#ed let lucius push him off the boat

[littlestarlex]

I am trying to be normal about the new episodes of ofmd but I am UNWELL

[pandalorian36]

Izzy Hands x (male) reader

A: You're right. I was jealous. B: I know. A: It was foolish. B: It was. A: Must you agree with me all of the time?

Leaning over the bar I grin at the bartender “Two scotches.” the women grins winking “Two scotches coming right up.” She hands me one glass but keeps the other out of reach “The other will cost you your name.” I sigh doing a small mock bow “L/N.” I hold my hand out for the glass, but she doesn’t hand it over leaning on the bar instead flicking her hair over one shoulder “You're pretty cute for a pirate.” I sigh clenching my glass “I’m here with my partner.” She giggles twirling the glass “A pirate who does not wish to dally how odd.” I frown brow furrowing “My drink.” She giggles leaning closer “Am I not pleasing to you?” I scowl “My drink.” She hands it over running a finger down my chest “I’ll be here should you change your mind.”

“Hands off.” I grin taking a step back and sipping from my drink the bartender looks Izzy up and down “What’s your problem?” Izzy scowls “You’re touching my man.” I grin wrapping an arm around his waist “Come on.” He doesn’t budge fists clenching “Iz lets go.” He takes my glass shattering it on the counter at which point I haul him over my shoulder carrying him out while he swears.

“Iz calm down.” I lower him back to the ground glaring “I am calm.” I chuckle “Course you are.” He scowls “I’m fine.” I grin brushing hair out his face “You sure darlin? You’re not jealous?”

“I don’t get jealous.” I grin leaning closer “You sure.”

“I don’t get jealous.” I laugh brushing my lips against his “Sure love. Let’s get back to the ship.” He continues grumbling while we walk making me laugh, I throw my arm around his waist kissing his cheek “Don’t worry love, only got eyes for you.” as we draw nearer to the ship, I pull my arm back crossing them casually behind my back. Ed grins sauntering over “Anything interesting going on in town?” I shake my head going over to Lucius, Jim and Olo sat on the deck playing cards. “Care to join us hot stuff?” I roll my eyes slightly slumping down next to Jim “Lay of Lucius.”

“Merely stating the facts. You really should let me sketch you.” I frown glaring at the dark-haired man “Not going to happen.”

“I think you would make a wonderful model.”

“Lucius drop it.” he smirks “Come on I’ve sketched pretty much everyone at this point. Just one little drawing.” I go to reply when a shadow falls over our group a hand skimming my shoulder gently “What are you all doing?” Pete smiles slightly “Resting, Captain gave us the day off.” Lucius sighs dramatically while pointing at his sketchbook “Y/N won’t let me draw them.” I stand trying to subtly push Izzy backwords “No and I’m not going to change my mind.” Lucius grins standing as well leaning forward “All I am asking is one little drawing. We’ve all seen you working on the rigging.” Izzy tenses while I frown “Lucius, I suggest you drop it.” I turn away managing three steps before Lucius makes a mistake “Anyone else think their butt looks incredible in those trousers.”

I hear a thud then a splash followed by loud clammering from the rest of the crew. Groaning I turn the others gathering around the railing Izzy seething fists balled at his side. Pete is practically over the railing yelling “Lucius? Babe? You, okay?” Fang grips Pete’s waist preventing him from falling over the edge.

Olo and Roach grab the rope ladder lowering it over the side while Pete rounds on Izzy “What the hell? You pushed him.” Izzy scowls “Care to join him?” I sigh grabbing his arm and pulling him away to the other side of the boat “Really Iz? You’ve got to calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“You didn’t need to push him overboard.” He shrugs slightly “Accident.” I roll my eyes sighing “Right an accident. Really Iz, you’re all over the place today.” He scowls glaring over my shoulder at Lucius who is drenched “What the fuck was that for?” Izzy tenses and before he can retaliate, I shove him into the side of the boat hands gripping the front of his jacket while I crash my lips into his. Screw the crew, they need to learn.

Izzy relaxes hands moving to my hips. Grinning I pull away kissing him once more before turning to face the rest of the crew all staring with slack jaws and wide eyes. “Now excuse me I have stores to tidy.” I walk away smirking at Izzy who is looking a little spaced out.

Kneeling down in the storeroom I start sorting through the new barrels and crates a smirk still plastered on my face. Footsteps stomp into the room shortly after which I choose to ignore until he starts speaking.

“You’re right. I was jealous.”

I grin moving another crate “I know.”

“It was foolish.”

I grin standing “It was.”

“Must you agree with me all of the time?”

Chuckling I turn around backing Izzy into the wall “But I am so rarely wrong.” He snorts heat filling his cheeks “So everyone now knows.” I shrug grinning “Just means I can do this when ever I want.” I press my body against his one hand burying in his hair the other on his waist “If this is what happens every time I get jealous, it may happen more often.” Grinning I kiss him again “Just have to prove I’ve only got eyes for you. My grouchy pirate.” He rolls his eyes slightly a soft smile on his face lessening the effect “Whatever.” Laughing I kiss his cheek “I should get back to work. Can’t be slacking in front of the first mate.” He shrugs slightly arms wrapping around my waist “I think your due a break.”

[starrynyx]

i think some folks took the "a shark did this" line the same way lucius did - on the surface, it sounds like a maladaptive coping mechanism. but i think what gives that moment its poignancy, what con in particular brought to izzy as a character and the narrative of this season overall, is that the power of pirate legend. izzy literally spends the episode whittling a shark, he is CREATING the story he wants to circulate about what happened. because he's not some random pirate, he's izzy fucking hands. everyone on the republic of pirates is going to be talking about the fact he's suddenly missing a leg. and instead of letting the legend get ahead of itself, or rehashing all the violence and trauma of what he and ed did to each other (izzy claims responsibility for blackbeard, more than once. this isn't hot discourse) he changes the story.

lucius pushes ed overboard because he thinks making them "even" will somehow make it easier to forgive, but what pete and izzy both argue is that lucius is better off breaking the cycle. "not moving on is worse," because not moving on was izzy's WHOLE PROBLEM last season.

izzy and everyone else on the boat knows a shark didn't really take his leg. he's choosing to move on, and he doesn't owe strangers that explanation. he's self-mythologizing to take control of his own narrative which culminates in him calling ricky "pinocchio" (not "the wooden boy" like everyone else calls him, but the actual name). izzy almost ascends to quasi-narrator in the final eps and it's beautiful and tragic and rich and i'm just in awe of these writers truly

[teeny-tiny-revenge]

Ed's speech to the crew though? He's so awkward! That's the guy who used to command crews with his charisma, who charmed a whole boat of aristocrats (at least for a moment). It's like he's so good at playing a role and looking larger than life while wearing a mask, but without it, he's just a guy, and he doesn't even have any idea how to actually be just a guy. He's a stammering mess!

I love that we get to see him trying to find his footing with the crew. Fishing with Fang. Unable to sit still and shut up long enough to catch a fish. Letting Lucius push him off the ship because he thinks that'll help. Talking to the door he's fixing. Jingling his little bell all the time because he just can't be still.

Turning Stede's line back on him. Kissing Stede (while jiggling his little bell!), asking to take things slow because they're both whim-prone and he wants to be patient. Holding hands is perfect though. I love him so much.

[follows-the-bees]

Yes, Stede is talking a lot during the scene where everyone is eating soup and Lucius is smoking. He's trying to keep the atmosphere light and he's happy another one of the crew members is back. And let's not forget that two of Stede's loving attributes are his naivety and relentless positivity. We may know what happened to Lucius, that Ed pushed him off the boat, but Stede doesn't know that. He has no idea Lucius is going through trauma.

Yes, Lucius is going to be irritated at Stede. He hasn't processed his trauma, he lies and says he fell off the ship. He is smoking, not eating soup - not accepting comfort and healing. He is directing his anger and trauma at Stede because he blames him right now. He was there for Stede and Ed all last season: telling Ed that Stede likes him and to pull his head out of his ass. He's there for both of them when Ed leaves with Jack, calling Ed an ass again and taking the box to Ed for Stede, and he's there when Ed is at his lowest after Stede leaves. I've read somewhere that Lucius is like the child of divorce and I love that analogy.

Lucius snaps at Black Pete. And Stede goes to him when he sees Lucius hurt and yelling, taking on the role of captain again. He talks about his own traumas (growth) and gives him advice just like Lucius did all last season.

