been-around-seen-things

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original pride flag colors for the crew ♡                  ☠️ thanks to the discord crew for help choosing scenes!

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Oops he did it again!

And now we have a story to tell you the whole saga, thanks to the amazing @been-around-seen-things

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65527534

Prompt: Rescue

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Dusting off my Tumblr for some post-U.S. election reflections.

I keep thinking about Vico’s call to keep creating, among others I’ve seen:

And—in a word—yes. Art of all kinds is more, not less important at times like these. Bare survival will be harder for many, and we need to do everything we can to help each other survive. But they want to silence us completely. We can’t let them.

Creative acts literally make something out of nothing. Or, if not exactly nothing, they make something that amounts to far more than the raw materials. And/also, the things we create are literally us. Our minds and hearts on the page/screen/stage/etc. When we create, we’re bringing all of our identities and experiences to that process; all of our personal lenses; our individuality. No one else could make that thing exactly the way we do. It means something to do this, regardless of how large or small the thing is that we create.

And, on the topic of art mattering: I’ve always resisted the thought of ofmd as “mere” escapism, even if DJ has framed it that way himself. It’s not. Art lets us imagine other possibilities for the world and ourselves. Realities other than the (horrifying) one we have. If we can’t even imagine other possibilities, there’s literally no hope of ever bringing them into being.

A world on screen where queerness is the default and not an outlier matters. Where people don’t punch down; where individuals are allowed to learn and grow and change; where there is no requirement to meet someone’s definition of “good” to deserve love and membership in a community. Where no one is truly unlovable or unsalvageable, unless they choose violence for their own ends (or to serve the state). It matters deeply that this piece of media exists.

Today I feel like I’m experiencing multiple stages of grief at once. Rage that this is our world; despair that so many of my neighbors are so full of hate, fear, and ignorance; disbelief that the election outcome was as catastrophic as it was. Doing anything at all is an enormous struggle. But I know that art matters and making things matters. We’ll all be on our own timelines for creating and engaging, and holding space for that is important. But I don’t think anyone should think any of it is frivolous. Humanity has been making art and telling stories for as long as we have been able to sit by a fire to do these things. It’s essential. It’s baked in. It’s what we do.

All my love to anyone who reads this ❤️

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Stede really believes the things that are said about him. He believes it when Chauncey calls him a monster and a plague who defiles beautiful things. He believes it when he’s told he’s a failure, a lily-livered little rich boy. He believes it when Izzy tells him that he caused Ed’s spiral. He may even believe it when Ed accuses him of playing with people like toys. He believes it when Zheng calls him mediocre.

What’s wonderful there is that, even though he believes it, he also fights against the tendency in himself. He believes that Ed loves him and that he deserves that love. He believes that he can help his crew be better people and make a better life for themselves because HE wants to be a better person and make a better life for himself.

Stede hears everything that is said about him and believes it, but it’s also not true. He’s not mediocre; he’s really quite exceptionally talented. He’s not lily-livered; he’s exceptionally brave. He doesn’t defile beautiful things; he brings light and beauty into the world by being kind and loving against all odds. He succeeds his way on his terms, not through will to power or by becoming someone different, but by bringing more and more of his self to the surface, expanding and breathing free. He’s not boxed in.

I think that’s very cool.

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something something

the way you can see that stede affects everyone around him

jim telling their version of pinnochio and saving izzy bcs LIFE USED TO MEAN SOMETHING ON THE REVENGE

even izzy trying to get ed to TALK IT THROUGH

something something stede happily not taking being called soft as an insult and admiring zheng for her ability to solve stuff w/o violence

my booooooy

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stede giving faildad vibes in s2

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Collabing with @sailorsruin92 is the absolute best thing to happen to my 2024 just so y’all know

I once again teamed up with @been-around-seen-things to draw their cute prof boys that I love so much, on their new advincha "Bodies of Knowledge".

Part four of series The Two-Body Problem is up. Go check it out on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59205988/chapters/150974356

Or read the series from the beggining if you don't know what the hell I am talking about : https://archiveofourown.org/series/4033555

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Another one from mermay. The prompt is"diving", but it might as well be leggy blonde, who knows!

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I’ve been thinking about ‘Ed stuck in the fuckery harness for twenty minutes’ for a Lot longer than twenty minutes

Bonus:

I do not know how to draw stede.

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Tag this with the song you think she's listening to

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Out Flag Means Death | 2.07 Man on Fire

Ed: "You appeared to me... like a mermaid. Or a mer-man. You were a mer-person." Stede: "Wow. How'd I look?" Ed: "Fantastic. Ya know, orange and sparkly, and you sort of just appeared out of the darkness under the water. You saved my life."

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A recent one I did for OFMD AUgust Cryptid Day 🛸

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Undercooked chicken breast is Ed Teach's favorite dish

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Ed and Stede fulfilling their vows ❤️❤️❤️ bonus: