#Izzy learn to take a hint

[escherstrange-ffxiv]

Junelezen #5: Ice

The Winter Prince who has been absolutely hopeless with that katana but he looks cool so we'll keep doing this

[broidobe]

𝔧𝔲𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔵 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔦𝔠𝔢

requested! anon, you are an absolute angel! thank you so much for your lovely request! it was absolutely amazing!

☾after a creepy encounter at a bar, your protective boyfriends—guns n’ roses—step in to defend you, proving they’ll always have your back no matter what.☽

☾warnings: alcohol use, mentions of drug use (briefly referenced), harassment by a drunk stranger, mild violence (physical confrontation), strong language/profanity, anxiety and discomfort in a social setting☽

⁎⁺˳✧༚guns and roses masterlist

you were perched in the booth, nestled between duff and izzy, sipping a drink that was more fruit juice than alcohol. the guys were already well into their second—or maybe third—rounds of whiskey and beer, their laughter echoing through the bar as they traded stories and poked fun at one another.

“so, what is that, a juice box with ice?” slash teased, gesturing to your drink with a crooked grin.

your cheeks flushed as you looked down at the colorful concoction in your hands. “it’s a mai tai,” you mumbled.

“a mai tai?” axl snorted, leaning over the table. “you’re drinking a beach vacation, babe.”

duff chuckled, taking a swig from his beer. “i mean, it’s cute, but you sure you don’t wanna try something stronger? you’re with us, after all.”

steven was practically giggling, the alcohol clearly hitting him. “yeah, c’mon! live a little!”

you squirmed in your seat, your face burning as their teasing continued. it wasn’t mean-spirited, but the attention made you feel small, especially in a bar full of strangers.

“guys, cut it out,” izzy said, his voice calm but firm as he gave the others a pointed look. “she doesn’t have to drink the hard stuff if she doesn’t want to. it’s fine.”

you shot him a grateful smile, and he gave you a small nod before taking a drag from his cigarette.

as the conversation shifted, you felt a little more at ease, even laughing along with their antics. but when your drink was almost empty, you decided you’d brave another.

“i’m gonna get another,” you said, starting to slide out of the booth.

duff’s hand landed on your arm gently, stopping you. “want me to go with you? i can order it for you.”

your heart swelled at his offer, but you shook your head, not wanting to bother him. “no, it’s okay. you relax. i’ll be fine.”

his brows furrowed slightly, but he let go of your arm. “if you’re sure…”

you nodded, giving him a small smile before heading toward the bar.

standing there, you fiddled with your fingers as you waited for the bartender’s attention. you managed to order, but while you waited for your drink, a man who smelled of stale beer and bad decisions stumbled up beside you.

“hey there,” he slurred, leaning in closer than necessary. “you here alone?”

“no,” you said quickly, your voice barely above a whisper. “i’m with friends.”

“friends, huh? what about a boyfriend?” he asked, his gaze raking over you.

your stomach churned, and you took a small step back. “actually, uh—”

“come on,” he interrupted, a lazy grin on his face. “how about you and me—”

you didn’t let him finish, turning your head toward the bartender and silently willing them to hurry with your drink.

the man’s persistence was making your skin crawl, but you didn’t want to be rude. instead, you muttered polite rejections, hoping he’d take the hint.

then he leaned in closer, and before you could react, he tried to kiss you.

“no—!” you said, pulling away sharply, your heart racing.

back at the booth, axl had already been watching you, a scowl on his face when he saw how long you were taking. the moment he saw the man invade your space, his scowl turned into a storm.

“what the fuck?” he growled, standing up abruptly.

slash followed, cracking his knuckles. “looks like someone’s about to learn a lesson.”

the two of them were across the room in an instant, axl shoving the man back hard enough to send him stumbling.

“the fuck do you think you’re doing?” axl snarled, his voice low and dangerous.

“she said no,” slash added, his tone calm but cold as he stood beside axl.

you barely had time to process what was happening before duff, izzy, and steven appeared at your side.

“let’s get you out of here,” duff said gently, his arm around your shoulders as he guided you toward the door.

“you okay?” steven asked, his usually playful demeanor replaced with concern.

izzy stayed quiet, his hand resting lightly on your back as they led you outside. once you were away from the noise of the bar, duff turned to you, his blue eyes searching yours.

“did he hurt you?”

“no,” you said quickly, your voice trembling. “he just… he wouldn’t leave me alone.”

steven frowned, his hand brushing against yours. “that guy’s a fucking creep.”

izzy crouched slightly to meet your eyes. “hey, you’re safe now, okay? axl and slash’ll take care of him.”

you nodded, but the adrenaline still coursing through you made it hard to relax. duff pulled you into a gentle hug, his hand smoothing over your hair.

“we’ve got you,” he said softly.

after a few minutes, axl and slash joined you, axl still fuming as he lit a cigarette.

“he won’t bother you again,” axl muttered, his tone sharp. but when he looked at you, his expression softened. “you alright, baby?”

“yeah,” you said quietly, leaning into duff’s side.

“you’re braver than you think,” slash added, giving you a small, encouraging smile.

by the time you all piled into a cab to head back, the tension had eased, replaced by the familiar warmth of their company. as you sat between duff and izzy, steven making jokes and axl and slash debating the merits of whatever song was playing on the radio, you couldn’t help but feel grateful.

they might tease you, push you out of your comfort zone, but when it mattered, they were always there to protect you.

[weirdgenetic-fuckup]

Day 23: Choking

Warnings: smut, choking, riding, if you think I missed anything let me know otherwise enjoy!

Kinktober

You were the new hire for Guns and Izzy couldn’t fucking stand you.

You always seemed to be talking about things that didn’t matter, interrupting people, always in the way, always in his way. He wanted a moment of silence but he just couldn’t get it with you.

It only got worse on tour. Sure, Izzy was used to sharing rooms. He’d shared with the crew before, shared with the band before, but he’d never shared with you before.

He’d just crawled into bed, reaching for the remote to drown you out with TV before you got back but just as he was about to power it on you came out of the shower.

He hadn’t heard the water and you hadn’t heard him come in so you were just in a towel and it wasn’t wrapped very tightly.

You jumped when you saw Izzy, causing the towel to fall, nearly exposing your entire front but you caught it, able to save yourself the dignity. He saw your chest and couldn’t take his eyes off of you, it was the first good thing that had come from you, he swore.

You apologized profusely and went to your bag, quickly pulling out clothes and changing behind your bed while Izzy stared, patiently for you to bob up again, hoping to see more of you.

If it really was all you could offer him you might as well offer all of it.

You got dressed and got onto bed, letting out a heavy sigh as you reached for the hotel room phone. Izzy mentally prepared himself as you dialled whoever’s number, he knew what you were like on calls.

He turned the TV on and tried to ignore you the best he could.

“Yeah, hang on.” You said, taking the phone from your ear and looking to Izzy. “Hey, do you mind turning it down a bit?” You asked politely.

“Do you mind shutting the fuck up? Please?” Izzy snapped, he’d had enough of you for a life time.

You stared back at him wide eyed before saying a quick goodbye to your parents and hanging up the phone. “Did I do something?” You asked, a hint of anger in your tone. “You’ve been mad at me this whole time and I don’t know what I did.”

Izzy glared at him, chewing his cheek as he thought about what to say and how to say it.

Your clothes were thrown across the room to be picked up tomorrow, Izzy’s as well. You were straddling his lap and bouncing on his cock.

One of his hands was on your hip, guiding your movements, while the other was wrapped firmly around your neck, light pressure added. It wasn’t enough to affect your breathing, just keeping you in line.

You wanted to moan and cry out for him but any noise you made landed a harsh smack on your ass and his squeeze tighter around your neck until he decided you’d learned your lesson, then you just do it again and the cycle continued.

He could feel you clenching around him, he knew you loved this, were getting needier at just the thought of him choking you out.

“I knew you could be quiet.” He said, pleased with himself. “If I knew all it took was a good fuck I’d have done this ages ago.” He pulled you in by your throat, crashing his lips onto yours, not asking for permission and slipping his tongue into your mouth.

He had you moving faster, squeezing tighter around your neck. It made it hard to breathe, all you could focus on was the way he made you feel. Light headed, really, but you could feel him dragging against your walls, veins rubbing you, tip prodding you right where you needed him.

He pulled away, just enough to look you in the eyes. “You look so pretty like this, you know that? Cheeks getting red, can’t breathe, can’t talk… maybe that’s it, you’re hotter when you shut up.” He squeezed your neck again and you came undone under his touch, hands planted on his shoulders you melted into him, wrapping your arms around his neck and he let you settle against him.

He took his hand from your neck down to your hip so he could move you himself, needing to catch his own high which came not long after.

He held you tight for a moment, letting you catch your breath while before pushing you off of him. “Go clean up, and do a good job, I’m not dealing with your fucking kid.” He grumbled, curling up in bed by himself.