And ultimately they listen to each other. Lucius listens to Stede's advice and starts the journey of healing, of dealing with his trauma over the past months.

And we see Stede's growth. We see him take on the role of helping his crew again, we see him have self growth about himself, and his actions, and how his actions have consequences for other people.

[prettybluelites]

Thoughts: The Curse of the Seafaring Life

Okay, fine, I'll watch Episode 5 one more time.

I have watched this half a dozen times by now and I have straight up howled every time Ed says "this here is a ship, and it's a space ship." The delivery combined with the hand gestures - I'm dead. I'm finished. Fucking genius.

A couple posts down I expounded on the fact that Ed is literally wearing sackcloth, still fascinated by that. Also wondering how much trouble he's having making the change from the infamous leathers to a loose-fitting linen onesie :P

That awkward position of, Do I clap, do I do nothing, or do I give the finger - so real

Does the mad cat on the new flag remind anyone else of the union rat inflatables that striking unions use?

Izzy got a new leg and it turned him into a right little sass pot

"I'm your captain! Wait, I can do it better." This whole scene is awesome and "That's the captain's chair" makes me laugh almost as hard as the space ship bit

Thinking a lot about Ed offering to let Lucius push him off the ship when it soon becomes clear that that isn't exactly what Lucius needs - I guess I'll just leave it at, I love how neatly the show illustrates that everyone heals differently

The shot of Izzy training on the gundeck is gorgeous and I'm not just saying that because of the Pecs of Death. And I love that he took himself down there and set all that up and took up his training his own self, idk, it feeds a lot of my headcanon about what sort of person Izzy is outside the context of Blackbeard - disciplined and fastidious

Love a good training montage, especially one that involves ass-slapping. And I love this new normal where Stede and Izzy, like, hang out and converse.

Will never grow tired of the fact that not one but both of Ed's shoes fly off

Really into geometry, lol. One of those superstitious bitches would have known what a pentagram was

Every girl loves an outfit she can twirl in

Third reliable lol of the episode: "draw me as, like, a steely...lord"

I was so busy thinking about Lucius and Pete each reckoning separately with Ed that I forgot to think about Lucius and Pete reckoning with each other. So glad this is a part of the storyline.

There really is nothing like a peanut butter sandwich. And then to be there when they were invented? Wow. :D

The scene with Ed and Fang in the boat is like Lucius recounting his horrors a couple episodes ago, shouldn't be funny, but...it's funny

Lucius is a man of some learning, he should know that Izzy's shark story is not, strictly speaking, fiction: A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.  (Thanks, Grammarly!) Izzy's not covering up shit with that story, he's explaining an idea.

STG if Izzy and Lucius don't make out by the end of this series...

Roach's comment about Frenchie's beautiful body, lmao

Anyone ever see Northern Exposure? There was a great scene in an early episode of that show where Joel was trying to figure out how Marilyn could sit still and quiet on her shifts as his receptionist and he was just boggled that she could, as Fang puts it, sit with herself. I'm not sure if this quote was from that episode, but I know it's a Marilyn quote: Words are heavy like rocks … they weigh you down. If birds could talk, they wouldn't be able to fly. That has stuck with me for a looong time. Anyway, sorry to blather, that's what this bit of Fang and Ed's conversation reminds me of.

Obvs the shirt needed to stay for plot reasons but also glad Stede got to keep it because he looks fine AF

Awwww Lucius and Pete, I love their love. I laughed and cried.

That feeling when someone reacts in all the right ways to all the right parts of your stories ♥

So much to love about this scene, obviously. Much has already been written about the kiss (THAT KISS!!) and Ed asking to go slow and Stede meeting him where he's at, but I am obsessed with the way Ed looks down, ever so slightly surprised, when Stede takes his hand. When, in Ed's adult life, has someone held his hand in a romantic context? It really is perfect.

And all that is to say nothing of Sometimes it's nice to be patient and wait. Jesus H Christ. When those two finally fuck, brains are going to melt and run out of the ears of fans all over the world.

Okay, phew! That was a lot, thank you for reading!

As a reward for your perseverance, here's a bonus quote I found while I was looking up Marilyn's bird quote:

"We are all pirates at heart. There is not one of us who hasn't had a little larceny in his soul. And which one of us wouldn't soar if God had thought there was merit in the idea? So, when we see one of those great widespread pirates soaring across the grain of sea winds we thrill, and we long, and, if we are honest, we curse that we must be men every day. Why not one day a bird!  There's an idea, now, one day out of seven a pirate in the sky. What puny power a man can attain by comparison. Compare a 747 with a bird and blush!"

Roger Caras, Birds and Flight, 1971.

[quillyfied]

There’s a thought percolating in my head about the role of revenge (not our fine ladyship, the real concept) in OFMD. Because to my knowledge, very nearly every instance of it has been hollow or toxic in the long term.

Jim killing Alfeo de la Vaca? Good. Cathartic. But also put them and Olu on the run from Jackie. And their failure to follow through on the rest of the Siete Gallos put them on the outs with Nana. And trying to follow through took them away from Olu. Necessarily, bc Jim needed that conversation with Spanish Jackie to learn to prioritize and let go of a likely impossible revenge quest that would have eaten them alive, but that’s the point: it wasn’t what was most important to Jim anymore to have closure and move forward with life. Cut to season 2 where Jim makes the hard call with killing Ed, and two episodes later they and the rest of the Kraken’s crew are still trying to scrub what they did from the deck.

The Badmintons’ deaths were well deserved and one might even say boons to society, but Stede was still very torn up about them. Neither of them were revenge killings, but Stede would have been within his rights to seek that from them. He didn’t. He just wanted to be left alone, and even in death the Badmintons tormented him (Chauncey arguably more than Nigel, even sans stress-induced ghost hallucination). In a practical way, though, Stede’s one act of vengeance, sending the remaining sailor back to the navy ship with his hands tied to the oars and Nigel’s body wrapped in a cat flag, does land them all in hot water later as linking the Revenge to Nigel’s death in a more concrete way than just eyewitness testimony. (And his attempt at threatening the French captain—he’ll be forced to unleash his vengeance, which will be QUITE UNPLEASANT for the both of them, the vengeancer, and the vengeancee. Stede knew even then that violence for violence’s sake wasn’t for him.)

Izzy…I almost think I don’t need to go there, as self-evident as it is, but I’m on a roll so let’s do it: Izzy has Caroline Bingley levels of his actions coming back around to bite him squarely in the behind. He tries to throw Ed off his interest in Stede, just makes Ed more intrigued. Tries to duel Stede and kill him, loses the duel and gets thrown off the ship. Sends in the British Navy, Ed still chooses Stede over safety (in Izzy’s mind, let it be said). Tries to force Ed back into Blackbeard, triggers a vortex of despair and suicidal intent that costs him two toes and one leg more than Izzy was maybe prepared to give (pretty sure he considered the first toe fair). And in season 2, when he decides to help the crew, it clearly weighs on him, how heavy the loss of Blackbeard is to him (and him alone). He doesn’t even get the fight with Stede that he’s angling for after the fact to try and maybe make himself feel better, or at least more balanced, because Stede isn’t interested in that. His every attempt to either course correct back to normal or take pot shots at what he thinks ruined his normal comes back squarely on his shoulders. It doesn’t work. None of it does.

Spanish Jackie selling Jim out to the Spanish Navy? Doesn’t work. Chauncey Badminton trying a multitude of ways to make Stede pay? Doesn’t work. The Swede attempting to stab Roach in the very first episode for stealing some of his fabric? Doesn’t work, and scolded for it to boot. Revenge is not how they do things on The Revenge.

There are outliers, like Stede bringing down the party boat for laughing at Ed. Fully deserved, zero consequences, a romantic evening had by all. Calico Jack taking a cannonball to the chest for what he did to Karl: masterful, still the funniest standoff scene ever filmed. But other things—the crew taking down the Kraken and still being scarred not just by how it was during that reign of terror, but by how it ended, and the guilt over it; Lucius pushing Ed off the boat and feeling elation but it still not being enough to make him feel better or healed; all the many fruitless ways Ed tries to kill Hornigold in the gravy basket—it isn’t the answer. Not the whole answer. Not the whole remedy.

