#Gentlebeard

[sherlockig]

[xray-vex]

[ofmd-ann]

Right now, I just wanna do what makes Ed happy

[dimplyowl]

Okay has anyone written any meta about the differences between our two first mates, Auntie and Izzy? Because I just finished rewatching s2 and was struck by how similar their situations are, and their temperaments, and yet how very completely opposite they behave in nearly identical situations.

Cause like. Both their captains are insanely infamous, badass pirates who have an image to uphold, Ed as Blackbeard obviously, and Zheng as the pirate queen who conquered China. They both become romantically interested in someone who honestly has no business being a pirate: oluwande and Stede, both described as soft, not masculine, yes in the end willing to do violence if necessary, but it’s not their preferred way of handling conflict. People who, maybe rightly, the respective first mates consider potential threats to their captain and crew.

But just the way that auntie handles the situation compared to Izzy. Auntie doesn’t meddle. She is vocal about what she thinks of Oluwande, about her concerns about Zheng being distracted, “compromised”, not focused on the mission. But she’s ultimately acting as an advisor for Zheng, which is exactly what her role is. She doesn’t try to control Zheng, she doesn’t remove Zheng’s agency, she doesn’t threaten Zheng or tell her that she’s pathetic for mooning over Oluwande (I know we never get to see any mooning onscreen but cmon, there has to have been some). When the Revenge crew escapes her ship, and she knows she fucked up, Auntie doesn’t run salt in the wound the way that Izzy would take pleasure in doing. She starts to say “I told you so,” and Zheng very firmly tells her “Don’t”, establishes a boundary that Auntie respects, because ultimately Zheng knows she fucked up and she’s not a child who needs to be taught a lesson or managed. Auntie respects her and her personhood.

And compare that to Izzy, who consistently manipulated Ed to get in between him and Stede, threatened Stede’s life on multiple occasions, essentially mutinied against him, sent the cops after them, and then berated and threatened Ed over being heartbroken.

Like, even down to nearly dying. Auntie has a severe gunshot wound in her shoulder that she will clearly die from if she doesn’t accept help. She’s spent the entire season being tough, unwilling to show weakness, equating softness to weakness, but in the end she decides to accept help, to accept a little bit of softness, to change and accept that softness can be good. Izzy in contrast, declines help, knowing that he’s done. He knows he can’t fit in to this new world, this new piracy, where people can be soft and vulnerable and still fucking kick ass. He’s been resistant and outwardly aggressive to this idea, and he chooses to die rather than accept that softness. Ofmd is ushering in a new era of pirating, and Izzy doesn’t fit in it, and doesn’t want to fit in it, and ultimately, narratively, that’s why Auntie survives and Izzy doesn’t.

[temporal-discounting]

Whatever you do, do NOT think about how Stede's biggest fear during The Great Separation was that Ed's life was better without him

And definitely -- and I cannot stress this enough -- do NOT think about how this same period was the bleakest time of Ed's life

[manesalex]

Every Ed Teach Scene (47d/?)

[the-widow-olivia]

The last chapter of Starman (a 1972 NASA AU) goes up later today, but please enjoy this GORGEOUS art by @merryfinches that goes along with Chapter 5, when our boys go on a side quest to see David Bowie live.

“If he didn’t know it before, he knew it now: he was in love with Stede Bonnet. This strange man who had captivated him from the first moment they met, who was always himself – whether he wore a low-cut silk shirt or a G-suit. Ed was absolutely gone for him.”

[captain-charlemagne]

Edward is @sonotthekraken

[sungmee]

“Let’s try again.” Stede suggests. “We’ll figure it out, and we’ll talk it through.” Ed reaches out, across the space between them, and takes Stede’s hand in his. = @waterofthemoon and I have finally finished our S1E9 AU where Ed goes to Bridgetown and Stede returns to the ship🙌

Read the now completed fic here~

[nerd-elf]

This is how I picture the nights at the inn

[temporal-discounting]

I love the playfulness of the dream reunion in Impossible Birds. The way they're like two excited puppies, just slamming into each other and rolling around giggling in the sand.

'Cos yeah, they're in love and they are sexually attracted to each other. But also, they're besties! They love playing together and being silly and goofy with each other! And Stede has clearly missed that so much.

They just take such immense joy in each others' company - and it's that joy that Stede's sleeping brain goes to first.

(Though I would love to have known where that dream was headed had it not been interrupted by Wee John's farts... 🤔)

[meluli]

[awhimproned]

new niche just dropped

edit: there’s a pattern of something something wanting to protect their partners from what they know to be horrible

[ineffablelvrs]

child of divorce is a spectrum

[izzy-hands]

Ed + Protecting Stede

[edscuntyeyeshadow]

the way some people reacted to David Jenkins and Neil Gaiman saying their shows would only have 3 seasons is so funny because I saw so many feeling devastated while I am so relieved and relaxed about it. don’t get me wrong I love getting more content with the characters I love but… normalize cohesive storytelling. normalize ENDINGS. do you REALLY want another s*pernatural????