[bvck-barnes]

Okay so I haven’t been able to stop thinking about episode three and especially Ed’s plotline in it (and the final scene of course), so here’s a not so short messy analysis of what I’ve been thinking.

MAJOR SPOILERS JUST IN CASE…

As a short background, we start with Ed almost dead after he has basically been begging the rest of the crew to kill him. First Izzy, when he gives him the gun, then the rest of them when he sails them into a storm, trying to get them and himself killed, but instead still getting what he wanted when they turn against him. We get our final hint at how this is what he always wanted when he says “Finally.” as Jim lifts the cannonball.

And we start with Ed now in this purgatory state. I would assume this entire place is created by Ed since it is so deeply connected to him. And we learn that he also creates Hornigold as a representation of himself, of the subconscious parts of himself talking to him, and he hates this guy deeply.

This place puts the cards on the table for Ed.

“So if you hate me and I am you, then…”

“I hate myself.”

He gets to understand the hate he feels for this guy is really what he feels for himself. But it’s not only that, we see the reaction he has when he first sees Hornigold. He fears himself, what he is capable of doing to others, disgusted by the stories of what Hornigold has done (like Felix’s death) in the place of what he has done.

Everything Hornigold says, is really just his most hidden inner thoughts coming to the surface.

“You’re not very good with people, are you, Jeff?” His biggest fear, the one he has only ever been able to admit to Stede is displayed right there for him. How he believes every bad thing he has ever done is the reason he is unlovable, why he doesn’t have any friends.

“Maybe you wanna strangle me like you did your old dad.”

“How the fuck did you know that?”

“Grown man covered in tattoos. Ay? With daddy issues.”

“I never told anyone about that.”

“But you did, though, didn’t you? And he left you.”

“Fuck you.”

“And it all boils down to this. You’re afraid you are unlovable.”

Not only that but he believes that is also the reason Stede leaves him. Stede leaving puts salt in a wound he was only starting to heal. He once again believes he is inherently an evil person, unworthy of anyone but even less, of Stede.

“You gotta move on, man... or you blow your brains out.” But to some degree, he knows what he has to do in order to continue, he knows that if he really wants to live, to truly live, he needs to forgive himself of the past things he has done. It’s either that or… or what he did which is getting himself killed.

His choice is final (or so he believes…) when he is on the edge of the cliff. Hornigold, or really himself, has tied the rock to his waist and is ready to throw it. And as he said it with the pros and cons list, “I don’t think anyone’s waiting for me.” so there really is no point for him to go back.

“I’m not lovable.”

“And you’re scared to do anything about it. But old Hornigold, he ain’t scared.”

Ed knows, he knows "doing anything about it" is going back to life, face what he has done, fighting for Stede and for the person he wants to be. But his subconscious, his fear, is stronger.

“You’ve made your choice.” Hell, not only is this admitted by Hornigold, we literally see him at the beginning of episode two throwing himself, or really his little cake topper, to the water from the window. And Hornigold, or really his subconscious, throws the rock.

Then Stede finds him.

And when Stede finds him all it takes is for him to remove the towel from his face for him to open his eyes as he sinks in the water.

Him feeling Stede’s presence sparks something in him in this purgatory. And he starts fighting against the rope that he put himself in. But this is a world he has created so he still has control over it, and subconsciously, he still believes he is unlovable, unworthy, he is still not sure he deserves to be untied.

And then Stede starts asking HIM for forgiveness, and he fights and he fights, and he wants this so badly that in the real world he starts fighting too, tapping his fingers against the wood and begging Stede to keep talking, to keep leading the way with his voice. And he does.

As he takes Ed’s hand, he literally also shines a light and illuminates the surface. In the midst of this world of self-hatred, there is the voice of a person who, seeing past everything, loves him.

And the rope unties itself, in this moment his whole self fully believes that he is worthy of love, that he deserves this and he deserves Stede and that he deserves to live. This is Ed allowing himself to have this.

The flashbacks start, Ed remembers these moments and sees what he can still have, thinks “Maybe someone IS waiting for me.” as Stede keeps begging him to wake up.

And then, through the light, he sees merman Stede. And oh, how important this is. He has been seeing Hornigold, the person he hated the most in life, during all his time in purgatory, but now, now the reflection of his subconscious becomes the person he loves the most. Stede, Stede as a sea creature coming to save him. Stede, as a reflection of Ed’s subconscious telling himself, you are worthy of this, you are lovable, and you can love yourself.

The kraken, this fearful sea monster, is saved by the merman.

Stede is finally right there, and when they are finally face to face, Ed reaches for a kiss, and in that moment, he opens his eyes.

[izzysillyhandsy]

Ed-and-Izzy-related stuff that stood out for me in episodes 6 and 7:

Their quiet familiarity and mutual fondness

The main thing I wanted from S2 regarding Ed and Izzy was at least a hint of a mutual, loving relationship between the two of them in the past. The way Izzy acted around Ed in S1 made no sense to me if there wasn't a strong, very old, tried and tested bond there. Equally, Ed's behaviour around Izzy, the familiar way he called him Iz, the exasperated way he reacted to Izzy's izzyness, showed (for me) a closeness of decades living together.

Izzy's "You know me better than anyone has ever known me, and I daresay the same is true for me about you" is the truth, in my opinion. It's about the little things, all the experiences they've had together, sharing a space, food, drink (how natural did it feel when Ed took Izzy's bottle?). Everyone who's had a close friend for decades knows how that feels.

Yes, there are aspects of Ed that Stede gets and Izzy doesn't. But I always had the feeling that Ed feels like home for Izzy and vice versa. This feeling was just very well hidden in S1 because of Izzy's confusion, jealousy and resentment.

(Of course, Izzy is also in love with Ed and Ed, as of S1, isn't. But the (platonic) love, friendship and fondness underlying everything is tangible.)

2. Together, they've got this "us against the world" vibe

One of my favourite headcanons is young Ed and Iz mutinying together, or deciding to kill someone who made their lives hell (with Iz doing the actual killing, obviously). Both learning to fight and to survive in a cruel world together.

I'm not saying this was in any way confirmed or anything (flashback scene, I'm still waiting), but the scene above with Ed looking out at the sea, Izzy who can't take his eyes off him... they seem so attuned to each other. "Where you go, I'll follow."

I know this isn't the most coherent analysis, I'm struggling to describe the feeling I got when watching this scene.

It was like yes, they've fought their way up together. Even after everything that happened, put them next to each other on a ship and they just fit. If they wanted to, they could do anything.

(In a way, it's such a pity Ed doesn't want to be a pirate anymore, at least not a scary Blackbeardy one. Those two have a look going.)

3. Izzy and Ed both connect Izzy's love declaration to Ed shooting him

"You know what he did when I told him I loved him?" "He shot me." "He shot you, yeah." "I know."

This is not 100% clear cut, but to me Izzy's delivery very strongly infers that Izzy didn't know Stede knew (and didn't tell him).

Which means that ED TOLD STEDE.

If that's the case, then

Izzy, at some point, realized that Ed shooting him wasn't (all) about him reminding Ed of Stede

Izzy has a better grasp on Ed's inner struggles than previously assumed

Izzy and Ed both see this declaration as important enough that Ed would permanently injure and eventually kill Izzy for it and Izzy and Stede are both like "yeah, figures"

Ed himself knows and admits that him shooting Izzy was about Izzy (still) loving him in that moment

I mean, I'm still shocked about that.

There were a lot of great metas about Ed's motivations after Ep2 came out, and some of them suggested exactly this: that Ed wanted to be an unloveable monster, that this was the only way he could deal with what he'd done, and Izzy's love was standing in the way of his grand self-destruction.

I wasn't prepared for Izzy, Stede and probably Ed being concious of that and kinda offhandedly acknowledging it in the show?

And even if it wasn't Ed but Izzy who told Stede (which I don't believe, but it's possible) - it's still crazy.

Izzy matter-of-factly telling Stede "Yeah, Ed shot me because I told him I loved him" and Stede being like "Yeah, of course, that's our Ed <3" is mind-blowing to me.

4. Izzy's love song

The lyrics at this exact moment:

Il me l'a dit, l'a juré pour la vie. - He told me, he swore to me, for life.

He really means it. They're married. I rest my case.

5. The first kill's always a mindfuck

So, I have this persistent obsession about Izzy being Ed's personal henchman, and Ed "outsourcing the big job" Teach resenting him for it.

In that respect, Ed's reaction to Stede's first kill was very interesting.

It probably wasn't like that in the beginning, but Ed seems to be a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to violence. Izzy is irrevocably tainted, but I think he wants to keep Stede "pure" (he didn't mind when Stede torched the ship, but that's the hypocrisy in action).

This is of course totally my headcanon, but I think Izzy's first kill was significant. I think Iz did it for Ed. And I think it was very difficult for him (either because Izzy-the-artsy-outsider was actually quite sensitive and nowhere near a bloodthirsty killer and/or because he cared about the person he killed). But Ed was so impressed, and so thankful, so he just carried on doing Ed's dirty work and it changed him forever :(

6. Ed's apology

This whole scene.