I look forward to the rest of the season to see how this hypothesis continues to prove out (or not), but. Something about the irony of calling a ship Revenge and having a work culture that is anything but. Just adds to the patient, quiet way this show is showing people on the fringes that they’re not only worthy of love but capable of it, too.

(…oh NO we’re probably losing the ship at the end of this season, aren’t we ;A; )

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I think it would be great if Ed agrees to let Lucius push him off the boat as a way to get even and make amends, and through a comedy of errors, he keeps accidentally knocking Lucius overboard.

Lucius tries to sneak attack him. Ed's honed survival instincts kick in and he throat-punches him overboard. Lucius tries to do it a more straightforward way, he slips on the deck we saw someone mopping a few seconds previously and just yeets himself right off. He waits until Ed's distracted talking to Stede and Stede's protect-my-boyfriend instincts kick in and he pushes him overboard. He tries to set up an elaborate trap so he doesn't have to get too close, gets his foot snagged on something, and down he goes.

Eventually Ed just has to jump overboard himself. He doesn't realize something's stuck to his jacket or whatever and it pulls Lucius overboard too

[adzeisval]

Pinned Down

Also on AO3.

Izzy looked at the crew heading to the wreck of a ship on a sandbar and frowned. There was something about it that he didn’t like. He couldn’t put a finger on what it was; there were no other ships around so it couldn’t be a trap, the Revenge was safe where it was a bit aways from the sandbar. There were no other people around and the ship had been there quite some time by the looks of it. Izzy tried to tell himself that everything was right and everything would be fine. 

He still couldn’t shake the thought that something was going to go wrong. He watched and he waited.

“I’m being stupid,” he muttered. He was nervous taking a wreck without the Captains there; Stede and Ed were doing fuck knows what on a nearby island and wouldn’t be back for a day or two. Salvaging the ship was a good thing to occupy the crew so they didn’t turn on him, not that he thought they really would, not anymore anyway. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

Something exploded. The wreck slid off the sand bar and started to turn upside down in the water. 

“Fuck!”

Izzy dove over the edge of the Revenge  and into the water. The ship had turned upside down, it was burning and slowly sinking. Two shapes moved through the water and Izzy saw The Swede and Wee John. 

“Are you badly injured? Is anyone else alive?”

“They might be,” Wee John said, “We sort of got sucked out by the water.” 

“Listen,” the Swede said and Izzy heard knocking on the hull of the ship. Someone was alive and trapped. 

“Can you two make it to the ship?” 

“Yes,” they both said.

“Good, get up and get some blankets ready.

Izzy let the Swede and Wee John go and approached the ship. He visualized the likely layout and realized he was going to have to do quite the breathhold to get in. But he had to do it. Izzy swam under to what had been the top of the ship and made his way to the hold. It was a bit of a squeeze but he made it through and up into the hold where there was a decent air pocket. 

“Izzy!” 

“How many alive,” he looked around. 

“We’re all alive,” Lucius said, “Some of us are hurt, My leg’s caught and Pete’s arm’s trapped.” 

“Alright. I need anyone who can swim and isn’t badly hurt to step forward. I’ll lead you out. Wee John and The Swede made it out and are on the Revenge.” 

Izzy took Roach out first, they were going to need a doctor. Izzy made sure Roach got out of the opening and helped him to the surface. At the Revenge Wee John had dropped the Dinghy into the water and the Swede was waiting to help.

“Can you make it to the dinghy?”

“Go on,” Roach said. 

Jim and Olu were ready to go when Izzy got back and he lead the couple through and out into the water.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Frenchie said. 

“You can Frenchie, it’s not too long a swim and Swede is waiting to help.” 

“My side hurts…” 

“I know, you’ve got some burns there, maybe a broken rib but you’ll get to the ship and Roach will patch you up.” 

Frenchie sighed. Izzy knew the man was in shock and hurt and he didn’t blame him for being freaked out an unsure, but they needed to move. 

“I promise Frenchie, I’ll get you out,” Izzy said. Frenchie nodded and followed Izzy into the water. Izzy helped Frenchie through the corridors and out and up to the surface. He helped Frenchie swim to the dinghy. 

Izzy took a moment to try to catch his breath before he headed back under the water and into the sinking burning ship. 

“I’ve almost got Pete out boss,” Fang said, “Just need a little help.” 

Izzy helped Fang lift the piece of wreckage off Pete’s arm. The boat shifted and another foot of water came rushing in. 

“Fuck,” Pete yelled as they got him free. 

“Deep breaths Pete,” Izzy said. He could tell the man’s arm was broken. 

“I can swim,” Pete said.

“Good, let’s get you out,” Izzy said. Pete made it to the surface of the water before he started to flounder a bit. Izzy wrapped his arm around the man and swam with him to the Swede, helping push him up and into the boat. 

Izzy swam back to the boat which was even lower in the water. He had trouble taking a deep enough breath to swim under and barely made to the air pocked. Spots danced before his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. 

“I can’t get him out Izzy,” Fang said. 

“Alright let me see,” Izzy said. Lucius leg was trapped under a piece of metal under the water. Izzy tried to pry the metal up. He and Fang tried together and it wouldn’t budge. Every time they came up for air the water was a little deeper. 

After the fifth try the ship shifted again and water rushed in almost covering their heads. 

“Fuck…oh fuck,” Lucius said. 

“Fang,” Izzy said, “I need you to leave.” 

“No. I can’t…” 

“Yes you can, no sense in three of us drowning. Get back to the ship, with luck we’ll be right behind you,” Izzy said. 

Fang looked at the two men and reluctantly left. Izzy took a deep breath and went under the water again to try to pry Lucius leg free.

Izzy came up unsuccessful. 

“Am…am I going to drown?” Lucius asked. 

“I’m not going to stop trying Lucius,” Izzy went back under the water. He went under and come up three more times. More and more water spilled in. 

“Izzy stop,” Lucius cried holding him above the water, “You…you don’t have to die too.” 

“I’m not going to leave you Lucius,” Izzy said, “When the water fills up I’m going to stay until the end and then try to get out. I might make it to the surface before drowning.”  Izzy knew he probably wouldn’t make it. If he stayed and held Lucius as he died he wouldn’t have enough breath to make it to the surface. He’d gotten everyone else out. That was something at least. He dove back underwater to try to get the metal off. 

Izzy tried twice more before he came up with barely enough space to breathe. Lucius was crying.

“I’m sorry Lucius, I won’t leave you,” Izzy said. He wrapped his arms Lucius knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get out either. He would also be dying. 

Just before the water covered their faces the ship pitched violently to the side again.

“I’m free!” Lucius said. 

“We have to go now,” Izzy said. The two men dove under the water and made their way through the ship and headed for the surface. Izzy was worn out and exhausted and for a moment he thought he might black out before getting to the surface. 

Izzy and Lucius broke through the surface and Izzy took a desperate breath. He felt dizzy but he was able to swim to the dinghy and get up in it. He let Lucius and the Swede get up first, bringing up the rear. 

Izzy climbed aboard the Revenge and looked back just in time to see the other ship slip below the surface. 

Izzy was dizzy and shaky and exhausted. His vision started to double and blur. He tried to take a steadying breath but it didn’t help.

Izzy collapsed.

(Tee hee, cliffhanger! Story will conclude later this month)

[tizzyizzy]

"Ed going Kraken is a reaction to abuse so Izzy must have abused him for him to go Kraken"

This interpretation doesn't take into account how intentional Ed was about the transformation, and his clear reasoning for it.

Izzy isn't just antagonizing Ed. He lays out his belief that the weak Ed in front of him is nothing like the great pirate Blackbeard, and declares he will only serve Blackbeard.

If Ed leans hard into the aggressive, frightening Blackbeard persona after that, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to say he was motivated more by reason than irrational emotion? In addition to learning Izzy may no longer be loyal to him, there are many other reasons not to let go of the Blackbeard identity. Despair after losing Stede, fear of vulnerability, practical concerns about his future.

Ed waits until night before he gives up the red cloth and pushes Lucius off the boat. He is consciously hyping himself up before cutting off Izzy's toe.

[awkward-fallen-angel]

Blackbeard, Edward Teach, and Color

So we all know about the break-up robe and how it was meant to signify the color Ed was bringing into Stede's life. [x]

But I want to take a moment and talk about the color purple, specifically in reference to Ed, and what it signifies. To do this I first want to address how we the audience (and Stede) first fully see Ed and what he is wearing in S1E3: A Gentleman Pirate.

