#baseball mistakes

[redbeardace]

Okay, which one of you designed the new uniform for the Mets?

[chiquilines]

I just like putting them in silly little outfits

[phant0m-l0rd]

self-indulgent Shohei Ohtani ballpoint pen sketch dump from the other week~

(I know this is mainly a music and kdrama blog but I'm afraid the baseball hyperfixation is rotting my brain atm and I had to get it all out of my system)

[fluidfox123]

Izzy Hands is a complex, dynamic, and well-rounded character. The fandom's depiction of making him a flat, simple, all-villain and all-hero character–when it isn't silly-haha and having fun (obviously because me too, girlie, me too)–but as a genuine, serious perspective of his character and his place in the show is something that I would like to point out. 

So, obviously, some of this fandom has strong ass opinions about Izzy Hands, and I have seen so many takes on him, especially with the release of the first season 2 episodes. Now, for those of you who don't know (for any new fans), Izzy Hands is the first mate to Blackbeard's crew and frequently, in season 1, was uptight, persuading Edward Teach to do things he didn't really want to do (Kill Stede Bonnet, act a certain way around the crew, not show weakness, act on another side to him that was present on the Revenge, etc.) 

This has caused a lot of fandom splitting on opinions about him, especially his toxicity to vulnerability when Ed was heartbroken over Stede leaving, Ed and Izzy having more than a captain and first mate relationship, his actions towards the crew, and so on other unpleasant things he's done. This has caused fandom to view him as homophobic (at times internalized), masochistic, an abuser, and villainized. Other parts of the fandom see him as a victim of societal symbolism, a scorned lover (going through a divorce), a one-sided lover, and an actual hero for not only the progression of the story but Ed and Stede's relationship.

A lot of the fandom is insanely split on this, so split I've seen entire arguments about it and people pulling some unbelievable shit over some lil guy in a comedy-emotionally-symbolic pirate show, so I am here to say, very loudly and clearly: Izzy Hands ain't no villain or hero, no abuser or victim. I am here to say he is fucking BOTH simultaneously and that he isn't more of one or the fucking other. He has two hands, and both hold the complex nature of humanity as the beautifully well-rounded character he is. 

To get the ugliest explanation out of the way, the idea of an abuser being a victim and a victim being an abuser is something that, I believe, is something that has to be considered when speaking of Izzy Hands, especially concerning Edward Teach. Like, practically ESSENTIAL, if you want to dive into the meat of their relationship. And I don't just mean that as in, like, "Izzy Hands fucked over Edward emotionally to the point of mentally breaking him and then got physically abused in return by the man he mentally broke with his idiocy," BUT ALSO through the lens of "Edward AND Izzy have spent long years in a hell they can't escape in the line of work they have been forced to stay in, even by those who are supposed to be by their side/society, and in turn twisted the dagger into the stomach of those who placed it on them." 

Now, to clarify, in similar terms, Izzy Hands–someone who is affected by the view of what piracy is supposed to be by literally everyone outside of the Revenge and Blackbeard's ship, as shown in season 1–has abused Edward emotionally, brought upon him ideas that harm him and tear that man apart to the point of feeding into his suicide ideations that have been present from the very beginning. At the same time, Edward has internalized those views and reflected them upon the one who hurt him and others. Izzy Hands and Edward Teach are victims of an idea of what is "right" for them to do, be, and believe, and CONTINUE that cycle by feeding it into the other.

Now, this show isn't the real world, no matter how much you want it to be, so pointing out who is more or not problematic is like looking at a lineup of Hannibal Lecter from multiple types of media and trying to decide who did cannibalism and murder the nicest. They're PIRATES; they KILL people. The fact is that this show uses death and fighting as something that is not serious, goofy even, and injury to the main characters as EMOTIONAL, SYMBOLIC storytelling. Edward getting verbally abused by Izzy Hands daily and Edward choking the man out and taking away his toes and then his fucking leg is on the same level as the storytelling and NOT about one being evil and one being a poor baby. It is simple: they are fucked up guys who hurt one another despite caring for one another. You can find REFLECTIONS of real life in OFMD, but that does not make it real life and should not be treated as such. 