Scowly face. Mopey twat. Oh, look, you're talking to me again.

The way they're saying it, Izzy's expressions, their body language - it feels so incredibly intimate. From this exchange alone I would bet they were lovers at some point.

Iz bringing the bottle as a cover and excuse and Ed understanding and playing along.

Ed's "Sorryboutyourleg" being the exact opposite of his public "apology".

I almost cried (like Iz) 😢

CONCLUSION: Why is there only one episode left I need more of this!!!

Also: IZZY LIVES <3

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Teacher (6) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five

all that kindred eyes can see (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Teachers Dan and Phil figure that they could quite easily keep their relationship secret while working at the same school. It's only for half a year after all. But the keen eyes of a trio of friends soon start to pick up on little hints and clues. It's a good thing the students mostly just want to admire their love and figure themselves out along the way.

Another Year With Phil Lester (ao3) - CanDanAndPhilNot (enbycalhoun)

Summary: Dan and Phil are teachers and have had classrooms next to each other for three years. Aka a Teacher au no one asked for.

Colors (ao3) - TortiTabby

Summary: Dan tries out a social experiment on his psychology students by wearing soft pastel colors and finds it affecting him more than he anticipated.

(TW) Forgive Me, Daniel Howell (ao3) - rainbowchristy

Summary: Dan's got one day left on the miserable planet that is Earth. He's got three gifts to deliver. And he's got two bullets, one for Charlie Wicker and one for himself.

There's one thing he needs to learn before he goes, though he’s entirely sure Mr Lester’s secret won’t change anything.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (ao3) - citizen101erased

Summary: Dan has just started as a new teacher at a secondary school in Manchester, and immediately gets put in charge of the annual Christmas celebration. But between constant budget cuts, the two main roles coming down with laryngitis, and the original teacher possibly coming back earlier than expected, it will take all of Dan’s creativity - and that of the cute English teacher, Mr. Lester - to keep the show going, whatever it takes.

it's too easy to hate you (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: dan doesn't like phil. in fact, he hates phil. he does not like phil at all. never. (so why does dan's heart malfunction when phil is around?)

...okay, he might like phil a little.

an enemies-to-lovers teacher au with a twist.

just wanna be yours (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: Dan is scared to go into heat. Phil helps him through it.

Learning Curves (ao3) - winstonlives

Summary: Dan, a youtuber, sees an old A levels teacher in a gay bar years after he left school. That same teacher is Phil Lester, the hunkiest teach Dan ever did see. He makes a plan to subtly bump into him and reintroduce himself as a successful adult. While the reintroduction doesn't go quite as planned, the two end up in bed together, much to Dan's delight. Phil on the other hand has some reservations about the whole thing, throwing a wrench into Dan's lustful plans.

oh, i'm in trouble now (ao3) - fairyy

Summary: Dan looks up when he hears a slightly familiar voice, out of lazy interest. When he registers who it belongs to, his stomach drops.

Of fucking course his hookup from last night works here. Knowing his luck, he should have expected it. He curses whatever god is up there and hopes he can go unnoticed.

“I’m Phil. English teacher.”

scratch bark bite (oh, love me, i lied) (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Music & Drama teacher Dan Howell has a well-known rivalry with his coworker, English teacher Phil Lester.

An unforeseen event flips everything Dan thought he knew about Phil and himself on its head. Slowly but surely, the grudge withers, and the two of them cross the line between enemy and friend. But what will happen when their true intents and feelings get revealed? And was what they had ever really a rivalry? Was it even mutual?

Teacher's Pet (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: Izzy's mum left when she was 11 years old, which she's fine with-really. Her and her dad are better off just the two of them, anyways...until Mr. H comes along and things start getting turned upside down.

The New Teacher (ao3) - tol_but_smol

Summary: Dan Howell is the new drama teacher at Logan High School. It's all scary and different until he meets a certain English teacher that changes his life for the better.

The River (ao3) - Portia331

Summary: Dan arrived in Melbourne two weeks ago with just one suitcase crammed with running gear, psychology textbooks, and a mere fraction of his wardrobe especially curated to fit both his aesthetic and the Melbourne weather.

He's about to start in the role of a lifetime on a 12 month contract, but he's barely ready for the Australian summer heat, let alone what the world is about to throw at him.

This was never going to end well. (ao3) - Loganator5001

Summary: When Daniel Howell, lawyer, husband, father, wakes up next to a man, in a flat that isn't his own, he knows exactly how it happened. And Daniel knows how it will end if he comes back. Dan almost doesn't care. This fic is inspired by a post by phortgage on Tumblr.

Where Home Is (ao3) - americanphancakes

Summary: Phil is an adjunct Linguistics professor. At what school, you ask? Well, right now, he's teaching at two schools somewhere in the middle of nowhere U.S.A. All he wants is to finally stop moving to a new city every school term and get a full time, tenure-track position... but it never seems to work out that way.

Luckily, wherever he moves, Dan is right there with him. With dinner and back rubs.

write our names in the wet concrete (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: “Dan!” Phil instinctively scolds him, even though there’s not a single kid in sight. “Where do you suggest we go? We’ve got forty minutes until we have to be back here—no one way are we going to be able to get food and eat it in this time.”

Dan gets a glint in his eye, and Phil knows he’s accepted the statement as a challenge. “You know, fast food places exist, right Philly?”

“Well, I didn’t expect our first date to be—” Ah, shit, he’s said it. He may as well commit to it now and swallow his pride. Dan’s watching him with an unreadable expression, his mouth quirked upward and eyebrows drawn to his hairline, but Phil can’t tell if he’s looking snarky or hopeful. “At a McDonald’s, is all.”

[veiwryn]

Egypt Episode after Teams are formed pt 2. — Team Phoenix

They still do the same thing they do in canon when it comes to the goat. Eva and Noah would sit on the goat, Bridgette on Eva’s shoulder (there's some tension hinted there), and Izzy on Noah's.

Eva would make a joke about how she's surprised Noah could hold up Izzy, and be met with a snarky (but lighthearted) comment on response. Izzy ends up laughing along and pokes Noah on his cheek, which he merely rolls his eyes at.

This'll be the moment Alejandro realizes he can't just befriend Bridgette, and that maintaining a positive relationship with the rest of his team is a need. He'd notice the tension between Eva and Bridgette and make a mental note of it as he continues portraying this leadership facade. (He was so gonna confront Bridgette about this later).

When Alejandro is on top, Noah would make his "Wow, I'm impressed" followed by a confessional from Eva (after Alejandro's confessional) saying "Noah isn't impressed by Alejandro using basic weight distribution. He's surprised pretty boy is smart." (What could Team Escope say? He looked like a Justin 2.0). Someone charming and smart? That raises some flags for this trio.

Anyway, Alejandro would wish the other teams some luck before the group leaves. And they'd be the first to arrive.

(I forgot to add, but Bridgette would make a confessional saying she felt out of place, but knows she's not alone cause Alejandro was there with her. So, at least she wasn't a total outcast!)

The tricky part is when they get to the river and have to weave. With no Sierra, they'd struggle, but then again, Eva is a wildcard. We don't have much on her, but we know she's been working on her anger and she has been a stunt double. So it would be reasonable for her to know (at least) the basics or weaving, right? She may not know how to explain it, but she could show her teammates how to do it, in hopes they'd understand. She's not Sierra-level weaving, but it's better than the average person!

This is when Alejandro would take Bridgette aside to inquire about her relationship with Eva, and the surfer girl would explain what happened in season 1. He'd offer to talk things out with Eva, but Bridgette refuses, saying this is something she needs to do on her own. Alejandro backs off, he knows he shouldn't be pushy with his only ally. Especially so early in the game. However, he can use her empathy against her.

Alejandro apologized to Bridgette and explained how he wanted to help her because he was new and wanted his teams approval. Bridgette then agrees for him to help her, which Alejandro smiled "sincerely" at before Noah called them over. Alejandro immediately makes his way to Eva while Bridgette hangs by Noah.

There'd be a mini scene between Eva and Alejandro, where he's learning how to weave and would try and bring up Bridgette, only for Eva to glance at him. Effectively shutting him up. (Eva's confessional: Am I doing something wrong?) Then it goes to Noah and Bridgette, who are watching the two; the former with an amused gaze, while Bridgette looks defeated. Noah takes note and asks her about it, Bridgette confesses but stops midway remembering Eva is Noah's friend. Noah reassures her before saying Eva’s been trying to make herself seem more approachable cause she wanted Bridgette to make a move. So it didn't feel forced.

And then cut to another team! (They're on a budget, not everything can be explained on screen!!)

[danepopfrippery]

You know what i think was sweet?

The Revenge Kraken survivors had been to hell and back, worse than Fang and Izzy ever seen before. But when Stede swam over and shouted Ed I genuinely think if u look at their faces (i suck at screenshots sorry) they feel bad.