He is dressed head to toe in black, with wild and unkempt hair AND is bathed in the gritty yellow light of fire and cannon smoke.

Why is this important to address? Well it is very clear that the creators of this show put a lot of effort and meaning into their set and costume design. This is Ed before Stede comes into his life. This is a character that bares a sharp contrast to what we have seen so far in the series (Stede in his white suit comes to mind here). He wears tight leather clothing, and a jacket with a long sleeve. He is visually restricted here as black is a color that absorbs light. This helps lean into the idea of him being a closed off/private person. Black is also a color that signifies power, something which we know Blackbeard has a lot of.

Lets also get back to the color yellow. Yellow is the complimentary color of purple, the main topic that I will get to in a moment. Before Stede is in his life he we see him bathed in this color. This tint of yellow is also made by the violence taking place around them, something that Blackbeard has only known and is apart of his everyday life. Yellow is an energetic color, Ed is a restless man. It also can be used related to the idea of madness, another trait that Blackbeard has, or is said to have. Izzy specifically likes to push this idea (usually in a positive manner), and even mentions he has mood swings.

In this scene this gritty yellow greatly alludes to what we find out about Blackbeard, and in turn Ed, throughout the rest of the series.

Now lets finally talk about purple. Purple is the color of nobility, luxury, wealth, and extravagance. All things that Ed has craved since he was a child. And we see Ed wearing purple all of two times.

The first time is S1E5: The Best Revenge is Dressing Well.

When Stede has taken Ed to an upper class gathering, after they decided to trade places for a day (pretend to be each other in E4) and training him in fine dinning etiquette.

The second time we see Ed in purple is during S1E7: This Is Happening.

When Ed spends the whole day treasure hunting with Stede, and they talk about the future and Ed's possible aspirations of owning a bar and grill (i.e. that retirement idea Stede mentioned when they first met).

If you notice, Ed only wears purple when he is with Stede. This is not his normal under shirt in episode 7 as you see him usually wearing a black one under his jacket and even without his jacket when he is with other people.

Exampled here when he is with Calico Jack in S1E8: We Gull Way Back. As a note this is the episode where he leaves the boat for Jack and professes the restless and wild nature of a pirate is who he is. YET he mentions not getting lavender soap when Lucius drops his things off on the beach. Lavender is purple, and once again we see Ed pinning for the finer things in life, soap that Stede gives him to use, even when he is digging his heels in about not being refined.

Once again it is very clear that the creators of this show put a lot of effort and meaning into their set and costume design. Why? Because it is clear that purple represents the refinement and luxury that Stede brings into Ed's life. Not to mention the calm and relaxation aspect as well, as purple also can represent that especially in with the reference lavender. Ed desperately wants these things, even when he is fighting is own sensitive nature, but he doesn't think they are for him. Purple is the antithesis of yellow, the color that represents his life as Blackbeard. A life he has grown tired of. Stede shows Ed he can have the life he wants and its okay for him to want these things. So when they are together Ed gets to wear purple, the fancy nobility color, because not only would Stede never tease him for this, but also Stede truly accepts him whole heartily and encourages him to do "what Ed wants."

Now to take this idea EVEN FURTHER (because I am evil and can't think of nice things without making them painful). There is one final scene where we see Ed associated with purple, and that is when he is rowing back to the boat, alone in S1E9: Act of Grace.

Here a darkened silhouette of Ed rows back to the sea draped in a mixture of both yellow and purple tones. This scene marks the direction the end of the season takes. Ed is heartbroken and at war with himself. He has chosen to go back to his life as a pirate, but not as Blackbeard... yet... He wants to keep the refinement and gentleness Stede has taught him, so we see him take on the first stage of grief... Denial, as he still fights back the color yellow and starts to wear the fuchsia robe, the robe that was the color he brought into Stedes life, and clutches on to the hope Stede might come back. This is seen in S1E10: Wherever You Go, There You Are.

Notice how he is once again draped in yellow light here, as he still resits the urge to fall back into his old ways (he is eating fancy jam).

Ultimately he is pushed into letting these things go ,Thanks Izzy, and enters the next stage of grief... Anger, a much more familiar emotion for Ed.... And as the season comes to a close he once again becomes the Blackbeard we met in episode three... A wild man, with crazy hair, in full black, and draped in yellow light.

[nicnacsnonsense]

I want to talk about three moments from OFMD: when he gives Mary the model of the Revenge, when he arranges the treasure hunt for him and Ed, and when he fakes his own death with help from Mary & Doug.

All three of these instances have Stede exhibiting the same kind of behavior. He has noticed a problem in one of his relationships — he & Mary being unhappy in their marriage, Ed planning on leaving the Revenge, and he and Mary being stuck in a marriage they don’t want — and has gone off on his own to come up with a plan to fix it by himself. (Don’t think about how many times as a child Stede probably was upset about being bullied and his dad told him to toughen up and handle his problems on his own like a man.) But with each subsequent interaction we see Stede growing and becoming progressively more open.

When he gives Mary the Revenge, Stede has come up with this plan to go live on a boat without ever having talked to Mary about their mutual unhappiness and without any real understanding of what Mary actually wants. As a result, his idea for a solution ends up being wildly off the mark to the point that Mary doesn’t even fully realize what he’s attempting to do. For Mary the main cause of her unhappiness is her marriage to Stede, so to her going to live on a boat looks like an attempt to run away and bury their heads in the sand about their real problems rather than trying to fix them. But while marriage hasn’t done anything to help Stede’s unhappiness, he has a much broader problem of not fitting into their society at all. So for Stede going to live on a boat is the first step to fix their marriage by removing themselves from an unhealthy environment. But crucially when Mary pushes back against Stede’s proposal, he just immediately lets it go and shuts down without ever attempting to explain his actual intentions and motivations to her. And because of that nothing gets resolved.

With the treasure hunt, Stede still fails to have a conversation with Ed about what Ed is actually feeling and wants and so once again misses the mark with regards to his plan. The difference here is when he starts getting pushback, he speaks up for himself and his intentions. Not to Ed, he hasn’t grown that much yet, but he confides in Lucius about his concerns and what he’s hoping for with this plan of his. And it works! Stede’s willingness to open up to Lucius gets him a co-conspirator if you will, and it is due to Lucius’s intervention that Stede is ultimately able to achieve what he set out to, despite the initial plan being misguided.

And then with faking his death, Stede finally has a conversation about what they’re feeling beforehand, so he actually understands what it is Mary wants — him gone and her free to live her life here on her own terms. And probably even more importantly, though Stede still went off to come up with the plan on his own, as soon as he had the complete idea in his head he went back to Mary and explicitly said here is the idea I have to fix everything. Then he kept her involved all through the set up process, allowing her (& Doug & the kids) to offer input as well. And that’s why this fuckery was able to go off without a hitch and get everyone what they wanted.

[growup-thatbeautiful]

strangers again

Summary: Stede shows up on the deck of the Revenge, begging for forgiveness. Blackbeard doesn’t want to hear a word. Ed is desperate to.

Word count: 2.6k

A/n: i am plagued by these stupid gay pirates. here’s some angst and comfort.

“from strangers to friends, friends into lovers, and strangers again.”

During the daytime, Ed doesn’t exist. Blackbeard, the fearsome pirate who’s not to be trifled with. The one people go out of their way to be out of the way for. No one makes eye contact, no one speaks up, and it’s easy.

Maybe easy is the wrong word. But at least it doesn’t fucking such as nights do.

Because at night, he’s not strong enough to be Blackbeard anymore. The face paint can only last so long.

No, at night, he’s Edward Teach. Broken-hearted, shell of a man, painfully human Edward Teach.

Edward Teach was born with a beating heart. Blackbeard was made not to have one. It’s an easy choice when it comes to the one his crew gets to see.

The downside is, that leaves him alone at night. There’s no one to talk to. Izzy would scoff him off but not say a word of disagreement. He knows the punishment of that crime.

Ed can’t write about it. He doesn’t know-how. He certainly can’t draw like Lucius did whenever he needed an outlet.

And there’s another weight against Edward’s conscious. A boy who didn’t deserve to die but did anyway due to Blackbeard's whims. He had just been doing what he was told to do. Just following his Captains orders.

Blackbeard doesn’t have second thoughts about throwing him overboard. It had been a necessary loss.

