed attacking and killing him. Ed is now watching someone else he cares about, with whom he has shared the absolute darkest part of him, in danger of pain and death from another angry white man. The moment Stede is actually hurt by a cut to the shoulder is the moment that Ed starts to dissociate, and by the time Stede is disarmed, he turns away completely. He clings to the rigging, he hides his face, he starts swaying back and forth.

The positioning of Izzy, Ed, and Stede is almost identical to the positioning of Ed watching his father beat his mother—Izzy on the left of the frame, Stede on the right, Ed between them, unable to move or respond (covering his ears, hiding his face). Stede has already been associated with Ed's mother via the red silk and the tenderness with which he has treated Ed, and he's now apparently defenseless against the man who wants to hurt him, over whom Ed now has no apparent authority. Ed has returned to the helpless child, seeing a scene unfold before him that mirrors the trigger for his most traumatic experience, the thing that drove him to piracy in the first place.

But sure. It's about fucking protocol.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #ofmd season 1 #stede bonnet #izzy hands #ed teach #edward teach #tw: abuse #tw: domestic violence #gif #you wanna fucking fight me about this?#to be clear: I THINK IZZY IS FUCKING FASCINATING #he's a great antagonist in season 1 and he grows so much in season 2 #i LIKE THAT #but don't lets pretend that he's not typed as the abusive man trying to destroy the gentlest things in ed's life for all of the first seaso

148 notes · View notes

batsarebetterthanpeople · 7 months

Text

I want to write a meta on Stede Bonnet of Our Flag Means Death and internalized homophobia. A lot of this is going to be a rehash of something I said to an anon back in october of 2022 but I feel like it deserves to be put out without rancid anon takes attached.

Our Flag Means Death as a show is trying to do a deconstruction of toxic masculinity. I feel very comfortable in saying that seeing as David Jenkins had "A lot of what we're taught about what it means to be a man is wrong" and a show about gay men with a thesis like that is necessarily also deconstructing homophobia, even if it doesn't center homophobia, which ofmd does not, it keeps it in just out of frame at all times, because it prefers to center queer joy. However that doesn't mean it's not there and I want to talk about the one place where it exists that I feel like people don't really touch on.

Stede is a character that comes from a background of wealth, of rigid adherence to social norms that he was never able to fully fit into. There are rules for what men do and what women do and those rules must be obeyed and Stede learns this the hard way, by getting tied in a boat and having things thrown at him for picking flowers. By being bullied relentlessly for being soft and weak. Under such conditions you can’t not internalize those rules.

Stede also is very insecure, in episode 2 it's established that he struggles with feelings of inadequacy. A lot of Stede’s guilt comes from his inability to preform the roles of husband and father, roles which were thrust upon him without his consent and stand in opposition to his identity as a gay man, at least in the 1700s. Stede considers himself a coward for his inability to preform these rolls. Stede is unable to forgive himself for being unable to fit into the heterosexual expectations that society as placed on him.

Blackbeard is also a hypermasculine figure. A role that Ed finds himself unable to fit into. That’s why Ed and Stede seem to be in the same place when they first meet. They’re both trying to break out of these rigid boxes that have been forced upon them. Blackbeard is less heterosexual, more specific, but it’s still a distinctly male expectation which is tied up in cultural ideals about masculinity, especially non-white masculinity. And the whole show Izzy, a gender conforming character who seems to go out of his way to talk down to any man he perceives as even a little bit soft, is trying to force Ed into it, and when he tries to imply that Ed isn’t Blackbeard enough he does it by emasculating him

Ed is open, at least when he's made to feel like he's in a safe environment, about not wanting to be blackbeard anymore. Stede suggests retirement and provides him space to experiment with reinventing himself, but at the end of the day Stede doesn't believe him because Stede venerates Blackbeard as one of the most fearsome pirates of all time (something I expect to be a large point of contention between them in the next season). When Ed finally shakes off his captaincy and tries to leave Blackbeard behind for good Stede ends up blaming himself for it, because he perceives Ed's desire to leave a role that is hurting him behind as him being ruined, the same way Stede perceives his own failure as a husband and father as an inherently corrosive thing.

Unpacking Chauncey's speech in season 1 episode 10 and why Stede agrees with it is fundamental here. Gay people have been for centuries been portrayed as corrupting influences trying to convert people to our lifestyle. We've been portrayed as horror villains. Our sex is portrayed as defilement. We're accused of being groomers who want to corrupt others to our way of life, we're accused of recruiting. This is one of the more classic homophobic tropes. So when Chauncy says you're a monster who defiles beautiful things there is venom and oppression behind it. And Stede agrees to it because he does believe himself to have corrupted Ed away from being Blackbeard into being kind of a pansy like Stede. And that he defiled his family by leaving despite it being what he needed to do.

And so his reaction to this is to shove himself back into the closet and try to be Mary's husband again.

I'm not passing moral judgement on Stede, it's just difficult to interpret the show without seeing the subtextual journey of overcoming internalized homophobia that Stede goes on.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #internalized homophobia

194 notes · View notes

spenglernot · 5 months

Text

STORIES TELLING: HOW RECURRING MUSIC IN OFMD CAUSES MENTAL DEVASTATION IN THE VERY BEST WAY

How the Blackbeard theme, Gnossienne No. 5, and Voi Che Sapepte reveal, reinforce and recontextualize the narrative. An in-depth analysis of key scenes throughout seasons 1 and 2.

Much gratitude to pocket friends who were so encouraging and provided valuable feedback while I worked on this.