They have no idea what happened other than a ‘breakup’ and seems both sides wrote the other off as dead. So i dont think they expected Stede to live (would u?) or find them. Man is a fuckin blessed demon with his luck.

But now hes there and so excited and wont stop asking, doesnt take their piss poor excuses (kinda like jim saying the weather would frizz his hair s1) and wont let it go. They feel bad. They know they had to do what they did but they (maybe minus Izzy) didnt want to ruin Stede.

In fact the way reviews talked its hinted we’ll learn they all thought he had died. If thats so i dont think they thought of what could happen upon seeing him again

[tizzyizzy]

OFMD S2 Rewrite Part 1 (???)

I probably should write out a whole, finished plot outline, but I instead I'm starting with my attempts at replacements of the first two episodes.

Episode 1:

On the Revenge, we see that Ed is on a downward spiral. He is drinking to numb his emotional pain, cares little about his own safety or the crew's, and keeps taking risks in an attempt to feel anything. This includes stealing a prize from right under Ned's nose.

Throughout, we see how much this is wearing out the crew, especially Izzy. His toe is infected, but whenever he suggests a break, or going to shore to resupply, Ed is dismissive and uncaring. It isn't until Izzy collapses from infection Ed realizes what's going on.

Meanwhile, Archie has been picked up at some point to join the crew, and her relationship with Jim is developing.

Meanwhile meanwhile, Stede is learning that he has to regain the loyalty of his crew. Without money, they aren't inclined to follow him.

But with the help of the mysterious Ricky, Stede comes up with a brilliant plan to steal a ship. Turns out Ricky actually planned to capture Stede and use him as bait to capture Blackbeard.

But whoops, Stede and co. captured the lead ship of the Pirate Queen, and she's still on it! Now they've got Zheng's fleet on their tail, and a traitor in their midst!

Episode 2:

Izzy, delirious, refuses to accept an amputation, saying he'd better take his chances with the infection than become useless and be discarded by Blackbeard. Ed shoots Izzy in the leg to make amputation the only option. Overcome by guilt and despair, he locks himself in the brig to drink himself to death.

Between Izzy and Ed's delirious dreams, we get flashbacks of their relationship, where it is clarified for the audience. We see how close, productive, and joyful their relationship used to be. Then Ed becomes depressed, lose interest in piracy, and stop taking his role as captain seriously. We see how this puts an unfair burden on Izzy who tries to keep everything afloat while taking care of Ed, but also how Izzy misunderstands the situation and makes things worse by nagging Ed and trying to force him to do something he doesn't care about anymore.

Meanwhile, a storm is coming. Ed is too depressed to care. The crew on the Revenge are struggling to keep Izzy and themselves alive in the gale. Jim and Archie kiss, believing they might not survive.

Meanwhile meanwhile, Stede is having a crisis of his own. As they sail into the storm, his incompetence is becoming clearer and clearer...but he just managed to regain his confidence with his splendid plan. Zheng says she can lead them through the storm, but that would mean letting her out of the brig. Ricky tells Stede not to go through the storm, that it's better to wait it out than trust in someone as dangerous as Zheng.

In the end, Stede is man enough to give up power and trust in the crew and Zheng. Zheng takes charge and Stede, unlike Ricky, willingly submits to her orders, doing every bit of necessary manual labor with the rest of his crew. They get through the storm, and reach Revenge.

On the Revenge, Edward, finally, takes charge to get them through the storm. After his dark night of the soul, he has overcome his despair to save Izzy and the crew. He's wet and miserable with streams of dark makeup down his cheeks, but he's done it.

The storm fades. There are the slightest hints of a rainbow as Stede and Ed stare across at one another.

Authors Notes:

So I would consider this Act I. Here are some advantages of this setup.

No Evil Ed: Ed went full on bonkers in S2, complete horrific torture, murder-suicide, and PTSD inducing behaviors. In TizzyIzzy S2, Ed's atrocities are toned way down. While he's still a brutal pirate, he's more careless than intentionally cruel. This means he's more sympathetic as a character, keeping more of the audience on board. It also makes redemption much less of an issue for him, which mean we don't need to dedicate too much of later episodes to it. Speaking of which...

Ed's Redemption & Agency: In S2, Ed ends e2 being "killed" after nearly killing the entire crew, is unconscious in ep3 and spends all of e4 with Stede. He doesn't start trying to make things up to the crew until 5, and his attempts are woefully inadequate considering the impact. In TI S2, Ed is starting to work toward righting his mistakes as early as the end of ep2. By shooting Izzy's leg and forcing him to agree to the amputation, he's already acting in Izzy's best interest to make up for his previous negligence, even if it is in a fucked up way. Having him overcome his despair and guilt to save the crew in the storm shows growth, because he isn't letting his despair allow him to neglect the crew again. Development! It is also triumphant moment that gives Ed agency, conquering both a metaphorical storm and a literal one.

Stede as Captain: A big question that doesn't really get addressed in S2 is "why Stede?" Sure, he's got a pleasant attitude compared to most other pirate captain's, but he's fundamentally incompetent. Without his money, what is he? In S2, he goes from getting the crew hired by Spanish Jackie, to trying and failing to steal indigo at Ricky's suggestion, to being rescued by Zheng because luck. While Ricky still helps here, Stede still takes the lead in this unspecified brilliant plan. Sure, he messes up because he ends up taking Zheng's ship, but the fact that they actually succeeded goes to show his potential.

Stede as Crew: Another of Stede's flaws is that he can be arrogant. He wants the crew to do what he wants, even if he does genuinely care about them. He still wants to be the guy on top, and he's still naturally insecure about his pirating abilities. In TI S2 e2, he gets to overcome this flaw. He even gets to apply what he learned with Ed: just because Zheng is a fearsome Pirate Queen doesn't mean she can't be trusted. While we do get some of this in S2, I feel we could do with some more Stede bonding with the crew instead of lording over them.

Getting Stede and Ed Together: Before s2, I wanted Ed and Stede to grow a lot before finally reuniting. S2 made me lose my taste for that. Now we're getting Ed and Stede together an episode earlier. With less time needed to redeem Ed and them together an episode earlier, their relationship can be more thoroughly developed.

Clarifying the Edizzy Situation: Are they they world's most divorced couple? Mentor and mentee? Friends with benefits? Idol and worshipper? I don't know, and neither does David Jenkins! This flashback picks a relationship, clarifies it, and sticks to it. We get to be sympathetic to Izzy, by seeing how Ed has taken him for granted, and sympathetic to Ed by seeing unhappy he's been. Maybe we even see that Ed feels compelled to keep being pirate lest he disappoint Izzy.

[deskgirl]

Something that I thought might’ve been interesting for season 3 of OFMD to do would’ve been to have Izzy appear to crew like Frenchie as he’s learning to captain or to Jim or Stede, but with the knowledge that when Stede was seeing Nigel Badminton, it was his guilt over leaving his family, not an actual ghost, that was haunting him, so the show implies or even has one of the crew speculate that this is just what they imagine Izzy would say to them. Regardless, he’s an abrasive yet comforting voice when said characters are struggling or perhaps a more antagonistic one when they need to be challenged or pushed.

But near the end of the season, Izzy says something that later the show hints the character he spoke to should not or could not have known—that maybe no one could have known—so he really was actually haunting them all the entire time, taking care of his crew until they got their revenge and their happy ending so he could finally rest easy.

(I’m actually on the fence over the show bringing in ghost Izzy myself because if there’s ways he’s still relevant to the narrative, then that implies his story wasn’t actually over. And I understand all the other arguments people make against it, too. But I also think it would allow Izzy’s character a level of flexibility to move from place to place, maybe haunt Prince Ricky a bit which would look at first like Ricky’s own fears haunting him, give Izzy’s character some hindsight clarity to share with the crew, and allow Izzy the freedom to partake in more of the show’s dark comedy energy.)

[maximwtf]

Hi there! first off, I LOVE your fics so much! Secondly, I’d like to request for Stede since I agree, there is a lack of fics for him!! I love the way you’ve written for him so far. Feel free to ignore this if you don’t feel like writing it for whatever reason, of course 💟

Though, perhaps I could request a Stede x reader where the reader sees Black Pete and Lucius’ romance blossom and they think it’s the most endearing thing ever but it also makes them a bit nervous because they have feelings toward someone in the crew (Stede) and they don’t know the first thing about how to express it. Stede noticed the reader is down one day and they accidentally spill their dilemma but they leave Stede’s name out. So then Stede is giving the reader courting lessons pretty much and then after the lessons have “concluded” and Stede’s like “okay now go get ‘em!” pretty much, the reader stands there and is basically repeating back everything they learned to him. He’s not taking the hint so he’s like yes that was wonderful practice, now go and tell the lucky person all of this! And the reader is like well…it’s you. And confessions both ends ensue blah blah💕again if you don’t feel inclined to write this, no worries! Wasn’t sure if you are taking romantic requests for him. But maybe even if you aren’t this plot could still apply just minus the part where the reader uses it on Stede, where he gives the reader courting lessons still and it’s all cute and fluffy?