Edward, however, can’t stop thinking about the gentle soul that he so carelessly let go. Not that it was a worse fate than the rest of the crew. At least the Ocean is home. A tiny island full of desperate men is a much crueler fate.

The thing that he thinks about most is, predictably, Stede. Beautiful, hopeful, clueless, Stede. Who broke his heart into a million pieces across a million seconds. There is no time when Ed isn’t hurting for Stede.

Hurting and yearning, because, fuck, he never can get over that man. His smile, his heart. If the Ocean is home, then Stede is the sun, is warmth, is soft days laying out on the deck.

But those are thoughts for Ed. And Ed has no place in this world of violence and suffering.

However, when Stede shows up on his ship, shaking and bleeding, Ed’s first response is to reach out to him. To hold him and see what hurt him like this and then tear apart the world for this man in front of him.

Stede is being held up by Swede and Olu. They look weathered and tired, clothes covered in what Ed hopes isn’t Stede’s blood.

He pushes those urges down with difficulty. Turns them into cement, petrefies them like that fucking orange.

“Who let him on here?” Ed demands, looking around at his men. None of them meet his eye. None of them move a muscle. “I see how it is. This a group effort, then? Group punishment it is. And,” he continues, “if I do find out who did this, you’re fucking dead. Well, you’ll wish you were dead. I'll fucking rip your intestines out and hang you from them. I hope that’s clear enough for you brave pirates.” Mockery is evident in his tone.

Ed is slightly impressed that no one flinches at his words. A few even have the guts to look for Stede’s reaction. Somehow, Stede doesn’t seem to find any meaning behind Ed’s threats. He’ll have to try harder, then. Stede deserves to be broken down.

“Fine. You want to come aboard my ship all secret like and fuck with my crew. Apparently, I can’t stop you. But you’re not staying. You had your fun playing at taking back your ship and bringing those pathetic people you call pirates back here. Now leave.” Ed leans against the mast for effect. Twirling his dagger in one hand and resting the other on his gun also sends a message.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” says Olu, standing his ground.

“I wasn’t asking. Get the fuck off my boat and I might not hunt you down and feed you to my crew. Stay and find out what happens. It will be much less pleasant than the former idea.”

“We aren’t leaving, Ed.” It’s Stede’s turn to speak up. A sick part of Ed is glad because now he has a reason to get into Stede’s face. For totally threatening purposes and definitely not to check on Stede’s pulse or eyes. Ed takes slow steps toward Stede’s group, leaning his head to the side, studying them.

“You lot got so brave all of a sudden. I’ll make sure to say you died valiantly, begging for mercy.” He’s breathing the same air as Stede now. He can see the new creases on his face and the new sickening determination in his eyes. Like he has a goal here. It must be to ruin Ed, because there’s nothing else for him to do here.

“I didn’t think you were this fucking stupid to come back here. Haven’t you heard the news? I guess he hasn’t boys. Let’s break it to him gently, huh?” His taunting is met with uncharacteristic and tense silence. Even Izzy hasn’t spoken a word. Blackbeard will have to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “Edward Teach is dead. He died a while ago on a beach because someone left him there alone. He didn’t get to the comfort of an easy death either. He died piece by piece, row by row on a tiny paddle boat, and then again when he got back to the ship.”

“Ed, please, if we could just-”

“Edward is gone,” snarls Izzy. So now he decides to speak up. Ed closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Okay. Blackbeard. I can call you that. May I speak to you in private?” pleads Stede. He doesn’t sound nearly desperate enough.

“No,” breathes Ed. “You may not. I have no business with a Gentleman Pirate. Especially one who shows less loyalty than a fucking dog.”

“I deserve everything you’re saying, so I won’t contest with that. What conditions do I have to undertake for you to talk to me?” A small part of Ed wants to disagree, to shout and shake Stede and tell him that no, he doesn’t deserve any of this. He was scared. Everyone gets scared. But he pushes it down again. Concrete. Orange. Petrified.!

“Best Izzy in a duel,” drawls Ed. “Oh, wait. You’ve done that somehow.” Edward shoots a writing glare at Izzy, who looks slightly offended. Good. Ed gets an idea, something Stede will never agree to.

“Renounce any claims to this ship, crew, and your title as the Gentleman Pirate.”

“My crew doesn’t belong to me. They’re free to do as they wish at all times. I readily agree.” Ed is…surprised to say the least. When they first met, those things were all Stede wanted. Now he’s giving them up to have one conversation with Ed.

“Your fucking funeral, mate.” Ed motions for Stede to follow him and turns around. Izzy stops him, cane crossing against his chest.

“Be careful what you’re getting yourself into,” he warns lowly.

“Be careful who’s path you cross,” replies Ed flatly. “I can handle myself.” They go through the door, Ed slamming it shut behind him.

“Don’t try any shit.”

“I’m sorry,” Stede returns impulsively like that’s enough. Like that means anything at the moment. It can’t fix what’s happened between them. It can’t bring back Lucius and it can’t make books appear back on the shelves.

So Ed doesn’t respond. Just keeps walking down the hall, away from listening ears and prying eyes because God knows he can’t control anything that’s about to happen with Stede. Time has proven that any sense of Stede is enough to drive Ed from chaos to balance and then back to chaos.

They enter the room silently. Stede looks around like he’s surveying every interior design choice, which consists of a single desk and dark lighting. “I like what you’ve done with the place. Much more manageable.” Stede’s ever-polite demeanor irks Ed to the core.

“You came here to talk about decor?”

“If that’s what you want to talk about. If that’s what’s gonna fix this mess, then yes.”

“You mean fix your mess. I didn’t cause this.”

“Yes. My apologies. It’s my mess to fix.” Ed doesn’t like how open Stede is being about this. Taking the blame so easily. Ed needs Blackbeard right now, but he was long gone as soon as Stede stepped onto the boat, Ed is realizing. All the flouting back there was purely instinctual. He’d never needed his instincts like that around Stede before. Concrete. Orange. Petrified. A mantra in his head.

“What the fuck are you doing here? You really think I’m willing to let you in after the shit that went down?”

“I genuinely have no idea what you’re going to do. I just know that I’m going to try whatever it takes.”

“Let’s get it over with, then. You’ll probably just leave when I’m at my most vulnerable. Like a true Gentleman.”

“As long as I am here I will not leave,” Stede pledges seriously. “Not if you hurt me, not if you hate me. I have spent far too much of my life listening to what others think I should do. Now, perhaps at the most pressing time, I choose to honor my own heart. And my heart knows now in its depths that it’s absence from you is agony. Your pain is my pain. So I will stay when you tell me to go. I will be kind where you are cruel and I will be strong where you are weak. That is the promise of love, and I intend to keep it.”

“You think you can show up here with pretty declarations and make everything okay, just like that? You’re fucking delusional.” Ed’s words have bite behind them, a calculated attack. He notes distantly that they don’t seem to have any impact on Stede. Almost like he knew already what Ed was going to say.

“Well, no. I figured you would never forgive me. And I’m not asking for your forgiveness, because I don’t deserve it.”

“Don’t say that,” interrupts Ed.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t say you don’t deserve things like forgiveness. Maybe you don’t, but saying you don’t deserve it will make people believe it.”

“Right.” Stede opens his mouth to say more, but Izzy chooses now as a time to intervene, like he’s Ed’s caretaker checking rooms.

“There’s something that needs your attention.”

“Fix it yourself,” snaps Ed.

“You should really come and deal with it.” Ed sighs and drags a hand across his face.

“You’re lucky I don’t want to continue this conversation right now.” He turns to Stede. “We’ll discuss further later. Don’t cause trouble or I’ll kill you,” he says simply.

The “trouble” Izzy described turns out to be trivial. His crew and Stede’s fighting. He would have preferred to just let it continue naturally. Sharpening skills is always useful. But it was getting to an intolerable level of violence, brimming with a death toll. Not ideal.

Izzy takes Blackbeard’s crew to convene around the sail. Ed escorts the others below decks, where unpleasantness is everywhere. A purposeful discomforting hell. Why Ed is the one tasked to do so is beyond him. He’s the fucking captain, for christ’s sake.

He’s shutting the door when someone speaks up.

“He still loves you, you know,” says Frenchie. If Ed was in a less confused mood he would shut the boy up right now.

“He never loved me. If you love someone you don’t leave. Seems pretty fucking clear to me.”