Meta by these authors (links, below the cut) influenced this video:

@asneakyfox, @asongaboutpirates, @bakasara, @doyoueverstopandthink, @chaotic-neutral-knitter, @forpiratereasons @fresne999 @gaypiratepropaganda, @jaskierx, @medievill, @mxmollusca, @piratecaptainscaptainpirates @veeagainsttheday, @57flagsofdeath

Gnossienne No. 5 doyoueverstopandthink - i will literally never get over about how fantastic the transition from robert schumann's "träumerei" to erik satie's "gnossiennes: no. 5" is

Voi Che Sapete asongaboutpirates - Another little detail about OFMD that makes me go feral

Transformation in OFMD fresne999 - Half way through the journey of our analyses mxmollusca - The transformation from object to subject, from something that has things done to it versus someone with agency.

Ed's & Izzy's Relationship asneakyfox - you have to understand i have always felt the key thing that makes blackhands interesting...

chaotic-neutral-knitter - Izzy telling Stede "I know you think you understand him," and Stede immediately describing Ed's emotional state perfectly accurately... gaypiratepropaganda - On Izzy saying "because of your feelings for Stede fucking Bonnet"

Ed's Arc veeagainsttheday - Ed, Killing, and the Kraken in Our Flag Means Death S1 and S2

piratecaptainscaptainpirates - I've been thinking about how Ed starts directly killing people in s2e8 57flagsofdeath - Still thinking about this scene. Ed lights the fire place, puts a blanket on the floor to lay on, and puts the two cake toppers next to each other before rolling over and bursting into tears. asneakyfox - i've talked a fair bit about how i don't think "anger issues" is a very useful way to describe how the show frames ed's relationship with violence

Izzy's Arc bakasara - Trying to parse my thoughts on Izzy's death and why I had a different reaction to it than I thought I would. forpiratereasons - all right. i'm ready to talk about izzy.

Love & Relationships in OFMD jaskierx - posting some thoughts from the discord about how many 'irl relationship' things they're dealing with in ep7 and how much i am eating my mattress about it medievill - ofmd does not give a fuck about reality or history or anachronism but it draws the line at magic dick.

#The effectiveness and attention to detail of the OFMD sound crew's use of recurring music to emphasize the narrative is incredible #If you love the music in OFMD you'll probably enjoy this #OFMD is an absolute treasure #gnossienne no. 5 #blackbeard theme #voi che sapete #kraken theme #ofmd music #Mark Mothersbaugh #maggie phillips #OFMD sound crew #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd s1 #ofmd s2 #ofmd s1 s2 music comparison

95 notes · View notes

somekindofcontraption · 5 months

Text

"Acceptable Violence" in OFMD Season 2: deconstructing violence within the context of the show's parameters

I've been doing a lot of thinking about violence and the second season of Our Flag Means Death. I've come to some conclusions that I would like to share, but I would like to preface my thoughts with a disclaimer or two:

I did not like the second season, for myriad reasons, some of which I will outline here. But I am not here to attack you if you liked the season. I am not here to make commentary on who you are as a person or your personal taste if you liked the season. My not liking the season does not mean you can't like the season. In short: my dislike of the season is not about you at all! Also, this is not an academic paper. Which doesn't mean I might not do that in the future, but for now this is just an assembly of analysis and thoughts. If you do not care to read analytical criticism of something you deeply enjoyed? I invited you to scroll onward. If you liked the second season but would like to hear some of the reasons why many, including myself, didn't - carry on! The rest is under the cut.

The first season of Our Flag Means Death dips its toes into the world of piracy by following the unfolding story of Stede Bonnet, the newly minted former aristocrat-turned-pirate who dreams of a new sort of piracy; a gentler, more polite means of pirating. Things, as they said, did not go according to plan. The first season does an excellent job of laying the complex groundwork for an in-world set of principles which tell us what sort of violence is "normal" or "acceptable" in the context of the show and what isn't. (Please assume from here on out that when I say acceptable and normal the "quotes" are implied, as I am not talking about what is acceptable and normal in real life.) It does this through narrative framing, by softening more intense instances of violence through comedy and by pushing it off-screen, and by establishing who is a good guy and who is Not. Unacceptable: Stede Bonnet getting beat on, tied up, and bullied by the Badmintons and their ilk as a child. He's soft and likes flowers! He's got a mean dad! No one likes bullies! It's framed as a negative, it's not super funny (the camera cuts to Stede's face both in the past and present looking distressed, and Stede is the hero, so this can be generally accepted as bad.) This leads us to: Acceptable: Badminton getting whacked over the head and falling on his own sword. This I would categorize as what people have been referring to as "looney tune violence." He was a bully! He's part of a colonial navy! He was being absolutely horrible to Stede! It's funny that Stede is so inept!

Stede feels guilty about it, it causes him trauma, but that trauma is treated, quite often, comedically (see Badminton's "ghost" taunting him, characters treatment of his breakdown, etc). The context clues for whether or not this is acceptable violence are baked right into the writing, too. Oluwande says - claiming that Stede killed Badminton on purpose would gain him the respect of his crew. This is violence that in-world is both acceptable, expected, and also respected for the captain of a pirate ship. (See also: Murdering and/or tying up the remaining British navy crew and putting them through the same thing Stede went through. It's framed as triumphant, Stede having been vindicated, the crew celebrating it as a victory.) Unacceptable: Stede's concept of "soft piracy" of course comes crashing down when his whimsical attempt to woo the Spanish navy is cut short by his getting gut-stabbed.

