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#and then you have fang and ivan and ed and jackie like “yeah nah it’s uh. look we all just sort of accept he lives in his own narrative”
knowlesian · 2 years
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the clever way they set up izzy the unreliable narrator is just… such good writing
i started making a complete list of “things other people agree izzy is good at” and “things only izzy says he’s good at” for brain distractions and on that first list is swordfighting
the second list is …everything else, i truly do find this little fucker so fun on a narrative level. he’s the textbook unreliable narrator: literally everything he says ends up directly contradicted by the people in question or the action, but he swaggers around yelling his version of events loudest! (and weirdest, lmfao.)
and honestly on a deeper level it makes us as an audience look at how we process things people tell us vs things people show us, and how those are often very much at odds.
the writing on this show is ridiculously good, you know? 
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Way behind, doing it anyway!
1. When did you discover OFMD? A little later than everyone else. I think I started watching it after all the episodes had dropped, and people were talking about the Gay Pirates.
2. What was your first impression? I didn't quite hate it, and I wasn't sure I'd watch past the first three episodes. That was a surprise to me because I like Kiwi humor. I think the problem was I'd been hearing all about how the show was Amazingly Gay and the End of Queerbaiting and a Big Gay Romcom--and that's just not evident the first time you watch the first three episodes. Amazingly Gay gets a reasonable start, to be fair, and all of it is impossible to miss on rewatch. But the first time through, the End of Queerbaiting and a Big Gay Romcom feel like ridiculous oversells. And even with all the casually depicted queerness in the first three episodes, its amount of Amazingly Gay felt like not enough somehow? It might be partly that Stede presents as such a Camp Gay, and Thor Ragnarok made me a bit suspicious of Taika's handling of that type (in retrospect, that was almost certainly the fault of the MCU). That said, I was totally here for Taika, and he doesn't fully appear in the first three eps.
3. First OFMD pic in gallery
Nah, I'm not going all the way back for that. Here's the most recent still OFMD pic I've reblogged:
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4. Reasons you like OFMD I love OFMD for all the reasons I thought I wouldn't make it past episode 3. 😂
I love the pervasive, matter-of-fact presentation of queerness in all its rich variety. I love the Big Gay Romance, and all the other supporting queer romances. I love the Revenge family. I love their deep, multifarious, matter-of-fact diversity. I love that these characters exist within and sometimes rub up against a world that, like the one we know, is deeply antagonistic to them. I love that OFMD handles racism with the same gently brutal realism as it does anti-queerness. Those two elements of the show break me so hard, in such a good way. I also love the hard switch Rhys gives Stede between Bumbling Bumbler and Daddy in Charge, and I love how he adapts it as the situation calls for. (It's literally the biggest thing that convinced me to keep watching despite my misgivings. It takes 20 minutes into S1E1 to first see it, and then, damn.) I love Ed's wet cat energy. I love Stede's hair. I love Ed's hair. I love the Revenge. I love the shifting flashbacks and dream/story sequences. I love Izzy as an antagonist, and the painfully realistic toxic relationship between him and Ed that fuels the antagonism. And I love how Izzy constantly shoots himself in the foot. I love all the supporting male characters of color: Frenchie and Olu and Fang and Roach and Ivan, and how most of them are big guys and are so sexy and I just....yeah.
5. Favorite main character
Ed. I am Ed coded to the absolute max. And he's sexy AF, in all his guises.
6. Favorite supporting character(s)
I am both glad and not to see that "(s)." Could I choose just one? No. Since I am allowed to choose multiple, is it going to look like I'm naming the whole cast? Yep!
Top of the top: Frenchie.
Followed closely by Olu, Mary, Lucius, and Fang.
Honorable mentions: Roach, Nana, the Swede, Buttons, Evelyn, and Alma.
I also love the native community on shipwreck island, Hornberry, and Mister "We Could Have Made Magic." (Jim is too past-me coded for me to love, and Jackie doesn't rate for me yet; I suspect both will change with season 2.)