“Mate, that’s the reason he left. I don’t have much experience in the love arena, that was Lucius, but I do know that love makes people think in strange ways. Stede was positive he was ruining you, not that he’ll admit it. He thought he was taking something great out of the world by letting himself be around you,” chimes in Pete. Why did he have to mention Lucius?

“Why the fuck would he think that? No one ever argued that I was something great.”

“Because he was in love. Because he truly believed that you were better off without him holding you down like he was a dead weight pushing you under a tide, and without him, you could swim. He was wrong, of course, as many men are. If anything, he was shining a new and glorious light onto you. Showing you everything you could be and more. The best version of you and the worst version of you illuminated in his eyes, and he didn’t shy away. He won’t now, either. That man will stick by you now no matter what you do.”The crew nods along with Frenchie, like Ed didn’t already know this.

“What if I don’t want that?”

“Most people don’t know what they want. Some know only what they don’t want. Is he really something you don’t want in your life? You’re one of the precious few who has a chance to get what they want. If Stede is, in fact, what you want. And I think he is. He always has been. You just needed a rocky path to get there.The rockiest paths can lead to the finest jewels,” says Swede wisely. Fuck if that’s not a perfect sense of what’s going on.

Blackbeard is slipping away.

Concrete.

Orange.

Petrified.

Fuck it.

“Fuck,” mutters Ed, pushing off the floor and walking with purpose to Stede. He doesn’t even know where Stede is.

Stede needs to know that Ed feels the same way. Stede is Ed’s home. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a prison or on a ship or in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Now he’s running, rushing towards Stede.

He finds him. Leaning against a wall, black eye and bloody nose, furiously dabbing at it with his shirt. “What the fuck happened to you? Are you ever not bleeding?”

“Regrettably, the, ah, circumstances tend to increase when I board this ship.” Ed tucks an arm under Stede’s and half-carries him into the bedroom.

“Truly, this is unnecessary. I’m perfect-“ Stede let’s out a pained breath “-perfectly fine.”

“Bullshit. Lay down there.” Ed dumps Stede unceremoniously on his bed, heading a whoosh of air leaving Stede’s lungs.

“Who did this to you?” Ed’s voice is low and dangerous, hardly even recognizable.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” insists Ed. No one should be able to get away with this. Stede is still Ed’s after all. They should know better than to hurt him without Ed telling them to.

“It’s fine, Ed. I promise.”

“I don’t know why you’re protecting any of those assholes. You don’t have to.”

“I’d rather keep your anger directed at me for now. It would seem unjust to anyone else to receive any under such circumstances.”

“I’m not mad at you,” states Ed dumbly.

“Why on Earth not?” asks Stede. “You have all the rights in the world.” Stede sounds genuinely confused, like he hadn’t been spilling his heart to Ed just minutes ago. Like he doesn’t understand why Ed would possibly want to forgive him.

“I don’t have the strength to stay mad at someone I love for that long. You’re my home. God knows why. There are much nicer places you could stay, better people you could be with. But you came back. You chose me in the end.”

“So I won’t stay mad at you, Stede Bonnet,” finishes Ed. “Not in this life.” Stede’s smile is the sun. It’s glistening on deep waters and spreading across green grass. It reaches the world and the stars and keeps traveling, searching for everything to touch.

Stede’s smile is home.

“I love you,” says Ed.

“I love you, too,” breathes Stede. “My lovely pirate.”

“My charming gentleman.”

[katebishopofearth]

By Golden Light or Silver [a blackbonnet fanfic]

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Ship: Blackbonnet Characters: Stede | Ed Rating: M (for non-explicit sex) Other tags: fluff | pirate dads | established relationship

By Golden Light or Silver

“Why don’t we let the crew go on shore leave today?”

Stede’s suggestion came on a bright morning on board the Revenge. The usual shouting, cursing, giggling rang across the deck, as the crew exchanged their daily banter. The co-captains were leaning against the boat’s railing, indulging in a cup of morning tea. Ed raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways to catch the suggestive glint in Stede’s eye.

“Yeah, why not?” he agreed. He performed a dramatic spin, hair flowing behind him, and clapped his hands to get the crew’s attention.

They docked at Nassau by midday, and the crew filed off the boat. Black Pete, Wee John, and Roach were animatedly talking about all they expected to find in the busy city, while Lucius and Frenchie exchanged suggestive wink-wink-nudge-nudges and gleeful not-so-sneaky glances at their co-captains, who chose to remain on board.

“Take care out there!” Stede called after the backs of his crew, who quickly melted into the streets of Nassau.

When the crew was off they cast off once again, steering the boat into open waters. It was a gorgeous day in late spring, with the slightest hint of summer. Gentle waves rocked the vessel and a cool breeze blowed across the deck.

“A day without the kids.” Stede grinned, smacking his hands together. “Whatever shall we do first? Shall we have a picnic on deck? Or maybe –”

Ed interrupted by stepping into Stede’s personal space. Stede stuttered to a stop before Ed closed the distance between them with his lips. Stede froze for a moment, just as he did at their first kiss, before he melted into Ed’s mouth, the growing stubble tickling his chin in a not-unpleasant sensation. His hands were on Ed’s waist, soft beneath lean muscle, and Ed’s hands slipped from his face to his shoulders to hold him close.

They pulled apart for a brief moment , Ed’s eyes warm and soft, his expression open and unguarded, the way it only ever was around Stede. But it was a look that he wore more and more habitually, one that became him just as easily as Blackbeard’s ferocity.

Then it was another kiss that glowed with the warmth of the sun. Ed’s tongue flicked across Stede’s lower lip and he delighted in the whine that passed from Stede’s mouth into his. He took advantage of the parted lips to push his tongue into Stede’s mouth, and the resulting whimper was delightful, magical to him.

Ed had been with more men than he could count, some worshipped him, others wanted to debase him. But with Stede, there was no power-play, only pleasure and instinct. Everything was new for Stede, and that made everything new for Ed, too.

When they pulled apart again, Stede’s face was adorably flushed. Ed ran a thumb over a pinked cheek, and Stede said, flustered, “So, picnic? We still have some of that fabulous marmalade.”

“That sounds perfect, love.” Ed gave a rare, warm smile.

[continue on AO3]

[edwardteachswombtattoo]

Fire, Water, and Our Flag Means Death

Okay, so we all know the Lighthouse/Kraken symbolism, right? We've all read the dozens of essays/theories about Stede the Lighthouse and Ed the Kraken and we've all read/written fics about literal Kraken Ed, right??? But the Lighthouse isn't just a lighthouse, my dudes. Because what the fuck even is a lighthouse?? Is it something to guide ships? Yeah!! But how does it do that? With fire!! With light!! So lighthouses basically represent fire, right? So Lighthouse (Stede) = Fire. But if we take this to its logical conclusion, we open up a whole other can of symbolism. And what about Ed? Kraken. Water. Kraken (Ed) = Water. And just like with Stede and the fire/light symbolism throughout Season One, there is a lot of water symbolism with Ed. So what does that mean??

Fire hurts. It destroys, it burns, it (just like the lighthouse) isn't something you should get close to. Usually. If you're attracted to fire, you need to make peace with getting burned. And if it touches you/you touch it? Pain. Yes, I'm thinking about Mary holding Stede's hand at the wedding and Stede gingerly touching Mary's shoulder and what it means. And about Stede holding himself in bed, arms wrapped around himself while next to Mary like he's afraid to touch her. Just thinking about those things.

And what about Ed? Edward Teach born on a beach? The guy who touches Stede probably more than anyone else ever has? The guy who puts his face up against Stede's hand and touches Stede's shoulder and touches Stede's leg and patches him up so sweetly? Well, uh..

Fire? Destructive? Yes, a hundred times yes. And who else would be so attracted to the beauty/danger of fire if not Edward fucking Teach? Ed the Masochist? Ed who stuck his finger in a candle flame like it was a reminder of Stede's touch? The man who coaxes the fire into burning him ("Stab me")? But because the writers of this show are so fucking smart, it's not just the pain of the fire. What happens after Stede stabs Ed? Stede takes Ed to his cabin and (presuambly) patches him up and takes care of him. That's...not how fire works. Fire doesn't care if it burns you. But Stede? Stede cares.