Stede and the crew are being framed as the heroes of the story and the Spaniards are framed as the bad guys; this setup is why this violence, while totally within the realms of something our crew would do, is categorized as unacceptable. It's also important to note, however, that while it could have been quite a bit more graphic and disturbing if shot differently, the swelling symphony, the comedic cuts of the Spaniards triumphantly getting their ass kicked, softens the blow. Other acceptable instances of violence: The snail fork - horrifying if you think about it, but the narrative softens the blow. The guy was just really racist, giving us a sense of vindictive pleasure, and the violence is all off-screen (we don't actually have to see someone getting skinned with a snail fork). The French ship - again, horrifying if you think too much about people trapped on a burning ship in the middle of the ocean. But, they had all just been huge racist shit-heads who had harmed our heroes. In the context of the narrative, it is framed as being justified. We also don't actually see anyone burning to death, and we get a very funny shot of Ed looking at Stede in awe, and Stede looking very please with himself, confirming in-narrative that this was okay. Other unacceptable instances of violence:

Karl the bird - Jack is framed as an antagonist; he comes between Ed and Stede, obstructing the narrative subplot. Buttons, and by extension Karl, are part of the crew, the heroes. When Karl dies Buttons is devastated, everyone looks uncomfortable, and it's the last straw for Stede to kick Jack off the ship. Plus, there's the an "innocent character" thing similar to Stede as a child getting bullied; Karl was an animal, with no defenses, who did nothing wrong.

Finally, of course, we arrive at the moment that Lucius is pushed from the ship. Unacceptable: By all accounts, pushing people from ships is probably not outside the realm of things that pirates Definitely Do. But here we have another great instance of framing heroes and bad guys. In this case, we have a hero (Ed), seemingly killing another hero (Lucius), who was not only just trying to help him, but was absolutely not expecting violence. We also have a "death" that happened off-screen. We don't see Lucius "drowning." Had Lucius actually died, I think this would have been horrifying. Narratively and thematically, it would not have fit into the spirit of the show, because you could no longer frame Ed as a hero. There would be no real way that I can see to meaningfully redeem him in the context of a comedy, even a "black comedy" (which I do not believe OFMD is). And genuinely, I don't know anyone who thought Lucius was actually dead, so while what Ed did was horrible and awful and needed to be atoned for, it wasn't Final. It wasn't Irredeemable. He didn't become a capital v Villain. The rules of the first season made sense to me. Everything that happened fit narratively, was thematically appropriate, and established a certain set of rules and conventions to follow. It gets dark, and it does push the envelope of what I could bear in a "romantic comedy." Ed cutting off Izzy's toe is tempered (cutting off his littlest toe with a comedically large pair of scissors) but feeding them to him is disturbing. Izzy was an antagonist, not a villain, so giving him treatment reserved for, say, the British navy characters, and doing so graphically and on-screen, was A Lot. This coming from me, who really, REALLY hated Izzy at this point in time. But I think there was an underlying sense of hope that things would improve, resolve, and move forward through character growth and narrative. Stede was coming back to make amends; maybe Ed would find his way back to normalcy, and they'd meet in the middle. It was expected that apologies would be made and Ed could come back from the unacceptable things he did to Lucius, to the Crew, and to Izzy especially. That there would be character and interpersonal growth for them.

Unfortunately, the second season is where the show's parameters around acceptable and unacceptable violence absolutely falls apart. It's never quite clear why something is acceptable vs not, and we never see the character and interpersonal growth "promised" by the narrative which would redeem the dark tonal shift and veer the story back towards comedy. In order for Ed to be redeemed, the violence being framed as unacceptable during his Kraken era could not be so unacceptable that it crosses the line into irredeemable. Ed could not cross the line in the minds of the audience from "hero" to "villain." But the first three episodes of the season... were dark. They crossed the line. It felt like a character assassination to me. Ed's abuse of the crew, the continued maiming of Izzy (who at this point is hurdling into a sympathetic character arc of growth and redemption,) the self-harm, the attempted murder-suicide of his crew... most of it was on-screen, not at all tempered by comedy, and brutal. It wasn't heroes vs villains, it was supposed hero causing extensive harm and trauma to other heroes. The writing in these episodes were narratively cohesive and well-paced. They were not, however, thematically appropriate to a romantic comedy. At this point in the season I still felt like it was building towards a breaking point where Ed would come back to himself, where character growth would be achieved, and amends would be made. I was willing to hold tight.

But it didn't work in terms of the story that was setup in season one. It would have taken an incredible amount of character growth to even begin to come back from that; but I trusted the narrative to deliver. However, the real problem is that this season tried to rewrite the in-show parameters of what constitutes acceptable violence in ways that are uncomfortable and contrary to reality in ways that I find harmful. (I will be clear, in reference to recent discourse, I do feel the head-butt was comedic. It was looney tunes violence, it was well within the context of a romantic comedy, and it worked for me tonally, even though it's obviously not appropriate in real life.) Ed's chair throwing in the context of a man who had spent three episodes inflicting increasingly terrible domestic violence on people who loved and cared for him, who stuck by him -- in the larger context of him doing all this just because he felt rejected by a romantic partner -- is presented as in-show acceptable violence. It's presented as falling within the parameters. Proof? We are expected to still like Ed, and root for Ed, and want Ed to get better, and cheer for the romantic pairing "getting back together," and everything else. He is still presented as a hero. Sure, the show is telling us that what Ed did in his Kraken era is bad; but not so Bad that we shouldn't forgive him for it when he has made no real move to make amends for what he did. Like the crew, and Izzy specifically, we are meant to simply... move forward. That line about "getting away with it" without consequences I thought was a commentary on how Ed would not get to do that, actually was just... what happened. The season also wants me to believe that in the in-show parameters that Ed would hurt absolutely anybody but DEFINITELY NOT Stede, because Stede is his ultra super special soul mate and he would never do him any harm. This is not how things work in real life, and it is not a disbelief I am willing to suspend uncritically. Do I believe Ed, in the context of the show, would hurt Stede? Nope. I think it's more likely Stede would hurt Ed than the other way around. But I don't like the message that this in-show parameter sends, about how violence, particularly DV, is inflicted. I don't like being told that there is a super special person that this person who has abused others won't hurt. It's a bad message, and bad writing, and bad in-show precedence to set.