Stede Bonnet x Reader

Words: 3130

Google docs pages: 5

Warnings: None? Reader is bad with emotions, they don’t know what to do with love. Is the author's inability to write non-tragic romance also a warning? Nah but fr it’s the best fluff I can offer!

Opening: You watch Pete and Lucius’ relationship blossom, becoming jealous of it. Stede notices you being down more often and tries to help, when you end up telling him of a crush you have. He offers to teach you ways to confess, though he doesn’t seem to realise who this crush truly is.

AN// Reader can be any gender ! Thank you for this request, ahh. I don’t usually get excited over fluff, but if it’s for Stede I’m here for it. I hope this came out good !^^ I’m still learning to write for him, this being only the second fic I've made for him wahh

“Go get em’ !”

There were no other words to describe how you felt when you saw Pete and Lucius be able to embrace their love, other than jealousy and melancholy. How they could so openly tell each other that they loved one another, how they could spend time together freely and knew how to tell the other how they felt. If you would have been able to do that, you wouldn’t even be in this position. This feeling wasn’t even you wishing anything bad for them, only wishing that you could have something that they had, with the person you fancied. 

But that person walked on deck, having no clue of your silent feelings and admiration. And if you didn’t soon find it in you to somehow tell him, you feared you’d miss your chance eventually. Hell, he was an attractive man and surely there’d come another if you sat at the sidelines and did nothing. But what could you do?

Your whole life, you hadn’t been the emotional kind. Showing any feelings that would show vulnerability was almost automatically forbidden for you. Far before you’d even heard of the Gentleman pirate had you been like this. A rough life at the sea hadn’t been kind, and even if it was more so now, you lived in the olden days. And most of the time when it turned out to be a fault in the new crew, you looked at Izzy and excused yourself. He was similar, so why should you try to change? Being the way you’d always been was comforting in a way, and learning a new set of behaviours sounded exhausting. Having to open up more, and be able to tell someone you cared for that you loved them felt impossible because of that. What if you came off as rude? Or even worse, if they didn’t even feel the same. Especially on a ship where you had to meet the same people every day, having to face the person who rejected you felt horrifying. And you couldn’t possibly keep avoiding this person, he was your captain after all. 

Stede Bonnet. The former rich landowner, who had abandoned his previous life in exchange for a pirate’s. An idea that you thought you would possibly never truly understand the reason for. From growing up on a pirate ship, to being a permanent member of his crew, you had no idea why one would like to become a pirate. Almost every day was a fight to win, but this man somehow stayed positive and had taught his crew manners you’d never seen on a ship. You had thought you would never be able to fit in, but so you did. Because he had welcomed you with open arms, like he had known you his whole life. He didn’t care about what you’d done, who you had been or where you’d come from. He cared about who you were now. A truly admirable person in your eyes. 

Not to mention, you had an eye for nice fabrics and clothes. You’d never been able to afford them, nor were they practical in the action you had to take part in daily, but did they look nice. And he wore them well, all the ones he’d brought with him on the ship. All the nice colours, shapes and textures were a sight for a sore eye. You didn’t know if he’d ever noticed you checking out his outfits, but you hoped not. What would he even think? If he didn’t know why you were staring, you assumed he would think you were just creepy. Another reason why you didn’t want to confess to him. 

But did all of this make your chest ache, long for something that you were almost positive you couldn’t reach. The thoughts started making you distance yourself when the time gave you the possibility. You’d spent time at the bow of the ship, or all the way up in the crowsnest. Places where you could be alone for a moment, to try and convince yourself that eventually you’d tell him. 

But during all of this, you failed to notice that your absence hadn’t gone unnoticed, as much as you had hoped that would have been the case. Stede noticed soon after, starting to note that you seemed awfully upset. He had planned to ask you about it, but never could. He almost started blaming himself, if he had done something wrong to scare you off? Perhaps you wanted to leave the crew all together for a yet unknown reason? He knew if that was the case that he would never be able to stop you, but he could always try. Which had originally been the reason why he’d come looking for you. And if you were going to leave, he wanted to say his goodbyes, as much as it pained him to even think of that possibility. 

Once more, you leaned to the railing of the ship, watching the vessel make its way forward. Sometimes you wondered if this feeling was all your fault. You were the one basking in melancholy instead of changing. Yet, these thoughts never had enough power to make you actually quit these habits. 

The sound of someone coming towards from the hallway near you brought you back from your thoughts. To your horror and pleasure, it was Stede. He noticed your quick turn towards him, giving you a gentle smile before fully emerging through the small door frame, placing himself on the other side. Though, that smile faded rather quickly as he seemed to remember the reason why he’d come to find you. “Ah, I almost ran out of options as to where you could have been!” He said, a slight chuckle in his tone as he unintentionally tried to ease the rather tense atmosphere. You gave him a shrug, keeping your eyes keenly on the water, watching it swirl and hit the ship in waves. “See, I came to ask you how you’ve been feeling? You seem like you’re keeping something bottled up?” He continued to speak, guessing you had nothing to say to his first comment. Though, this one froze you. What could have you said? That he was the reason why you’d been upset this whole time? Blame Lucius and Pete for all of this? Or were you upset because of yourself. “Homesick, you know how it is.” You lied, trying to joke off the question. But your attempt had gone down the drain, only making Stede furrow his brows in concern. He knew you were lying, knowing you viewed the ship as your home. “Please, it’s not good to continue like this. Better to talk it out.” He insisted, making you bite your inner lip in return. Like you were holding back something you feared you might slip on accident. 

Yet, that helped as much as rowing a boat without oars. “I fear the person I care for doesn't feel the same.” You sighed, ashamed of admitting to your feelings. Your gaze was tilted faintly upwards, eyes watching the water, too scared to look at Stede. A gentle hum came from his side. “Then why don’t you go ask?” The advice sounding like he was relieved it hadn’t been anything worse than that. But to you, this was as worse as it was ever going to get. Being stuck with feelings you didn’t know how to express. But even that feeling, the frustration was hard to show to him. Having to keep him in the shadow from how you felt. You shook your head, lowering your gaze. “I don’t know how.” A defeated sigh leaving you as your shoulder slumped down. If you were to guess, an empathic expression had appeared on Stede’s face. He stayed silent for a moment, before placing a hand on your shoulder. You almost pulled away, startled by the sudden touch. Yet there was something so comforting about it that it didn’t take you long to ease into it. “If you want to, I could offer you a few tips on confessing in the proper way?” The captain suggested, voice gentle as ever. He spoke with confidence, knowing that he could possibly help you. And you knew that, but that hadn’t been the reason for your reply. “Oh, I would appreciate that.” Even if he couldn’t help you, you could finally spend time with just him, as he talked to you about the subject of love, having no clue that he was that subject for you. 

And after that conversation, you collected all of the courage in you as you prepared for the first meeting of the few you would continue to have with him. And with a deep breath, you pushed the door open that led to his quarters, finding the man himself seated on one of the couches. He got up to greet you, starting the ‘lesson’ soon after. 

You sat in front of him, listening as he talked. “You didn’t tell me more about this person. What kind of confession would fit them? If it is a pirate, I’m not so sure a fancy confession is the thing you need.” He laughed the comment off faintly, a hint of doubt in his voice. “N-no! I’m sure- they’d love it.” You answered rather abruptly, thinking he might be rethinking this offer. “Well then…A confession is often considered a private matter. So you would find a place such as that to confess in. You would usually think the wording of the confession beforehand, polite and respectful.” The man started, his eyes looking up as he thought of how these tips could be used on a ship. As he paused speaking his thoughts out loud, he turned to you, as if waiting for you to have questions. But you didn’t, you looked at him keenly, waiting for him to continue. “Well- You could ask them out to eat before confessing. But I’m not so sure you could do that here, I’m afraid.” He said, tilting his head a little at the shame of that. “Thoughtful gestures are an alternative, perhaps a small gift or a letter?” He added after, clearly deep in thought as he tried to come up with something that was doable on a ship. “I’m not so gifted with my hands.” You muttered, thinking of the possibility of giving him a gift. After all, he was describing the way he had been taught to confess, so you wanted to follow those tips he gave you. “You don’t have to be, a confession on its own is good enough.” He smiled, shaking his head slightly. 

You turned to look at your feet, silent as you thought of what he’d said. Though, the moment didn’t last long as Stede spoke up again. “How about we practise the tips I gave the next time we meet?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. You turned to look at him, blinking your eyes a couple of times. “On who?” He couldn't have possibly been suggesting that you-, “on me, if that is alright with you.” He said, a friendly smile on his face, per usual. You blinked again, faster this time. “I- Of course.” You nodded, internally stunned by the suggestion, having to shake your head slightly to bring you back into the moment. You would have to learn how to keep your cool, this was practically the same thing you’d have to say to him when you actually told him. 