Fire is destructive, but it's also warm. Huddling around the fire for warmth, telling stories. And when it's contained (lanterns, candles, lighthouses) it can even be helpful or healing. And Stede? Stede is both. He can be warm, he can destroy. He can be something to gather around or something that burns (defiles) beauty. He can be both at the same time. And sometimes burning something to the ground is necessary! Sometimes you need to destroy to create. Is Stede a dick for leaving his family? Absolutely. But what does Mary do? She becomes a fucking artist! She becomes happier! She literally turns destruction into creation! She builds a better family and a better life out of the ashes. And Stede? He builds a better self. He had to burn it down so he could build something better. So they both could. Which brings us to...

Water!! The ocean!! Pirates!! Edward fucking Teach!! Let's talk about it!

So water symbolizes a lot of things, but rebirth and purity are two of them. Ed literally kills his dad near a body of water. Can't get any better than that for rebirth symbolism, especially if you believe that Ed hopped on a boat directly after he killed his father. And...Ed jumping into the water to swim back to The Revenge and climb aboard to be with Stede? That good shit? Oh boy, that feels like it means something. Ed kissing Stede near a body of water? Ed getting his heart broken near a body of water? Stede dragging a dinghy into the water and setting off to get his boyfriend, symbolizing the end of a character arc and lumping onto the theme of symbolic rebirth? Ed pushing Lucius into the ocean??? And Lucius totally not being dead, because the symbolism of that?? Lucius coming back alive and well but changed probably?? Like a baptism (not religious btw)????

It's interesting because water is actually kind of the opposite of the Kraken?? Water isn't usually a warning in itself. It can symbolize calm or refreshment or moving, but danger? Not really. So putting the Kraken metaphor inside the water metaphor feels important.

So the end of Season One feels more significant, because Ed gets burned and Stede gets reborn and this is the exact opposite of what their elements symbolize. But Stede seeks out the water to find his family/love and Ed destroys himself over that same love. The fire hurts Ed and the water brings Stede a new beginning. Ed finds his own beginning in fire (destruction) and Stede finds his in rebirth (water). And Ed literally throws Stede's things into the water, drowning his last memories of Stede in his element, purifying himself of Stede! But he keeps the lighthouse painting, the warning. He still can't let go of the light and the fire, even if it burned him. They find a new self inside of each others' elements!! Water and fire are all about creating new things in different ways!!

When Ed and Stede reunite, they're going to build something totally new! With both of their elements! They're going to destroy and be born again!

Or at least that's what I think. Feel free to yell at me about how I don't know what I'm fucking talking about.

[rei-does-stuff]

Another OFMD fic because I’m mentally ill? It’s more likely than you think!

The premise of this fic is that Stede comes back to Edward, but in his yk Blackbeard rage he kills Stede. But this like, causes a fucking time loop so the two are stuck repeating the same day, and they’re basically trying to yk stop that loop from happening and shit

Enjoy :)

—

Stede was rowing out. Heading back to his pirate life, after settling things with Mary he could finally understand, understand his love for Edward and make things right! But in the distance, Stede saw his crew on an island. He had quite a few questions for sure! Why were they stranded on the middle of some random island? What happened whilst he was gone? He wondered, he rowed, rowed as fast as he could to get to them. “I’m back!” He called out! “I’m back!!” He made it onto the island, almost falling over due to how exhausted he was. “Where’s the ship? Where’s Ed??” He asked in a confused huff. “Well captain he’s just uh, right over there. On the ship. Leaving.” Oluwande said pointing at the leaving ship. “What?!? He’s leaving you guys??” Stede said in shock. “‘Fraid so captain.” Buttons replied.

“Shit…! Shit! Okay, everyone get on the boat! We’re following that ship!” Stede said. “Are you even sure we’re all gonna be able to fit in there?” Oluwande asked. “Figure it out! We gotta hurry before we’re all stranded here!” Was all Stede said before practically pushing everyone onto the boat.

Stede had a million thoughts in his head as he rowed towards the ship. Why would leave the crew stranding like that?? Where was Jim or Lucius?? Was Edward angry at him for not showing up? Whatever was going on, he’d make things right! As a gentlemen pirate would! As they got closer to the ship Stede stood up. “Alright everyone! I’m gonna need you guys to throw me onto that ladder!” He exclaimed! “Uhhh—You want us to what??” Black Pete asked in confusion. “I said throw me onto that ship! That’s an order!” He said bluntly. “Please—“ He then added hastily. “If you die, can we eat you?“ Swede asked. “I’m not gonna-Y’know what sure you can eat me, just hurry!” As so he was thrown towards the ladder of the ship. He just barely caught it. But his head hit the wall really hard. Causing a loud thud, it was really painful! But it didn’t matter to him! He did it! He made it! He was already imagining the scene! He would fix everything! Make things right again! Like it was before! He just needed to play his cards right.

.

.

.

Blackbeard was informed by Izzy that Stede was back. Though it was pretty obvious due to the loud thud on the side of their ship. “Seems like that bonnet can’t seem to fuck off, can he? What do you wanna do, Captain?” He asked him. Blackbeard thought for a bit. He was angry, too angry. Stede just decided to waltz back into life after leaving? He waited for hours and NOW he decides to come back? He was gonna make him regret that decision, the kraken would get to him, but Edward wouldn’t. Edward was long gone now. “Let him aboard, I have a score to settle.” He grabbed his sword and headed towards the deck. Stede would be in for a rude awakening.

Stede climbed aboard the revenge, his head felt like it was splitting in half from the pain. Greeting him atop was a very unhappy Edward, the outer edges of his eyes and his former beard were covered in this black substance, charcoal maybe? “Ed..? Ed!! Oh my god!! Why were you leaving the rest of the crew?? Why do you have charcoal all over you?? What’s going on???” Stede asked in surprise. Granted it probably wasn’t the thing he should say but he was in too much shock right now. “It’s Blackbeard, not Ed.” Was all Blackbeard replied, jamming his sword into the back of Stede’s chest, getting all the important bits along with him. Stede didn’t even have react, he almost fell off the ship entirely. The pain was unbearable, worse than anything he’d ever felt before. Oh god…Was this how it would end for him? He didn’t even get to explain himself! He looked up at the man, “Ed….I…I…” Everything went to black before he could even finish his sentence.

He woke up, in the boat, heading towards the island again. What the hell?? He died, he actually died, but he also didn’t die? His head was hurting just thinking about it. Was it all a dream? It didn’t feel like a dream. He checked his pulse, he was alive and well. Well physically at least. So why, why did that feel so real?

It didn’t matter though, he needed to help his crew! He needed to get to Ed! He rowed towards the island, getting the strangest sense of déjà vu.

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Edward Teach was informed by Izzy Stede was there, the loud thud on the ship from him rung in his ears. That was weird, he had a dream exactly like this. Where he killed stede, like he was going to right now. Surely it was just a coincidence?

And so it happened again, Stede went up to the ship, ask what was going on, and got stabbed by Blackbeard.

Stede awoke on his boat once more. Confused more than ever, he still wasn’t dead. What was going on?? He took a deep breath, clearly asking wasn’t helping, maybe telling Edward how sorry he was for leaving would do something?

And so he got on the boat once more, hoping for a better outcome.

“Edward! I’m sorry for leaving! I can explain everything I swear!” Stede said. Blackbeard rolled his eyes. He was still angry, still furious, still not even thinking straight. He stabbed stede once more. “I don’t care for your excuses.” Stede was dead before he could even respond.

It happened again and again and again. Each a little different from the last.

“You have to listen to me!” Stede said, trying to get through to him. “I don’t wanna listen!” Edward appeared more and more frustrated each time he came back. And Stede came more and more determined to get through to the man.

“I love you Ed..!” Stede had told him as he came back another time. Blackbeard hesitated for a second. Stede stood up stepping ever closer to the man. He kissed the man suddenly, “I never should have left…” He said. Edward felt so many emotions, he loved the kiss, he loved hearing him say that, but he was still angry. Despite his happiness he was still too angry. But now as he stabbed Stede once again did he also feel a tinge of guilt. Just a tinge. “You shouldn’t have…” Was all he said as the man died once again.