7. Songs that remind you of your fav characters
Halsey's The Lighthouse is my Stede abandons Ed at the dock theme. Elza Soares' Coracao do mar and Phoebe Bridgers' Motion Sickness also remind me of Ed. White Flag by Joseph for Stede. Here's my OFMD playlist:
8. Underrated character
Frenchie. Frenchie does not get his due in this fandom, and it's a damn shame.
9. Character you resonate most with
Ed, hands down.
10. Character you hated at first but grew to love
Buttons
11. Favorite duo
Frenchie and Olu
12. Scene that made you laugh
Frenchie naming the Pyramid Scheme
13. Scene that made you cry
The bathtub confession
14. Favorite episode
S1E5, The Best Revenge is Dressing Well
15. Favorite quote
"Have you ever been sketched?" --Lucius
16: Favorite line delivery
"Your face." --Roach
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izzy-b-hands · 1 year
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"Broke is such a...term," Stede chuckles nervously.
"You mean we're poor again?" the Swede asks softly.
"Oh love," Lucius pats his shoulder. "We were never rich; we just worked for a rich guy."
"Oh."
"I know."
Stede frowns. "You all did want a more traditional pirate employment experience, so this-"
"Sucks," Pete interjects. "I needed you to help fund Lucius' R-I-N-G!"
"Babe, I can spell," Lucius smiles. "A ring, hm? Of the kind that goes-"
"On your cock, yeah, that one, definitely," Pete stammers. "Not the finger one because I love you or whatever, but like. If you DID get one of those, and you had to put at least three stones on it, which-"
Lucius lovingly tackles him to the sand and peppers him with kisses.
"See, Pete came to terms with it and he's fine," Stede says. "Money isn't all there is to life."
"Yeah, but it does help to have it," Olu says. "And in bulk, if possible."
"I can never please you guys!"
Stede flops face first onto the hot sand. "Ow."
"Okay," Olu sighs. "You need a minute like that?"
"...yes."
"Okay. We're gonna look for ships to steal so we can start searching for Ed. Wanna come help once this is over?"
"I'm sorry, Olu."
Olu pats his back. "It's...yeah. Is what it is, Captain. You're okay."
"I have no money, my boyfriend tried to kill my scribe, no ship, and everyone hates me," Stede mumbles into the sand. "Pft. And now I have sand in my mouth! Life is endless miseries and little more!"
"...yeah, right, so when you're done, come join us. Or, see if Lucius and Pete want a third, if that would help you and they're interested."
"Maybe."
"Captain, seriously, this is so sad and not in an entirely sympathetic way-"
"I miss Ed."
Olu looks to the waiting crew, eye rolls waiting in the wings. "He'll be fine. This is fine."
"We're all gonna die," Roach nods.
"Not helping."
"Davy Jones will cradle us like a-"
"Buttons," Olu hisses. "Not helping!"
"Who said I was trying to be helpful? Was a bit of poetry ye might have appreciated, but never mind me."
"You think Ed and everyone else are doing better?" Stede sniffles.
--
"Broken," Ed nods. "I might have guessed, as we are listing entirely to the side."
Frenchie winces. "Yeah, that last battle...well. We all worked really hard, and that's good, but even so we're going to die, so..."
"Please get on the fucking dinghy already!" Izzy limps over and points to the dinghy full of Jim, Fang, Ivan, and as much of all their stuff as possible, waiting for them. "I am not dying here."
"Nah, the infection will do that later," Ed remarks. "You're right though; we should probably go."
"Probably?!"
"Oh my god," Ed sighs deeply. "Let's go before he makes a Thing out of this."
"The ship is almost sideways!" Fang calls from the boat. "We're already sort of in the water now here, so can we PLEASE-"
"Bitch, whine, kvetch, does anything else get done on this fucking ship?" Ed stomps off to the dinghy, leaving Frenchie to help Izzy limp along after him.
--
"I'd argue it's one of the finest," Stede says seriously. "Swede, give him a turn?"
The Swede obliges and shows off his ass, saying something Stede doesn't understand in Swedish but that sounds fairly sexy at least.
"Uh," the pirate coughs awkwardly. "No thanks."
"The prostitution thing didn't work before when you weren't even trying for it," Lucius sighs. "Why would you do it again?"