After that, he gave you a couple more tips, explaining the almost laughable mannerisms he had been taught or that he had read of. It amused you to watch him make fun of the things he had been taught into, giving you the slightest of ideas why he had chosen the life you’d had to live for most of your life. By the sound of it, you would have most likely done the same. 

You went to the next meeting with him, this time more relaxed. He stood in the middle of his quarters. By the way he was breathing he must have just moved some of the furniture out of the way. “Evening.” You greeted him, looking around as you walked in. “Ah, just in time.” Stede smiled, nodding his head as a greeting when you came closer.  “I thought tonight we’d try the advice in action, what do you say?” He asked after his initial comment, seeing as you hadn’t said anything. “Oh, of course. Yes. How do I start?” You asked, looking around as if exploring the cabin, a desperate attempt to hide sight of you being flustered. A light laugh left Stede before he replied. “If it’s okay, I thought I’d show an example first.” Your gaze snapped to him, soon after looking at your feet again to not seem odd. “Ah, of course.” You nodded, taking a small step back to give the man space. 

Stede cleared his throat, taking something from the table near him and stepping towards you. “A private place.” He hinted at the space the two of you were in before going forward with the example. He brought his hand towards you, handing you a nicely folded piece of paper. You took it with a slightly shaky hand, trying to keep in mind that he was only giving you an example, having no idea of how you truly felt. 

You weren’t sure what to say so you automatically opened the paper, eyes scanning over the words on it. You didn’t have to read often, so the skill hadn’t developed much, but if you read slowly enough you understood what the short letter said. A few compliments, subtly hinting at his yet hidden ‘feelings’. You looked up at him, lowering the letter. “I- Thank you?” You stuttered out, an awkward look appearing on your face as you realised how rusty it sounded in a situation like this. Stede only gave you a polite smile before offering you a hand. “Please, allow me to fetch us a place to sit.” He said, leading you to one of the couches. He allowed you to sit down first, taking a seat only after. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything to offer you. But let us use imagination.” The man in front of you explained, you gave him a nod while folding the piece of paper into your pocket. “When do you confess?” You asked, turning your gaze on him. “Well, we’d eat and maybe after or a little later you’d pull them aside to tell them.” He said, standing up and leading you to the middle of the room yet again. 

You stood in front of him, listening as he spoke. “Dear, I hope you’ve had a pleasant evening. But before it ends, I wished to tell you my admiration for you. Because I do fancy you.” He spoke calmly, knowing exactly what to say. You bit your inner lip, nodding after. “Alright.” Stede put his hands together, pleased with how it was going so far. “Do you want to give it a try?” He asked, tilting his head. You blinked a couple of times, nodding your head before even giving it a proper thought. “Okay, whenever you’re ready.” He said, giving you space. You took a deep breath, deciding that this was going to be it. You’d confess to him, and somehow manage to make him realise that you were being serious. 

You walked up to him, taking a moment before pulling the same letter he’d given you out of your pocket, handing it to him. He looked a little surprised, but still accepted the offer and looked over the letter quickly, as if he didn’t know what was in it. “Ah, thank you. Go on.” He smiled, looking back up. “It’s only the truth. I wished to show you how much I admire you, because I have had my eye on you. Stede, I fancy you.” You said, adding his name in as a desperate way to try and make this more obvious. But instead, he put his hands together, seemingly excited. “Ah, that’ll do it, almost swooned even me. I think you’re ready, go get em’!” He nodded firmly after, nothing but kindness in his eyes. Yet the longer you looked at him the more it seemed like he wasn’t so happy about what he’d just said. Like he hadn’t wanted to say it at all. You bit your inner lip for a moment, having to insist on making him understand. “I admire you, have for a long time.” You said, almost repeating yourself. Stede furrowed his brows, smiling at you a little awkwardly, now more confused than anything. “Wonderful practice. Now, go and get this lucky person!” He encouraged you. “Stede I’m-” You took a breath, not even sure what to say anymore. He hadn’t taught you what to do if the person you’re confessing to is the person teaching you how to confess. 

By this point the man in front of you seemed worried, offering a hand out to you. “Are you feeling alright?” He asked, placing his hand on your shoulder. You looked at the floor before taking a hold of his wrist, gently. Your eyes looked into his, desperate to make him understand even if you couldn’t show it properly with words or small subtle actions. “I fancy you, Stede.” You said, and as soon as he was opening his mouth again, you quickly added in, “it’s you.” This made him close his mouth for a moment, soon a softer look appearing on his face. “I love you.” You mumbled out to avoid any tense silence from forming. “Dear, did you go through all this trouble to confess to me?” He smiled, seemingly relieved yet he said nothing of it. You gave him a slow nod, afraid this was only the starting point of him rejecting you. “Because I was afraid I was losing you from the moment you started disappearing to this moment right now.” He added, gently pulling you towards himself to offer a hug, which you accepted. 

He felt warm, somehow he managed to also smell better than any other pirate you’d been close to. “I assumed you were leaving the crew and later realised I must have missed my opportunity with you.” He said, pulling back slightly, still close to you. You humoured the thought of him somehow sensing you didn’t want to go far from him at that moment. “You thought I was going to leave?” You asked, furrowing your brows, slightly amused. Though, you understood why he had thought that. He didn’t answer, only giving you a faint eye roll before placing a hand to the side of your neck, his thumb pushing your chin up slightly, making you look up at him. “I fancy you too.” He said, that being the only thing you’d ever wished to hear him say. 

AN// Yall TRUST I proof read this, but with the mindset of someone who hasn’t slept. Also why is Stede so hard to find good images of, bros making a face in like 99% of all images >:(

[murkystarlight]

Screw it.

Dreamzzz season2 spoilers pt.1

(And my personal comments)

Alright. Starting from episode 1

I didn't realize that Cooper having a sudden interest in chips would be a hint to something later(it probably isn't but it seems like it to me). Cooper apperantly had a full list of things to fix and make... also the Night Bureau really can't do their job done properly can they. How does Cooper go to school? And study? And get good grades?? Also love how everyone names their cars

It was cool seeing Sneak working with them. And Nova, too bad they... uh- dissapear after like... episode 4? I think

Mateo trying to find a way to get z-blob back, and the Nightmare king... why is he such an icon all of a sudden?? Like-

Also, I like that how Mateo got the kid show treatment. Might as well sing 'we're all in this together'

And Dallas joining the knitting club!!

It was pretty nice. Just a simple small detail, but I like stuff like that so... Looks like he's not going to be bullying anyone now

It was very fun watching the crows(ravens? Don't remember) snatch their memories. When I saw what the memories that was stolen were about I started screaming like-

I actually think they all have a good reasoning. Logan always loved his music(would've been better if he forgot how to sing entirely) , Cooper... well he's the tech guy, and for Izzie, she was the who accepted the dream world the fastest. Who liked it the most in the first season right? There are more cool and amazing reasons than this but my stupid brain can't think of anything else right now

Episode 2

Apperantly there's a lava realm? Cool

Mr. Oz being angry, Logan being.. well, Logan. And Cooper is just adorable. He's having so much trouble. His purpose in life kinda snap

And when everyone else just jumps into the castle, Izzie takes her time to take the stairs

And Izzie having trouble with "dont open your mouth" she's so funnn

I had trouble understanding Astrid-

Royce guy has a weird whistle.

Cooper looks so happy until his mind went blank and his face is just- 'dude wait, what was I doing?' I thought he lost his tech skills?? Why did he become... dumber? It's cute though

"Sorry-" _ Izzie

Also, Logan said a lot of smart stuff in this episode. One of my favorites was

"If I forgot it, how would I know?"

Mr. Oz trying SO hard not to swear. I could see the struggle-

And the flash cards 😭 when did they get a rule book?!!(first ep)

Also, how many eggs do you think Cooper cracked. How does he not remember how to not but a bolt and screw together?? Just- stick it in! Learn to do it again? Poor thing

And the Night Hunter! +Susan and Snivel. They're a bunch of sillies

Cooper getting pressured by his family again- (is it just me or does he get his character development after like... two episodes and be the one stable guy holding the team together? He's useful. Like actually useful) Cooper's voice also wouldn't stop cracking

"Do you ever get sand in your eyes? Or your shorts?" (The Sandman had legs?? Yes, had. He... he gone now.)

Also kinda funny how all of Mateo's dreamcrafting gets blob-ified

"The one time! I actually want to hear your beats, and you forget?!"

Zoey! Why would you randomly jump into a cauldron!! (Also, the Night Hunters memory being Zoey- I already had a feel)

Mrs Castillo is the best

I'm also very curious of... what or who the Never Witch is??

There is a lot of pushing and shoving people. And it's only the second episode

Also-

"So you're not the tech genius you used to be. You still got- ....uh.... what other talents do you have?"

Oh godddd noooooooooooo he said it- Oh god........