I'm not going to say all this without mentioning the stereotypes surrounding men of color, particular Indigenous men, which paints them as abusers. These stereotypes have been mentioned in regards to people talking about Ed's abuse this season. It's important to examine and be critical of oneself as a white person, and look long and hard at these biases. I don't want to fall into the trap of racist biases, and I don't want it to go unmentioned. I have thought long and hard about this. I've done a lot of self-examination on the subject of Ed and abuse. It has brought me back to my point of character assassination; I think the show fell into those stereotypes itself. I think Ed's characterization this season was problematic, and a disservice to the character as laid out in season one, and that's a big part of my disappointment with this season. (I also have a lot of thoughts on how Stede's character, who has been handed an immense amount of power over Ed and his agency as a character, is also extremely problematic. I will get into that in another post; it needs its own. So I'm not here to say Stede himself is not a Problem because he absolutely is and I will shout it from the rooftops.) "But somekindofcontraption," you say! "Ed has trauma!" Yes. That is very true. And it certainly explains some things, but as in real life, it absolutely does not excuse them. Ed's narrative was all about the perpetuation of trauma, particularly generational trauma, with absolutely no criticism or breakage of this cycle in any meaningful or productive way. It set up the story and did no work to resolve it. Ed was simply fixed because he and Stede said I love you and kissed a few times. The romance's "resolution" was unearned and unsatisfying. Neither Stede nor Ed were held accountable for what they did.

Then there was Izzy, who spent the whole of his arc being redeemed, moving forward as a character. He was the only character, I would say, with any meaningful growth. He's also the only one whose story was explicitly about being queer and queer discovery, rather than queerness merely being and incidental part of it. He's the only one who shows any accountability. Right up until the point that he died, his story was the best-written out of all of them. Then he dies. Izzy's death, and the ways that tonally it does not fit into the narrative, is another post onto itself. For now, I'll leave you with all of these rambling thoughts, condensed down as best I could into this tumblr post. If you have any further thoughts, I would love to hear them in good faith. For now, I say, that it's okay to be disappointed. This story was so meaningful to so many, and to be so thoroughly let down is hard. Grief is grief. Take care out there, and be kind to yourself, and be kind to those that are grieving.

#ofmd #ofmd spoilers #ofmd season 2 #ofmd critical #ofmd meta #ofmd analysis

97 notes · View notes

starrynyx · 6 months

Text

unpopular opinion but i really liked the flashback frame of "the crew" during izzys 2.08 monologue.

it's a callback to the crew as they were—but also, as they've always been. laughing and eating together, being a family. we see them do that a lot this season, in fact.

right before the flashback, izzy says: "it's about letting go of ego for something larger." and then we see not when they rescued izzy, not when they made him the new unicorn, not calypso's birthday. but a view of stede's revenge, and him in his fancy clothes, and blackbeard absolutely besotted and ivan and fang assimilated to stede's gentle piracy. you almost cant find izzy in the frame, but he's there. he's in the back, watching like a mop in a swiffer commercial, unable to let go of that precious ego.

it's a quick flashback, blink and you miss it before we're back on a close up of con's face. but that particular scene juxtaposed with the version of izzy giving this speech is DELICIOUS. this izzy who we have seen come full circle. who calls stede his captain, who plays and sings with the crew, who can laugh with ed, who whittles a little wooden shark.

this is the muppetification of izzy hands, complete. he is no longer living by traditional piracy — he's in stede bonnet's sandbox, and in stede bonnet's sandbox, the underdog always wins.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #our flag means death #izzy hands #izzyposting

101 notes · View notes

nortsauce · 19 days

Text

Who the hell framed Stede Bonnet???

i’m returning to my roots and going back to rubberhose someone save me 😭

@flygutzz

#who framed stede bonnet #our flag means death #ofmd #our flag means forever #our flag means death au #ofmd au #who framed roger rabbit #wfrr #wfrr au #rubber hose #old cartoon #stede bonnet #ed teach #edward teach #blackbeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #ed x stede

368 notes · View notes

melvisik · 4 months

Text

OFMD - TREASURE, LOVE, AND EDWARD

Edited - Possible trigger warnings at the bottom under the gif of Edward and MerStede by @soapbubbles511. Thanks to @agneswarda for pointing this out in the reblogging tags.

Totally joining in with this discussion about the deleted scenes (even though I'm extremely late to the party)...

Source crediting set decorator Lindsey Cantrell's insta at linds_cantrell

Absolutely, Ed is a beautiful hot mess splayed out on the ground pouring whateveritis into his gaping mouth, and we were sorely robbed of some awesome shots (no doubt due to budget/time cuts). Also, the text here somewhat vindicates the fandom's in-depth observations as to the incredible weight of Ed's unhappiness at this point.

So here it comes, because reiterating fandom analyses and interpretations is fun...