"Because we are, indeed, hawking fabulous booty of many kinds, and-"
"Your wife handled most of the financials, didn't she?" Lucius pats his shoulder. "Awww."
"I can handle money! And I know how to make it!"
"And I didn't get hard watching Pete try to roleplay as Izzy, sure."
"What now?"
Lucius shrugs. "He's grown on me. Pete just likes the idea of us wearing more leather, I think."
"We really should," Pete interjects in between posing for the passing crowds.
"Sure, I'll buy us some with my NO MONEY!" Stede shrieks. "I hate this."
"If you need money," a passing pirate pauses to say. "Spanish Jackie is running a sort of contest you folks might be interested in."
--
"Huh," Ed studies the flyer. "Stripping isn't anything Izzy's done in awhile-"
"Sorry, he's done this before?" Frenchie asks. "Not judging, just didn't expect it, Iz."
"I'll die up there," Izzy mutters. "Literally, at this rate."
His foot has been attended to by a doctor at the port, but he's understandably still feeling shit.
However, they need money and a ship, and at least having more of the former would help until they can steal the latter...
--
"Hi," Stede says awkwardly.
"Bonnet."
"You didn't buy anything special to wear for this?"
"Can't afford it at present. Judging by your outfit, you're in the same boat."
Stede snorts. "Is Ed..."
"Um. You do know Jackie's made him a last minute judge, yeah?"
"Oh no."
Izzy nods. "Yeah. I'd say may the best man win, but we're up against Jack."
"He's alive?!"
"Against all odds and as usual, yes."
"This day can't get worse."
"Also, Ed's expecting a theme for each performance, so-"
"Oh my god."
"Yeah."
--
"Uh," Ed steps onstage and gently pulls Stede and Izzy up from it. "Jackie, can I finish judging in a moment?"
"Everyone's still buying drinks and Jack wants to dance again," she replies. "Don't worry about it, just get them off my damn stage."
"So," he says as he drags them back to the assembly of chairs for both their crews. "Izzy I know is sick, that's his excuse for whatever the fuck that performance was-"
"Pardon me for tripping because I'm missing my fuckin' toe," Izzy grumbles.
"And Olu says you've been avoiding food to save money? Which I assume explains the passing out. What the fuck is all this?"
"Been asking myself that for the last twenty minutes," Jim interjects. "I. I've learned things about myself here. I don't know how to feel about it."
"Jack has that effect on most people," Es says. "I mean, I know it would be a bad idea to fuck him again. However, after that performance..."
His gaze softens and his eyes look somewhere beyond anything visible before he shakes his head. "Sorry, anyway. What the fuck are we doing about this mess?"
--
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jack screams from the dock, cock out and flopping as he runs. "Ed! Edward! Park my ship and get over here, now!"
"We're all in various stages of fucking each other over!" Ed calls. "You said it yourself!"
"I didn't mean like this!"
"You should have been more specific then!"
"I don't feel great about this," Stede admits. "But this is really good soup."
"It is," Izzy nods. "Almost makes a person tired. Maybe that's just the day."
"I laced it with morphine so they rest," Roach whispers to Olu. "Don't worry, I dosed it carefully."
Izzy and Stede slump forward, wooden bowls of soup spilling onto the deck.
"Carefully?"
"Carefully enough. Captain Ed has requested a serious conversation with each of them; I figured they could use as much sleep as possible before that."
"Odd question, but is there more of that soup available for the rest of us?"
Roach nods. "Roach's Sleepytime Soup is only made in large batches, specifically for situations like this."
"When your estranged captains sort of get back together but not really and everything is a fucking mess?"
Roach shrugs. "Also weddings. Because they're stressful, but you can't be stressed if you're sleeping."
"I love it; what's the recommended amount to sleep through until the three of them are done with all that talking Ed wants?"
"...just keep eating until you pass out or it feels right."
"Okay."
Which things aren't really. Okay, that is, but the soup is warm and fast-acting, and Ed seems happy enough as he directs the rest of the crew.
That's maybe as much as they can ask for, while broke and now living on a ship with a dedicated 'whippies' area of the deck (as labeled in paint by presumably Jack.)
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