To the "But people don't deserve abuse! You're being an abuser apologist by saying Izzy deserved it!" "Izzy hands brought this on himself and deserves all the physical, emotional, and mental pain, and I hope he dies." I bring you: Izzy is an abuser; the consequences of that abuse broke a man who, in turn, broke him with abuse. It is a cycle, an unhealthy relationship on both sides. No one deserved it, but it happened (is happening even), and what matters is how the show decides to address it. And liking and supporting the prevalence of it on screen to dive into this kind of relationship is not fucking evil. It does not make someone good or bad to explore harsh topics, see them on screen, and enjoy and want MORE of them. 

They are pirates who have been around captains who force-fed crew mates live crabs that ripped through a stomach, watched people burn alive without a second glance, killed their fathers, and threatened each other with guns and weapons on a daily fuckin' basis. This isn't that far-fetched that this would have happened. It doesn't matter who is redeemable; it's about criminals who are fucked up in falling in love and working through issues. And the mere fucked up but REALISTIC SYMBOLISM AND STORYTELLING of Ed and Izzy's relationship brings so much to not only season 1 but their characters and what this means for them in the past and future. In my opinion, it is masterful to see such characters like this on-screen who DO care for each other but can never love each other like they want. Because that's another thing: they truly love each other, and if you want to get deeper into that part of it, I recommend this post I made. 

In summary, this man is the abuser and the abused, and those who refuse to see this are missing the entire part of his character and Ed and Izzy's relationship.

To get to the other point, Izzy is, yes, an abuser and a victim, but at the same time is a fictional being deserving and capable of change, just like every character in the show who is part of the main cast (he is not Big Jack Horner from Puss in Boots, now THAT is an irredeemable character in media done RIGHT). 

People look at Izzy Hands being an asshole and make him a flat-ass villain who is homophobic JUST because he treats the queers on The Revenge like shit and is not deserving of getting the arc he is getting because he wasn't the most pleasant guy in the room is the equivalent of people who took one look at all Izzy's done and thinks Izzy has never done anything wrong in his entire life, everything Izzy has done is justified because he's changed in season 2. And just like I said before, this doesn't apply to the fandom inside jokes. No, when I state these things, it's about people who take it SERIOUSLY. Look at Izzy and GENUINELY THINK IN A VERY REAL, VERY "I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH" OPINION ABOUT HIM BEING A VILLIAN OR HERO. Which isn't at all right. He is not at all one or the other; he is just a little guy who plays both roles in-story and out-of-story ways.

He is more than capable of changing, and this is shown in season 1 when he apologized for snapping at Blackbeard over his stress of trying to make sure they survive day to day; he knew he was hurting Edward but was, in fact, doing it to ensure Edward's safety despite how misconstrued it was and still is in season 2 (based on his conversation with Stede in the Captain's Quarters). He is not only protected by the trauma crew on the Revenge but protects them IN RETURN from things that happened off-screen, and those who do not think the end of season 1 Izzy and the beginning of season 2 Izzy match up or are not the same character have missed much context from his past appearances before season 2. And that applies to people who ignore either part of his character, the good or bad.

People who are not redeemable do not apologize for their actions. They do not verbalize and tell people they know they're doing things wrong. These are all signs of a character capable of being self-aware if they choose to. We have seen Izzy Hands choose it between seasons. Just because it wasn't on screen with a neon sign pointing to it doesn't mean it isn't happening and DIDN'T happen. Izzy's reaction to Fang asking what happened to his toe in the library scene isn't how we first interpreted it; it matches the beginning of an abusive cycle we see later. It is a nervous laugh, the settling of something, joy, delight, and fear. Because Izzy was PUT in his place from an idea that Izzy placed in Ed's head. But we know Edward has never been this far gone, so when he continued to be punished, it was no longer a sign of his Blackbeard; that delight vanished and turned to horror and regret and him owning up to his actions. 

Izzy states he and the rest of the crew are WORRIED about him. He cares, and because he doesn't care healthily and cutely doesn't mean he doesn't care because care isn't always pretty and good; it doesn't have to be righteous and morally right. (This applies to Edward and people hating him for his treatment of the crew and Izzy. Everything I have said applies to him as well, just as much. Despite everything, the crew cares about him, but that doesn't mean everything is good and dandy either; it is COMPLEX.) 