One of the key elements we see in season one is Ed's desire for the fine things he's been denied in much of his youth, things his own mother told him they could never have. Mother Teach frames it as it being a matter of providence or even nature, because that isn't who they are rather than accrediting it to unfair circumstances they were born into.

Who can blame her really? The poor woman was a victim of the unfair social class/caste system of the 18th century and she had an abusive, degrading dick for a partner.

Anyway, that fine piece of silk she gives her son is probably one of the biggest symbolic tools in TV history - Ed's fondness for fine things, his wish to be one of 'those kinds of people' (despite the odds) thinking it will make it happy, his connection to affection, his first bond with Stede Bonnet both in camaraderie...

...and in love.

And then, of course we see this...

Well then.

Long before the unhinged binge-raiding, Ed had already accrued more riches than some uppity officer can shake a fucking stick at, but he had yet to find that elusive something he'd been pursuing since childhood.

Source

Cue Stede Bonnet, a constituent of that aristocratic world Ed's been dreaming about and a sweet representation of finery and refinery.

...sorta. Really, they just pass the time so well...

Extremely well, like 'welcome to the family'...

But at the beginning of season two, what Ed came to treasure most is gone, and he can't replace it no matter how many valuables he collects. There's a void in his heart he was on a rampant quest to fill, and just when he thought he'd found someone that can occupy some of that space, he's abandoned by him.

So, afterwards (and after some other stuff) Ed jumps from raid to raid as Blackbeard 2.0, raising hellions and sending them out to play, pillage, and plunder.

But he does this without any sense of care or pleasure. Another day in the life of a pirate. Make the plan, execute the plan, make the plan, execute the plan, and again, and again, and again... so fucking boring.

He's amassed so much stuff that the crew literally has to dump it overboard, and only more is coming in because he's determined never to divert from this strict regiment, whether it's because he intends to incite Ned Lowe into coming after him or to have it serve as a distraction from the unyielding pain.

Either way, he shuts down in a sort of resignation and fully conforms to the role expected of him, because they think it's just who he is...

In the interim, during those all too frequent moments of inaction, he self-medicates with drugs and alcohol and wallows about in misery, sometimes in Stede's old cabin surrounded by riches that are ultimately worthless to his broken heart.

It's a fairly common trope - a gut-wrenching display of unhappiness whilst surround by troves of treasure.

But we see here that Ed takes it a step farther, reverting to an almost childlike state and enacting his fantasy with dolls.

And with those cut scenes, we could very well have seen how he behaves similarly with the treasure, perhaps by playing dress up with the jewelry or admiring these objects that should, by all rights, represent the vast wealth he'd once hoped to achieve.

He's surrounded by the fine things he coveted in his childhood, but now he finds none of it remotely satisfying. He's had a taste of true joy, and all this stuff just listlessly lying around pales in comparison.

Is he having fun? Nope, because this was fun...

Is he basking in the splendor? Nope, because this was splendor...

Does he recognize the value of the treasure at his fingertips? Nope, because you know where this is going...

In fact the only stolen piece that means anything to him is fiscally worthless.

That figurine is a cheap representation of something intrinsically valuable. Just like the jewels, the furs, the gold, and every lifeless item in that room, it essentially means nothing save for the memory Ed attaches to it.

Ed's life has become that dull drag of monotony just like before. On the outset, that life was probably fun for a while and perhaps did initially satisfy his thirst for wealth, acceptance and attention, but over time he basically became married to his work, 'working for Blackbeard,' an unhappy husband to piracy.

This discomfort in a married state only started to alleviate when that bizarre, cheerful lunatic showed Ed that he can absolutely escape his situation and doesn't have to let his past prevent him from moving forward.

Ed was fully willing to give it all up. Stede served as a perfect conduit for this, but falling in love with him altered Ed's aim - he no longer necessarily desires the lavish lifestyle and/or identity of Stede Bonnet, but rather something loads better...

Then we have the sharp turn-around, and Ed is in an even worse state than where he started off.

He's been there, done that, and even trying to reach for an extreme version of Blackbeard just isn't quite cutting it.

Death seems to be the only unexplored avenue left to him. It might not make him happy, but then he was never meant for happiness, was he? He's just not that kind of person. But it can, at least, just make everything stop...

And these scenes could have shown so much of that - the impotence of all the wealth available for Ed's leisure and how spending the day with someone is the better treasure. This kind of treasure later only serves as a sign of Ed's guilt at the atrocities he committed, and it's only useful in helping others throw a big bash or giving other less fortunate kiddies a better chance than he had.

It really wasn't worth all that much to Ed in the end. Just as it wasn't worth all that much to Stede Bonnet either.

The man who sees value in what's thought to be worthless, who discerns fortune in a chest of blue dirt and exquisite detailing in a pile of junk, finds his ultimate treasure.

P.S. The treasure in that scene also possibly serves as reflection of all the 'finery' attributes Ed sees in Stede, the beauty and status he'd once craved presented up in a warm jaunty melody that somehow matches Ed beat for weird beat.

P.P.S. And for the fantastical lovers - Stede's the handsome prince (mer-prince in fact) that helps this beautiful princess escape from the dragon's hoard.

Warning: This post contains implications of suicide, abuse, drug use, and alcohol abuse. These subjects are delicate and complex and I am no expert, so if any information/opinions in this post are evaluated to be erroneous, seem careless, or cause too much controversy, this post will be deleted and apologies given.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

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

38 notes · View notes

mysteriouslybluepirate · 6 months

Text

Just did a rewatch of OFMD S2 Eps 6/7 and: (Yes, it DEFINITELY got better)

*All pacing issues and some cast being in scenes when others aren't is the fault of the studios being cheap and not the writers/creators. :) Flying the cast to New Zealand + housing them for filming meant some crew just couldn't be there (Fang, Roach, Olu) or mostly written out (Buttons, Swede).