"I'm gonna go drown my troubles in the candy realm" (kids. Too much sugar isn't good for you)

(He can't even figure out how to put his phone on silent anymore) he got an A+ in a science project, by cooking?? I thought it was a SCIENCE PROGECT??

Imagine a kid suddenly pulling out an apron and asking for a kitchen to work in. During a science project (he's a chef now), he also just... kept the flan? Thing, in his locker-.... is that... okay?

I mean... I did watch this science show on Netflix about these super smart girls and their names being mc². And one of them bakes. Using science. I mean... science works in everything... and I guess if the teachers said okay then its.. okay?

Sandman and Never Witch fighting, he will be remembered. It was pretty cool actually. I wonder if they have any history

Next part

Bonus(also the reason of why I said screw it)

[crobones]

listen, I went into this season fully anticipating Izzy dying at the end of it. This didn't blindside me. As the episodes went on, I saw the hints. I knew the narrative made sense, and I accepted it. I thought that, if it was done well, it would be cathartic maybe.

tw for mentions of suicidal ideation, codependency issues, alcoholism, and a liberal use of all of these words because they're the only ones I can think of that fit.

What caught me off guard was how fucking rushed and avoidable it was. How his death was turned into something for Ed, as opposed to him retaining his independence. From season one, we knew Izzy was codependent. And from the first episode of season two, we are shown and told rather explicitly that Izzy is now aware of this.

Before Ed wakes up, Izzy takes responsibility for the damage done to the Revenge. Everyone saw it as Izzy trying to protect Stede's memories of Ed, but that never really sat right with me and still doesn't. I think that Izzy took responsibility because he saw the abstract of his part in guiding Ed's grief of his perceived rejection into a what became the destructive force of the Kraken. Izzy told Stede they were both responsible for what was happening to Ed, but he'd been taking actively responsibility for the blame even between seasons one and two.

It's implied that Izzy redirected all of Ed's anger and fury towards himself in losing three toes. We see him actively try to keep the crew out of any confrontation he tries to have with Ed, trying to keep them safe. It's likely that the entire reason Izzy didn't shoot himself was not because he wanted to live, but because he knew Ed was going to take the entire crew with him and he wanted to stop it.

One question could be, if he saw it coming why not just shoot Ed when offered the chance? Because he was giving Ed another chance to redirect on his own without Izzy, but was too afraid that he might be wrong. Because Ed wasn't armed or defending himself, and shooting him would have gone against some moral code. Because, if Ed was going to die, he didn't want it to be just another tool in Ed's assisted suicide.

But then Ed looks at that incoming cannonball and says "Finally." Izzy wanted Ed to fight back. He wanted Ed to want to live. And so Izzy knows that Ed took the chance he was given and just turned it back into another wholly more catastrophic assisted suicide. Because of this, Izzy probably has a hard time forgiving either Ed or himself. His plan failed. How can he say goodbye to his closest friend when his plan to save him failed? He can't. So he keeps Ed on the ship.

He saved the crew, very nearly replaced his codependency on Ed with the crew itself. Izzy has always considered the safety of the crew a main priority, but his unhealthy relationship with Ed made it a constant loop of "How can the crew survive without Ed?" Yes, the core of that was focusing on how Ed and Izzy could keep each other a version of safe that Izzy found acceptable, but we can't discount the fact that Izzy always cared for the wellbeing of the crew.

Then, once Ed was removed from the equation, Izzy's focus briefly became "How can they survive without me?" Fortunately, Stede returned, and maybe Izzy figured if Stede and his crew can survive being torn apart and thrown together again time and time again, they won't need him. They got this far without him, they've already proven that they don't need him in order to survive.

After that, Izzy drinks. He drinks heavily. His self-destructive behaviour is no longer passive. He is consumed with the idea that he has no purpose. He lacks the will to live, but he's afraid to kill himself. Maybe because of every lingering what-if his alcohol-ridden brain can imagine, but maybe that's me projecting. Regardless, he's alive, but just barely.

Then the crew makes him the leg. He learns that they don't need him, but they want him around. He learns that usefulness isn't the only reason to live. He can live because of a love of life. Stede offers him something, but Izzy learns that having purpose isn't the meaning of life, but rather something that can bring people together.

All of this has been going through my head throughout the entirety of the season, so when I tell you I was ready for Izzy to die, I fucking mean it.

But what I wasn't ready for- what really took Izzy's entire character arc and threw it out the fucking window was several things.

One, Izzy has been self-sacrificing since the Kraken took over and even afterwards, so making this the consequence of more self-sacrifice due to drawing Ricky's attention was following the pattern. Behaviour like this is still aligned with suicidal ideation, even if the person wants to die "for a greater cause." Sacrifice can be an incredibly strong moment if done right, but usually not with characters who have a past of self-destructive behaviour. There's a difference between a protector protecting, and a suicidal character acting like a meat shield. One thinks they deserve to live but got caught in a bad situation, and one thinks they deserve to die and will put themselves into bad situations. A self-fulfilling prophecy where the endgoal is punishment or dying should not be rewarded with thinking they made the right decision.

Two, distancing Izzy from the crew - physically and emotionally - does weaken the connection that had been built between them all. Sure, the crew looked sad, and crying on screen is very difficult for any actor, but as opposed to even just brief close-ups, we get wide shots of them all looking vaguely uncomfortable. There could have been maybe Frenchie breaking down because he can't bottle or box up his grief anymore; Jim clinging to Archie and Olu because even they said "He's our asshole." Lucius hysterical laughing because Izzy was his biggest rival, but then became a source of reason and forgiveness, and his body doesn't know how to react to what he is feeling; Roach actually panicking because he's the doctor and he's supposed to be able to fix things like this. So many small moments could have happened, but they didn't because they didn't want to detract from Ed's pain.

Three, the Ed of it all. I'm happy that Ed was so impacted by what was happening. Ed is the only one that asks where Izzy is. Ed is the only one that waits for and carries Izzy until he calls for help from Frenchie. Ed is the only one that cries. Ed is the only one that holds him. And Izzy coddles him for it. Fucking thanks him for it. Guess Ed finally learned to shut up and listen? I'm happy he could have that character beat.

He has been selfish this season, and that alone pisses me off. (Bring back the Ed who cared enough to pretend to like treasure hunting because he wanted Stede to be happy.) But Izzy fed that selfishness when dealing with the Kraken, he incidentally fed that selfishness by never actually confronting Ed after he woke up, and Izzy making his own fucking death about Ed is still just feeding that selfishness. Izzy said he would die for Blackbeard way back in season one, and so this just reverted it all back to that moment.

Sure, it's foreshadowing, but literally taking a character arc and circling back to a place they were before any of the growth happened is just that. That's what the fucking tin says - all of that growth and progress you made and you still just ended up back at the beginning.

You found family and you care for each other? You're just going to die for someone who repeatedly rejects you. You broke the cycle of codependent and mutual abuse with that person? You're still going to die for them! You learned to enjoy life? Too fucking bad! Your death and everything that came before it amounts to nothing because you are a metaphor for another person being able to move on. There is no character agency, there is only metaphorical narrative. Whoopsie!

And "I want to go." Fucking hell. You tell me that it's him saying he is content in life and so he is content in dying- motherfucker he was never NOT okay with dying! He even mocked Ed for being unable to clean up his own mess and leaving it for Izzy to deal with. And so Izzy being unable to shoot himself is literally just echoing that same sentiment. There's a mess. It needs cleaning up. Izzy can't leave it to the crew to clean a mess he helped make.

So yes. I knew he would likely die. But I didn't expect it to essentially be assisted suicide from self-sacrifice, and for his final breaths to be making his own life and death about the very person he was codependent on from the beginning, thus invalidating any growth he made as a character. Yes, I saw the metaphor. Your metaphor sucks.

[total-drama-brainrot]

Marathoned through what I can find of season 2, here's my thoughts so far:

Nichelle is a queen, an icon, literally the first total drama character to show self-improvement and character growth without being an antagonist. Can't wait to see her continue to show up everyone, though I wish we got to see her form actual friendships instead of just girlbossing 24/7.

Mkulia is more canon than literally all of the relationships. They're so fun to watch as antagonists, and I can't wait to see where the cheating arc goes. The fact that they've shared confessions since they formed their alliance? The lesbians are eating good this season. Also Julia in particular is just really well written and voice acted? She sounds like an actual teenager her age. It's 👌 chefs kiss.

Speaking of the cheating arc, the rift between Bowie and Raj because of the team's under-the-table methods is such an on-the-nose way to play it. The "boyfriend kisser" arc of World Tour handled a literal cheating scandal super poorly, but this season is handling its' 'cheating' scandal really well in terms of how it dissolves trust in a relationship. Can't wait for Bowie's guilt to reach it's apex, we never know what he'll do when it does.

Raj really does see the best in Bowie, unfortunately his glasses are a little too rose-tinted to see that Bowie is more than happy to continue enabling Julia and MK, so long as they keep winning. I'm not sure if this will lead to a breakup or a heart-to-heart, honestly this series could go either way, but it isn't called Total Drama for no reason. Keeping my fingers crossed that it'll work out.