Stede woke up again. He practically kicked the boat over in frustration. “FUCK…!” He shouted out. He was so close! He needed to be someone where Edward couldn’t kill him again. As he got onto the boat again he was greeted with Edward’s frustrated face. But this time he had a plan to not get killed, he kicked Edward’s leg, hard, he really didn’t want to but if it would help not die it was needed. “Shit!” Blackbeard dropped the sword which gave Stede enough time to rush to the captain’s quarters and barricade the door. “Oh you are SO dead!” He heard Ed yell out from the deck. “Gotta find something..! Gotta find something..! Gotta find something so I won’t get bloody murdered..!!” He mumbled to himself in a panic as he rapidly tried to pull and press anything to find one of his hidden passageways. All of his things were gone, but he had to scrounge up something! He pulled on one of the vanities in the room, revealing a hidden library he had. And there he found…Lucius eating the paper from one of his books??

“Lucius???” He said in surprise. “Captain??? What are you doing here??” He asked shocked. “What am I doing here?? What are YOU doing here???” Stede asked in response. “Well ol’Edward over-there lost his shit for some reason and threw me overboard, I almost fucking died and had to hide in here!” Lucius explained. “HE THREW YOU OVERBOARD??” He said in shock. “Yeah! I’ve been stuck in here for a week! A WEEK! I’ve been eating paper for food Captain! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH NUTRITIONAL VALUE PAPER HAS?? NOT MUCH!!” Lucius exclaimed. The two heard banging on the door. “What’s going on with you then?” Lucius asked. “Well he’s pretty angry with me after I kinda left him all alone to see my family and now he uh-wants to kill me.“ Stede said bluntly. “I came in here trying to find something to y’know STOP that.” Lucius thought for a moment. “There’s a sword over to your right, if he’s trying to kill you, might as well try to defend yourself.” He suggested.

That’s something he didn’t think of. A duel…It could give him some time. “Yeah…Yeah! I did win that duel against Izzy before! This’ll be a piece of cake!” He said confidently. “Well you only ‘won’ that due to a technicality so—“ Lucius was interrupted by Stede. “Oh hush you weren’t even conscious for it.” He sighed, “A duel….Let’s do this.” Lucius wished him luck as he close the passageway. Wouldn’t want Lucius to actually get killed after all.

He undid the barricade and his eyes met Edward’s. “Edward Teach!” He announced. “I challenge you to a duel!” Blackbeard scoffed and laughed at the same time. “Are you serious?” He asked. “Very serious!! Standard duel rules apply! If I win we are going to have a nice and calm discussion! With no violence! If you win…Well you can kill me if you wish, whatever you want.” He said. Blackbeard paused for a moment. “Alright, sure, I accept.” He told him. The duel was on.

They both drew their swords, Blackbeard was the first to strike, but Stede managed to dodge. They exchanged blows, slashing and parrying, Stede nearly avoiding getting skewered. He was doing better than expected, the battle was going in his favor. He was getting more confident. Edward kept parrying Stede’s hits. “When did you get good at this?” He asked. “Learned from you!” Stede replied with a grin. Things kept going smoothly, until one final miscalculation. Edward’s blade failed to parry Stede’s hit in time. The blade went straight through him, on his right even. Stede’s eyes widened. He didn’t mean to do that! No no no! He didn’t want THIS to happen!! “Edward oh god..! I…! I didn’t mean..!” Edward let out a pained laugh. “You stabbed me ya nut…God is this how it felt for you all those times…?” Edward was out cold in minutes. Before Stede could even react he heard Izzy voice call out. “STEDE FUCKING BONNET.” He shouted, pulling out a small pistol. He shot Stede, sending him back onto the boat once more.

Stede was on the boat again, getting shot was a new experience, and one he certainly didn’t like. He screamed out a swear in frustration. This was all so pointless! No matter what he did he just ended up dying again and again. He considered throwing himself off the boat and drowning just to see what would happen. But he knew he had to get out of this loop. He rowed towards the island once more.

“Maybe we shouldn’t even go..” He mumbled. “Well considering some of us are already considering eating each other,” Oluwande began, pointing towards Buttons who had tried to eat Swede, “I think heading there is our best bet.” Easy for you to say! You’re not the one getting murdered a million times! Stede thought. “Right right…Let’s go.”

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Edward Teach took a swig of rum. Stede would be approaching soon. He was so so tired. Tired of being angry, tired of killing Stede. Maybe a discussion really would help. Maybe it would stop this horrid loop. Actually dying gave him some perspective after all. It was worth a try.

Stede climbed aboard the revenge once more. Awaiting another death. But instead he was greeted by a tired looking Edward Teach. “Come inside…We need to talk.” Was all he said before he went inside the Captain’s quarters. And so, Stede followed suit. The two sat down on the canapé. “So…You’re not gonna kill me again—Are you?” Stede asked with a nervous chuckled. Attempting to fill some of the dead air. “No….I think I’ve done that enough. Seems like we’re both in this, weird loop.” Edward said. “Think we’re the only one’s in it?” Stede asked. “Looks like it..” He replied.

“I’m tired Stede…Tired of everything. Tired of being pissed, tired of killing you, just tired.” Edward explained. “I’m tired too…Dying isn’t a great feeling. Especially by you.” Stede replied. “Yeah I know…you said you could explain everything and since we basically have all day, why don’t you explain?” Edward told him. And so Stede explained. Explained everything from his meeting with Badminton, to faking his death.

“Jesus Christ….A piano fell on you and everything? That’s one hell of a fuckery…” Edward said astonished. “I am quite proud of myself for it admittedly. But I told you! I didn’t mean to leave you there…I really should’ve just told you but I didn’t. And you every reason to be angry..Maybe not every reason to kill me a million times but y’know it happens—“ Stede said. Edward kissed Stede suddenly. “I’m not angry…Not anymore.” He told him. “You still make me happy…I didn’t lie about that y’know?” Stede replied. “I know…I know.”

The sun was setting. “Hey look, it’s almost nighttime and we’re alive. That hasn’t happened before.” Edward said. “It hasn’t…Think we’ll get sent back?” Stede asked him. “Only one way to find out.” And so the two got ready for bed.

“Hey Edward..?”

“Yeah Stede?”

“I love you…”

Edward smiled, “I love you too.” The two fell asleep in each other’s arm.

The morning came, but instead of awaking in the boat, Stede Bonnet was still in the arms of his pirate captain lover. The sun shined in his face. He got up out of bed, “What day is it…? What day is it?!” Did they do it? Was the loop over?? He pulled on the vanity where Lucius was residing. “Captain what are you—?” Lucius was interrupted by Stede. “Long story I’ll tell you later! What day is it??” He asked. “It’s November 1st.” Lucius replied. November 1st!! It was the next day! They made it! They actually made it! “November 1st..!!! Yes!!” He went back towards Ed. The vanity passage practically slamming on Lucius face. “Thanks..” Was all he could say afterwards.

Stede shook Edward awake. “What..?” He said groggily. “It’s November 1st Edward! We made it!” Stede said excitedly. “We did..??” He replied in shocked happiness. Hugging Stede suddenly. “We did it!! We fucking did it!!” Edward then said happily. The two kissed once again. Happier than ever. “Captain!” The two heard Izzy call out. “Shit.” Stede said bluntly. “Well that’ll be a problem for me.” Stede then said. “Not for long.” Edward replied. Getting out to see Mr. Hands himself.

“I’m not killing Stede.” Edward told him.

“Then I will.” He replied.

“No, you won’t, you won’t be on this vessel anymore actually.” Edward said.

“….What?”

“You won’t be on this Vessel anymore.” Edward repeated. “Fang, give him Stede’s boat, he’ll be rowing out of here by dawn.” He ordered his crew. “Oh and..Don’t think about telling the British either. Stede Bonnet has already died in a freak tiger mauling incident.” He said with a smirk. “Actually it was the piano that fully killed me!” Stede added.

Izzy looked at Stede, then back at Edward with an angry expression. “You’ll regret this..” Was all he said as he took off.

“Do you actually think he’ll leave us alone now?” Stede asked. “Probably not, but that’s a problem for us to deal with later.” Edward said. “Y’know I could’ve swore I heard Lucius this morning which is…Really weird considering he’s uh..Um..” Edward stuttered a bit with finishing that sentence. “I already know but good news! He’s alive and well!” Stede said happily.

“He’s what—??” Edward replied shocked.

“Eh it’s a long story, how about we talk about it…Over tea perhaps?” He suggested.

Edward chuckled. He supposed he had time, all the time in world now.

“I think I’d like that.”

—

Lmk what you think <3