The reason this season feels *weird* is just that. It is not the fault of the actors or any of the workers in New Zealand who got jobs because they were the cheaper, nonunion, option.

I was mainly mad due to some pacing things that, after I thought about it, I don't think *I* was ready for them to make jokes about, if that makes sense. Izzy is such a personal character for me that some of the stuff they joke about just...hits.

*While the show kind of blowing off Izzy's repressed feelings for Ed did originally piss me off (the 'jealous' comment from Ed in ep 7 especially), reframing the scenes as Izzy letting himself mourn this and seeing how easily he lets Ed go does make me happy. He will love Ed. That's just a fact. But he is not his relationship with Ed he is defined by what he does with it. Yes, they can joke about it. Izzy has probably defined their relationship as something that just can't happen. Either by thinking Ed could never love him or that Ed never cared. Izzy knew Ed's attention was always fleeting and MAYBE that's some BS way we can say eps 5, 6, and 7 happened within a few days of each other. Because...if Izzy is just repressing everything again. I swear. This show will not give me the polycule I want.

*Stede and Izzy work so fucking well as friends. Like. Izzy knows how Stede will use the bar as validation and is READY to fight for him. Stede knows Izzy will stand to fight with him. The way Izzy looks so DONE when Stede starts to fight? Izzy just lost Ed god damn it. That, and the thigh grab will be in my head forever... stizzy fans also win.

*Imagine having sex with the only person you've ever loved and they ditch the next day. Add that to Stede's own insecurities and it's like the writers had a checklist on how to break Stede Bonnet.

*Ed is leaving a manic period (started maybe ep 2), and entering a depressive period in episode 6 where he remembers 'oh yeah, I fucking hate pirating'.

*Both Stede and Ed want very different things in life and this conflict was always going to happen. But at the begining of ep 6 we see Ed replaying the abuse he's caused/experienced. He's mentally framing himself as a hazard. Stede enjoys the life Ed is desperately running from. This is why Izzy is so quick to grab Stede I think. To help him understand that Ed is just...a complicated man.

*Izzy was right about Ed needing to give Stede some time to sit with the death of Ned Low. Ed barging in allowed Stede to put his negative feelings into something positive, not fully allowing him to process his actions. Ed then uses their first time as an excuse to run away.

*Izzy is hot in both episodes :) End note. But for me, the reason the Drag scene felt weird on first watch is just that I can't read half the cast's face soemtimes. Its a me thing. On this rewatch I noticed them cheering and generally being more supportive, lol.

*I wish we got to see Izzy putting the drag makeup on. Even just a line of concealer. Putting on the character he'd embody for the night. Drag is such a practice of self realizion and community. I wish we got to see Izzy staring at himself, applying the mark on his face that he clearly loves so much.

*The concept of Ned Low- A vicious torture-focused pirate, sadly was handled like a minor inconvenience, and... while I like the masochism joke from Izzy, and the implications for Stede's arc, he felt weird and out of place. Like. Instead of tying Low's bad management to something like the Navy, why not the Kraken? The stuff was there for it. Show how shitty working on a ship that prioritizes violence is, and mirror it with Ed's growth.

*I love the ship design for Ep 6 so much.

*The Ed&Izzy apology still bugs me but I have hope Izzy and Ed will talk it out a bit more after talks with some of the lovelies online

*I love the crew but acknowledge that this season has shafted a lot of stories. Clearly, the writers did what they could.

*Izzy's 'love interest' this season is clearly just the 'community/self' and finding comfort in humanity again...its so GOOD.

*Izzy casually making sex jokes is so weird. Like a coworker you've known for a few years that finally starts talking shit with you on the job. It feels weird to me now, but I also write him like this? So it's a lot of wires crossing in my mind. Like...he FUCKS!

*Same with Izzy smiling. It feels wrong in the best way. Again, I wish we had ONE MORE episode of Izzy being in the middle of healing, but this more self-realized Izzy is lovely to watch.

*They changed the gender of the song Izzy sings so he's singing about a man. I will not be normal about this.

*I'm so happy I caught Izzy's hand being that FUCKING HIGH on Stede's inner leg first watch. It's changed me. Izzy really said 'When the dogs are away the cats are out to play' and POUNCED.

*I didn't catch Izzy pointedly calling Stede captain until I saw it online and now I love it. Stede adopted the stray cat and god damn he'll stay loyal until the day he dies.

*Spoilers for the teaser: If the series Ends and Izzy is in solitary confinement/Izzy is locked away from the others I will scream

*"Hiya, Boys" I LOVE HIM. Izzy confidently grinning and being a prick is my favorite.

*izzy loving Ed enough to let him go is just....so tragic and good. Especially since we know Ed just tried to hold izzy closer in s1

#ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #our flag means death #ofmd s2ep6 #ofmd s2ep7 #izzy hands #stizzy #if we get any type of ship for Izzy by S3 Ill be shocked #I want him to be content and in someones arms #maybe its projecting #Ah well #Any of the ship crew. Captains. New characters I don't care.

40 notes · View notes

goayda · 10 days

Text

After the Storm

So you remember that fic I owed you @izzymarksthespot ? Well, here it is (the part 1 at least), and there is a bath! Or there will be. Well, check and see 😉

(As usual, set some time after 2x07, Ed is happy being a fisherman somewhere and there was no Zheng fight and no Prince Ricky attack. As usual too, no warnings needed, just a happy time for everybody.)