Izzy Hands quite LITERALLY has only followed Pirate Protocol this entire time that Edward has followed for years alongside him, and to call him evil and irredeemable is to call Edward the same thing, and to call them both monsters is to miss the entire fuckin point of this show and it's story-telling. 

This is not about what is right and wrong in the lens of real life for every little detail; it is about the right and wrong of love, relationships, and societal expectations upon outsiders and people who don't follow what is expected of them. It is about how each person interprets it and has fun with it, and to make it a battleground is so fuckin sad. I am so sorry you think you must do that and make everything censored and pure when we finally get a show that doesn't queerbait, demonize individuals who usually are, is anti-racist/colonist and doesn't shit on neurodivergent folks.

And last but not least, allow Izzy to be interpreted by fandom as fandom wishes. It's about having fun, so have fun with him while RESPECTING his character and your fellow fans! See him as a masochist? Don't equalize his abuse and victim moments as masochism because abuse does not equal masochism in any form. See him as an antagonist? Hell, yeah, give the bad sides of him some love! See him as a protagonist? Awesome, feed into those positive points! But in no fuckin world is there a reason to attack one another over this little fictional man who is literally nothing like his real counterpart. In summary, everyone's opinion is valid, and if you don't like something, don't interact, and not everything that makes you uncomfortable is evil. 

[alex-just-vibing]

Hcs on Solar System finding Kel crying by himself? (With him obviously denying the claim and telling them that he's fine)

ooh, I actually had a fic idea in my head kinda like that! (not solar system, but baseball bat. but I can change a few things)

This is less headcanons and more just word vomit/a pseudo-fic lol (under read more for the benefit of everyone here lol) Cuz I know I wouldn't be able to rest until I got this out of my head now (thanks a lot anon /lhj)

Sunny, Basil, and Aubrey were walking through the streets of Faraway Town, looking for the last person they needed to complete their group. They were hoping to find somewhere to just hang out at, whether that be one of their houses or somewhere else, like the park, Hobbeez, or maybe Gino's, but they didn't want to do it without Kel.

He wasn't at his house, and when they asked his mother where he was, she told them that he'd just gone for a walk. They thanked her, and she said to them, as she always does when they stop by, that they're welcome there anytime.

After stopping by his house, the three of them decided to check the park to see if he had stopped there while on his walk. He wasn't there either. Aubrey suggested checking their secret hangout spot, and the other two agreed that it wouldn't hurt to try.

None of them were particularly expecting him to be there, but when they walked past the trees into the area, they saw Kel sitting on an old picnic blanket. He was hugging his knees to his chest, and his forehead was pressed against his knees. His face wasn't visible from where the three others stood, but it was obvious something was wrong.

Aubrey was the first to approach him. She walked up to him and kneeled next to him. He didn't seem to notice her.

"Is everything okay, Kel?" she asked. She then saw the tears streaming down his face and facepalmed mentally. Of course he's not okay, what kind of question is that? She can't recall the last time she saw him cry...

Kel turned his head to look at her, before smiling weakly. "I-I'm fine!" He brought his hand to his face and wiped at his tears. More fell, replacing the ones he wiped away. "Don't worry about me!"

Sunny and Basil had also walked over to him. Sunny sat down next to him, as did Basil. Sunny gently grabbed Kel's hand.

"No, Kel." Sunny's voice was firm, but caring. "You aren't 'fine.' And that's okay." He squeezed Kel's hand slightly.

Basil cautiously placed one arm over Kel's shoulder. He leaned his head slightly against Kel's shoulder. "We love you Kel. A lot. We want to be here for you, the same way you always are for us."

Kel shook his head at their words. "I'm... I'm fine, really! You don't need to worry about me..." His voice was shaky and broken up by sniffles. He continued trying to wipe away his tears, but they just kept flowing.