Another relationship I unfortunately saw coming from a mile off is RipAxel, though I can't say I'm upset about it. A lot of people saw Axel as queer, myself included, and Ripper is, well, Ripper. But they had a season one Duncney vibe going on in Axel's brief run last season. Something about the misogynistic guys (Ripper called himself an alpha at one point?) and the competitive latinas 🤷‍♀️.

Their actual dynamic this season is different enough from what I thought it'd be that it's refreshing. I guess it works in a very Roger and Jessica Rabbit type of way (if Jessica Rabbit was a butch teenager), and if you're third eye is opened enough to see it as yuri it's a win. (The poetry scene was really sweet, in a way.)

Prialeb came out of nowhere though. For a character who was essentially a Justin clone last season, I really do like the direction Caleb's character is going in. He's got that competitive mindset, and is trying to flatter Priya into an alliance by being friendly/flirty, but the narrative doesn't really make it clear if he's aware that he's manipulating her Alejandro style or if he really is just oblivious enough to see his approach as platonic/friendly. Holding out for some aro or ace (or aroace 🤭) representation with Caleb if they go with the second narriative, but the "only ever had one girlfriend" line hints more towards him being gay than ace.

I'm predicting Priya's foil being her crush of Caleb. It's gonna lead to her elimination. I love the fact that that, despite being hypercompetent thanks to her upbringing, she's terrible with things like relationships and feelings.

I'm super happy that Emma and Chase ended things again. They're terrible for each other. Also, Emma was way less likable this season? IDK if that's just me. Chase was never likable but he's at least funny to watch, especially when he's taking Ls.

Lauren's antagonist arc is brewing at Playa Des Losers (if that's still a thing?) so she's definitely coming back in the merge Izzy style. That, or she'll pull an Ezekiel and sneak back onto the island.

Millie's brief character arc about learning not to take advantage of people was cute, if undeveloped, but I can't say I liked her this season. Damien didn't deserve what she did, but he did need the reality check it gave him. And some therapy to help his fear of everything- the guy's an anxious wreak, and it's not so much endearing as it is pitiful to watch.

Wayne and Raj are my two beautiful sons who deserve the world. Zee has been delightful as always. No need for elaboration.

Chris is delightful this season. All of his lines are great, and what little we see of Chef is golden too. Good job to the writing team for our favourite geriatric couple.

My only real gripe with this season, which has been more and more apparent since season 1 back in 2007, is that the characters don't really feel like they're in a summer camp. Back in the OG island we had character interactions and dynamics outside of challenges that helped set the tone of the series; it felt like they really were teenagers at a summer camp, the challenges and eliminations came second to the character plotlines.

Whereas now, most of every episode is based in the challenge itself. Every elimination is based around something that character does during a challenge. Most meaningful interactions happen during a challenge. It feels more like a gameshow than the reality tv it's supposed to imitate. The only non-competition based conflict we get to watch is Emma and Chase's thing, which is more akin to influencers beefing than two teenagers at a camp having a rocky relationship (see: Duncney S1, Gwent S2 briefly, whatever happened with Gwourtney). I wish we got to see more of the character as they are, than the characters while they're actively in a challenge.

[kraekns]

HEADCANON : MENTAL ILLNESS .

edward had always been a . . . sensitive child , prone easily to fits of uncontrollable crying over the seemingly smallest of things one day , and near boundless energy the next . his father had always said it was the bit of the devil in him , a curse , he said , passed from mother to son . cruel jokes about edward being born wrong were common in the teach household , worsened by edwards fascination with the fashions worn by their mothers employers . those words never quite left their mind , distorting their view of themselves until they weren't quite sure what happened to that child who'd sent a buck toothed smile to their mother when allowed to try on one of her dresses .

as edward grew , these " moods " as their mother called them , became more frequent , worsened by their fathers treatment of both mother and child . cruel words were just as common as abuse , littering the both of them . . . yet nothing ever happened . no one came to save them , like their mother has promised . their was no salvation , no rest for their wicked souls .

after the death of their father , edward attempted to stay at his mothers side but soon left after getting word that a pirate ship was docked nearby . in the dark of the night , they stowed away , kissing their mothers frail cheeks and never looking back .

at sea , things seemed . . . good , for awhile . months passed on an unending high . they thrived in the new environment : quick wit and quicker fingers served them well and soon they were climbing the ranks . learning at the feet of an older boy who took the poor little stowaway under his wing . boundless energy served them well , insomnia leading to hours spent dedicated to their studies .

their first major depressive episode was shortly after becoming captain in their mid - 20s . the pressure , the change , the blood on their hands . they spent days in their cabins , taking ink and needle to skin and leaving most duties to izzy as they drifted aimlessly . ed spent weeks like this , barely sleeping , barely eating , snapping at the merest provocation . this was around the time they turned to drugs for the first time as well , taking anything they could find from terrified crew . drinking themselves sick in some desperate attempt to feel . . . anything .

these moods would color the rest of their adult life ; swinging from bouts of mania to deep , deep depression . through it all , izzy would follow closely behind , picking up the pieces as he went . following ed's whims , supporting him through the darkest nights .

the tldr of this rambling headcanon;

ed suffers from bipolar i & gender dysphoria. symptoms of both have been heavily present in the show so far .

depression lasting at least two weeks seen prominently following stede's betrayal, but also hinted at several times in season one when discussing ed's moods and their general apathy towards life. manic episodes including symptoms such as : talking very quickly , feeling full of energy, feeling full of great new ideas and having important plans, being easily distracted, doing things that often have disastrous consequences – such as throwing loot overboard in order to store more loot. for the most part , ed's moods are unprompted by triggers and rise and fall like the tide. his most volatile episodes have been, for the most part, triggered by something though. their father's death (running away), stede's arrival, and stede's betrayal.

[prosa2002]

I can't stop thinking about this. This can go in so many ways.

If there's a logical reason for it other than "Mal being the original in this AU", I guess the situation that caused Mike to try to hide his very obvious condition could have been traumatic enough for him to go dormant or something. Regardless, I would see Mal coming back as something that happened between Mike signing up and the start of the show, in a way that Chris would at least know what was up while leaving Mike aware enough to not accidentally sabotage the challenges when he comes back (Cut to him appearing for the first time in All-Stars thinking he's just appearing for the first time on TV in ROTI lol). Also, I don't need to say it, but the "Hit button to erase all alters" garbage is not happening.

Mal trying to be villainous but people taking him as seriously as they do with Izzy (cause they don't have Mike to compare, so they think it's him trying too hard to turn into ROTI's antagonist) but who maybe learns to chill out a bit (cause I like him being a villain, but hate the lack of reason for it) vs Him in All-Stars just dropping his cartoon-villain act to become "just a guy". If it happened after he got hit in the head, then maybe people would assume him suddenly not remembering thing would be a result of a concussion-induced amnesia or something.

And what about the other alters? Maybe the other contestants do perceive his mean behaviors as a literal act, so they assume the other alters are acts too, which Mal doesn't want cause he's himself and has nothing to do with the others. I just find funny the "Mike tries to convince he's an impulsive actor and fails" contrast with "Mal tries to convince he isn't acting and fails". Also, the other alters being unaware Mike is missing and Mal is back, and they keep constantly missing the chance of discovering that by a thread while Mal prays that he isn't found out and “erased” again. And I wonder how long it would take for the other contestants to notice there's a new "alter" (assuming they know it's an alter by then) in Mal's arsenal, plus noticing that Mal is gone.

Or alternatively, Mal being the only one present in ROTI, only for him to "suddenly become plural" on All-Stars (obviously we know he already was, not the contestants though) out of nowhere. Or maybe the "thinking it was an act" thing happens without Mal there to defend himself, and Mike just takes the chance and plays along while trying to stop Mal from getting back.

Chris keeping quiet by what he knows, just giving tiny hints that don't actually say anything ("Did you know Mal's real name is Mike?" "No it's not, I’m not-" "Wow. Of course Mal would be mad about having such a basic name like 'Mike'. That certainly doesn't seem to fit his villain-sona, haha!"), and betting with Chef on how long it will take for the other contestants to figure it out.

And the obligatory:

Duncan: W-wait, what did you say about that guy? Zoey: Huh? Oh, you mean Mal? Yeah, don't worry about him. I mean, he has threatened to do a lot of bad stuff, but he's just a silly guy who is more bark than bite. There's no need to- Duncan: ... w-well, I know Mal from juvie, and he certainly didn't seem 'silly' while beating the crap out of the other people there. Zoey: ... what.

(Edit: A lot of wording wasn't getting across what I was trying to say, so I reworded and cleared up a few things 👍)

(Edit 2: More corrections cause I seem to be really bad at writing 🙃)

It would be fun if mal was in control for roti and mike comes out in ass stars. Btw mal is gonna be an emo theater kid (he still went to juvil tho….)

Anon, thank you for feeding me.