Thank goodness the storm hadn’t hit them by surprise, Stede thought, but still, after many hours fighting to keep the Revenge afloat, the crew was exhausted.

They had managed to get the ship ready and the sturdy vessel had resisted the huge waves and the high winds, but it had been a tough fight and now that the skies had finally cleared, the whole crew was trying to warm up on deck while they filled their empty stomachs with a noodle soup, the recipe that Roach had learned from Zheng’s cook and that they all loved.

Stede was helping Roach bring the last bowls of soup from the galley and when he looked around the deck his eyes immediately stopped on Izzy, who was very noticeably looking the worse for wear. He was as pale as a ghost and even though he was wrapping his arms around himself trying to get warm, the drenched clothes he was still wearing were clearly not helping the situation.

“Izzy!” Stede said as he rushed to his side. “My goodness, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, captain,” he replied, but his voice sounded too weak to be convincing.

Stede raised his hand to touch Izzy’s forehead, but it was immediately slapped away by the freezing cold hand of the annoyed first mate.

“He isn’t even eating his soup,” Frenchie snitched as soon as he swallowed the mouthful of noodles he had been hungrily chewing.

“Frenchie, mind your own business!” Izzy barked at him.“I’m just… not hungry right now,” he added weakly.

“That will not do, you have to warm up or you’ll catch pneumonia, Israel,” Stede chastised him. “Don’t we have another blanket around here?” he added looking around.

They had brought a few blankets while Roach cooked the soup for them, but apparently there weren’t enough for everybody. Oluwande, Jim and Archie were sharing one, as were Lucius and Pete, but probably the obtuse first mate had decided he didn’t need one. Well, he obviously needed it and Stede knew where to find quite a few.

He was about to go to his cabin to fetch a blanket when he saw a shiver shake Izzy’s frame. The man looked fragile and Izzy Hands never looked fragile, it was a disturbing sight.

“Come with me, Izzy,” Stede said. “I have some spare blankets in my cabin. You also need to get out of those wet clothes immediately.”

A chocking sound distracted Stede for a moment. Apparently Lucius had found some trouble while eating his noodles and Pete was hitting him firmly on the back while stifling a laugh for some reason.

“Bonnet, I don’t need-“

“That’s an order, Izzy,” Stede replied, using his best captain-voice. “I won’t have my first mate dying from a cold out of stubbornness. So let’s go, chop-chop.”

Stede took Izzy’s untouched bowl of soup and with a last warning look at Izzy, he started walking towards his cabin. With a resigned sigh, the first mate stood up slowly and started following him, limping lightly.

Before closing the door to the deck behind him, Stede took a last look at the rest of the crew and noticed that not only Frenchie, but also Lucius, Pete and Fang were smiling encouragingly at him and giving him the thumbs up. That was a bit disconcerting. Had they thought he wouldn’t care about Izzy when he clearly looked so poorly? Their animosity had died long ago and Stede had thought it was obvious he was quite fond of the angry little man now.

As he walked down the corridor towards his cabin, he had another worrying thought: what if Izzy himself didn’t think Stede cared about him? That surely couldn’t be, right? He had to know he did care… or maybe he thought Stede still held a grudge against him?

Stede didn’t have much time to dwell on it because they had already reached the cabin and Izzy was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room while shivering noticeably.

A warm bath would do wonders for him, Stede thought. And Roach probably still had the fire going after making the soup so it wouldn’t take too long to warm some water.

And indeed it didn’t take long. Stede asked Roach to fill the bathtub and when some time later the cook told him it was ready Stede still hadn’t managed to convince the stubborn man of the need of a hot bath. Izzy had wrapped himself in one of the blankets and insisted it was all he needed and Stede had to use all his authority to stop him from leaving the room.

“Now the bath is ready, Izzy,” Stede decided to change tactics. “You wouldn’t want to waste resources, would you?”

“Maybe the captain could use it then,” Izzy hit back. “Since it’s actually the captain’s bathtub.”

“Well,… we can both use it!”

Izzy’s eyes widened in surprise and at his back, Roach had a coughing fit. Smoking was such an awful habit, Stede thought as he turned to see the cook hitting his chest while still holding his lit cigarette.

“I’ll be going now,” the cook wheezed as he walked towards the door.

“Yes, thank you for everything, Roach,” Stede replied politely.

Turning his attention back to Izzy, Stede noticed the first mate was now staring at him with a strangely guarded expression on his face.

“As I was saying,” Stede continued. “Even thought the bathtub is in my quarters, there’s no reason why any other member of my crew can’t use it if needed. And you need it, Izzy, don’t try to tell me otherwise.”

Izzy blinked slowly and seemed to falter.

“Please, Israel,” Stede said softly. “Just… if not for yourself, could you do it for my peace of mind?”

Izzy’s shoulders sagged in defeat. He nodded lightly and Stede guided him towards the bathroom before he could change his mind.