Aubrey pulled him into a hug, not saying anything just yet. She let his head rest against her chest, and she placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

Basil moved closer to Kel, leaning against him to hopefully be a comforting presence for him. He turned to fully hug Kel, and he buried his face in Kel's shoulder. Kel in turn moved his face to rest in Basil's hair.

Sunny scoots closer, so that he could be sitting right next to Kel. Sunny didn't let go of his hand while moving, and once he settled into a comfortable position, he squeezed Kel's hand again.

"I'm sorry." Kel's voice was barely above a whisper. "I... I didn't mean to worry you guys..." When he spoke, his voice broke, then trailed off into a near-silent sob.

"It's okay, Kel," Sunny reassured him, and he rubbed his thumb over Kel's knuckles. "You're allowed to cry. Just let it all out. We aren't going anywhere."

The four of them sat in a comfortable silence, which was only broken by the occasional sob from Kel. After a good few minutes, Kel's crying seemed to slow, then eventually stop.

Basil noticed that Kel had stopped crying, and he was the first to speak. "Kel... Would you want to talk about why you were upset..?" His tone carried genuine concern and love.

Kel paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "No... Not right now..."

Sunny nodded. "Okay. We'll be here for you whenever you're ready." The other two nodded in agreement, all three of them smiling warmly at Kel.

"Now, weren't we planning to hangout?" As she spoke, Aubrey started to stand up, and she extended her hands to help the other three up. Basil and Sunny stood up first, then all three of them pulled Kel up.

Kel smiled, chuckling lightly as he was pulled up. "That sounds nice... How about a sleepover at my place?"

[maeamian]

I wish there were better ways to discuss outrage that didn't rely on the same language we use for surprise. It's very tiring to complain about something horrific or that sucks wicked bad and get 'and this surprises you?'

My outrage is not dependent on surprise, it is dependent on my moral code being violated, which happens often enough that I do not find it surprising, but also, I refuse to be numb to my morals.

[my-shields-are-down]

UPDATED, CLEANED UP, AND EDITED.

Happy Belated Birthday to my first function fan and first tumblr friend - @northern-neighbor .

[neptunehenriksen]

The Wonder Years // Modern Baseball // Fall Out Boy

Lyrics on a photo of a sunset, taken by me, in Naarm/Melbourne, with a Canon EOS

[slythereen]

tifosi math: i didn’t end up going to the austin gp this year so buying the austin jersey is basically saving money

[ahhscheisse]

Some of you need to realize that yeah, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that doesn’t mean be completely thoughtless, y’know? I don’t use places like Walmart unless I absolutely have to. As in: no other options. I use Amazon too much but as the years go by, I’ve realized it is getting harder and harder to avoid them entirely. I don’t like meat but even if I fucking loved the homophobic chicken, I have other options in my area to choose from, so I will. It means doing the least amount of damage you can with the knowledge and morals, I guess, that you have. Don’t buy the anti semitic game. Don’t hand Jeff Bezos money when you see him on the street. Don’t kick puppies. Be thoughtful. Try. No one can be perfect but I know you can try.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

made myself look stupid for getting confused during baseball but it all evens out because I just played ping pong with the guy I like for like an hour

[jamiethenerd]

i just rediscovered my video of the last out of the phils no hitter and my god i’m so sorry to the people around me i was screaming my head off

[s1x-foot-deep]

couldn't decide which filter i liked better or no filter so 3 of him,

[elizabro]

I can’t explain to anyone that the way I’m wearing this cropped tee is in a distinctly masculine fashion, despite not being even close to butch enough to claim I’m “accessing my femininity through my masculinity”, per se, but I know it and I feel it to be true. someone told me I'm like a 50 year old dad in the body of a 24 year old woman. compliment

[bunnymajo]

Kit (tries to throw) throwing boiling water at Elias

Kit: oopsy :)

Surge: i forgive you cause your my little buddy

Elias: fighting for his life out here <

Surge baps Kit with a rolled up newspaper: No, bad Drippy. Your aim is terrible, watch me

Elias using a stick and a piece of cardboard to defend himself: guys can we play a different game now?

[a-tortured-poet]

shout out to emmanuel clase. i love you, man!! one of the best closers in the mlb!! some of the most saves in the game rn!!! don’t be so hard on yourself!!