TBC

#izzy hands #stede bonnet #stizzy #gentlehands #ofmd #our flag means death #fanfic #hurt/comfort #and silly fun #nothing else

12 notes · View notes

beansprean · 2 years

Text

Talking It Through - Part 4/5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

(ID in alt and under cut)

ID: 1. Izzy's dialogue continues in a box: "I don't fit in with this new you or this inane crew or stupid fookin' Bonnet." In frame, there is a scene on deck of Stede and his crew partying under a starry purple sky. Buttons is at the helm, surrounded by at least 4 seagulls for company. Roach is leaning over the upper railing with a big grin, handing a bottle of booze down to Wee John, who reaches up to grab it from the main deck. Frenchie is leaning against the main mast, strumming his lite with a small smile. The Swede is sidled up close beside him, happily singing along. On the far left, Lucius and Black Pete are dancing, Lucius laughing aloud and tilting his head back as Pete dips him. In the foreground, Stede and Oluwande are dancing a minuet together, holding hands at arms length and stepping in time. Stede is grinning happily, wearing his plain shirt and purple breeches, his hand resting in Olu's palm in the follower position. Olu is offering his hand in the leader position, arm dramatically positioned and his expression pulled up in the haughtiest grin possible in a parody of upper class buffoonery. Jim is leaning against the main mast on the opposite side of Frenchie, hands in their pockets, trying to hide a fond smile as they watch Olu.

2a. Back in the Captain's quarters, a close up on Izzy's left hand curled into a shaking fist as he continues, "The only reason I'm not rotting at the bottom of the sea right now is because of good timing." In the background, Ed stands silently with an unreadable expression, eyes on Izzy's face when they maybe should be on his hand. 2b. Shot from behind Ed as Izzy's left hand shoots forward and pushes him harshly in the shoulder, knocking him back a step. Izzy's anger is returning in full force, and he snarls, "So what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

3a. Izzy grits his teeth, blood still smeared on his lower lip, and snaps, "Where the fuck do I go-" He throws his right hand out in a wild punch, which Ed catches in his palm. 3b. Close up of Ed's hand enveloping Izzy's fist, black leather glove riding up his wrist as Izzy tries to yank it away. Izzy continues his rant, "When you've decided,"

4. Wide shot, the background going full black with pulsing white light in the center as Izzy braces his left hand against Ed's chest and successfully rips his right from Ed's grip, leaving his glove behind. Izzy's face is turned away from the viewer and Ed's hair has floated up to cover his expression. Izzy shouts out his final line, "you don't need me anymore?" /end ID

#ofmd #izzy hands #edward teach #izzybeard #blackhands #one sided relationships #blackbonnet #jimwande #tealoranges #in the background #our flag means death #talking it through #my art #fanart #image described

219 notes · View notes

amuseoffyre · 2 years

Note

Hi! Um, a question. I'm under the impression Izzy is literate, but I don't know where/if this is mentioned, and can't easily go and check. If he is, this adds another dimension to the class politics going on, since it suggests that he was in a position to receive at least that much education, either growing up or in later life.

So I have many theories re. Izzy and the biggest one sitting in my brain is that he was definitely involved with 'society' as a whole for a while. This comes from the fact that he knows what retirement is when Ed, who has been working class and piratical all his life, has never heard of the concept. It's like the rest of the crew when Stede suggests a vacation - this is something beyond the experience and knowledge of the working class people on his ship because only the poshos would Vacate to the country.

He definitely wasn't mixing with the upper echelons so my thinking is that he was either involved in the Navy or in one of the trading companies working the seas at the time. There were many and people from all classes would end up working on them. But especially lower-class people because it was one of the biggest businesses especially for cities in the north. Liverpool's port was one of the biggest in the north west of England at the time.

I'm mostly inclined to assume Navy because of some of his mannerisms and his behaviour. I don't think he was press-ganged into it, but I do think it would have been a job taken out of necessity and he would have started on the lowest rung of the ladder.

The trouble with being working class is that you can only get so far and no matter how far you go, the officers are almost always gentlemen and the show demonstrates what some of them are like. If they were so terrible to people of their own class, you can imagine how they would treat a Jolly-Jump-Up, if someone ever made it up through the ranks.

Literacy was a definite boundary for gaining ranks as well and while we see Izzy in Stede's library ("a perverse use of space") and flicking through his books in episode 10, I don't know if he can canonically read.

Another thing that supports my Naval theory. Yes, it's all in black, but he's also the only other member of either of the crews who is consistently dressed in more formal clothing: a collared shirt that fastens all the way up, a waistcoat, sleeve cuffs to add shape to his sleeves and most significantly, his neckerchief/cravat.

I've had a poke through some contemporary paintings and museum websites and a lot of the images show a lot of sailors with a black scarf or neckerchief. It makes me think he spent long enough in a place where he had to dress uniformly that it became habit and even when he became a pirate, it's a habit he didn't break.

It would also explain a lot about the way he runs Blackbeard's crew. He barks orders like a military officer. He demands to know logistics and tactical information. He expects orders to be obeyed. He has a very clear idea of how a victor is supposed to behave and how a subdued enemy is meant to behave.

I also have a whole sub-theory about his especial disdain for rich posh twats because of the ring he wears at his throat, looped around the knot of his neckerchief. Not least because when he's trying to persuade Ed to finish Stede off, he frames it like a mercy killing, to "end it quick", rather than "destroying yourself over that twat", "this is a humane way of ending it, it's quick, it's clean".

The fact he sells himself out to the British Navy? Absolutely the icing on the cake. He will sell himself to the empire he hates to save Ed from this one froofy little imbecile on his fancy twat ship. He even says to Ed “do you really want to lick the king’s boots?” when he has signed up to do exactly the same thing to get Bonnet safely dead and away from Ed.

Better this person is dead than... than what, Izzy? What happened? What did a posh twat do that hurt you so much that you want to see this posh twat dead, both for yourself and to save your beloved Captain from whatever you believe will destroy him? Why do you still wear a ring at your neck like a widow? Who was taken from you so cruelly that you still wear their ring? How much did it hurt you?

So in answer to your question... er. I don't know if he can read.

#our flag means death #ofmd meta #ofmd #izzy hands #long post

454 notes · View notes