#i need ANSWERS david jenkins

[izzyhandsy]

right so do we think Ed actually said Izzy taught him everything he knows or was that just Stede saying what he knew would make Izzy more agreeable…?

[myflagmeanshi]

I am totally lost on whats happening with definitely not david jenkins now

Who is it? What is the broader plan? Is there a plan at all?

[ladyluscinia]

Ok, I think I might be exiting the "are you fucking kidding me?" period and ready to make a real argument, so lets talk about Three Act Structure!

Is OFMD S2 just the "Darkest Hour"?

A very common explanation I've been seeing for some of the... controversial... aspects of S2 is that it's meant to be that way. That the middle act is where the protagonists hit their lowest point. Where we get the big failure point. Where everything looks kind of shit.

S2 is supposedly just that point. It's The Empire Strikes Back. People have been making that comparison since before the first episodes even dropped, telling everyone to expect something that could be disappointing or unsatisfying - it's just a matter of needing to wait for S3 to pull it all together.

It's not a baseless framework to consider the show through - I'm pretty sure David Jenkins has mentioned it in interviews (or at least mentioned he planned for three acts / seasons) so it's certainly worth asking how he's doing at the 2/3rd mark.

So - quick summary of Three Act Structure:

Act 1 introduces our characters and world. It includes the inciting incident of the story and the first plot point, where a) the protagonist loses the ability to return to their normal life, and b) the story raises whatever dramatic question will drive the entire plot. Act 2 is rising action and usually most of the story. The protagonist tries to fix things and fucks them up worse, in the process learning new skills and character developing to overcome their flaws. Act 3 is the protagonist taking one more shot, but this time they are ready. We get the climax of the story, the dramatic question gets an answer, and then the story closes.

If you want examples, the Star Wars Original Trilogy is a very popular template. And, hell, he said it was a pirate story... the main Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy also does a solid job with their three acts.

Let's compare. (Spoiler: I'm not impressed 🤨)

---

First thing I need to establish... Wait. Two things. First is that Three Act Structure is flexible, so we can't really analyze success or failure by pulling up a list of necessary plot beats that should have been hit in X order. Second is that if you tell me you are writing a romance with a Three Act Structure - where "the relationship is the story" - the first thing I'm going to do is ask you how you are adapting it. Because while there's not necessarily anything preventing you from applying this to a character driven plot, most people are familiar with it as plot structure for externally driven conflict.

Unless there's a reason the status of the main relationship is intrinsically tied up in the current status of the war against the evil empire, a standard Three Act Structure is going to entail either an antagonistic force that absolutely wants your main couple apart being the main relationship obstacle OR the romance aspect being a subplot to the protagonist's narrative adventure. None of those sound like how the show has been described.

So how is OFMD adapting it?

---

Act 1

(Can't figure out how well Act 2 is doing if we don't start at setup.)

Right out the gate, OFMD breaks one of the main "rules" for a story where the Acts are delivered in three parts. Namely the one where the first Act is treated as an acceptable standalone story, with it's own satisfying yet open ended conclusion.

In Star Wars, A New Hope ends with the princess rescued, Luke finding the Force, Han finding his loyalty, and the Death Star destroyed. The Empire isn't defeated, the antagonists still live... the story is not over, but this one movie doesn't feel unfinished.

Similarly, Curse of the Black Pearl gives Jack his ship back, Elizabeth and Will get together, and Norrington has the English Navy let them all off the hook and give Jack and the pirates one day's head start.

OFMD's final beat of S1 being Kraken Arc starting is not that, even if Stede returning to sea is still a pretty hopeful note. Now... I don't necessarily think this was a bad call. At least, not if the story is the relationship. It's easy to close on a happy ending and then fuck it up next movie if the conflict is external and coming for them. Not so much if you're driving the story with your protagonists' flaws, in part because it should be really obvious at the end of setup that your main characters need development and can't run off together right now. I actually like that they were risk-takers and let S1 look at the situation clearly vs doing a fragile happy end, because it takes into account the difference between a character-driven and plot-driven narrative.

I think OFMD's Act 1 actually ends at maybe the Act of Grace? Well, there through the kiss on the beach, counting as our "first plot point" before everything goes wrong, basically.

At that point, they have setup the story and characters. We've been introduced to Edward and Stede's current issues. Signing the Act of Grace does make the intertwined arcs between them real - it's no longer a situation that either one of them could just walk away from like it was in 1x07 - and we narrow in on the (alleged) driving question of the show:

It's not about "Will Stede become a great pirate?" or "Will we develop a better kind of piracy for the crew?" - the show is the relationship and the big question is "What is Stede and Edward's happy ending?"

Act 1 ends on their first solution, being together and making each other happy and admitting it's more than just friendship. Act 2 starts, appropriately, by saying both of them are currently too flawed for that to go anywhere but crashing and burning.

Now... looking back, what does Act 1 do well vs poorly?

I think it's really strong on giving us the foundation for BlackBonnet's characters and flaws. We aren't surprised Stede goes home or Edward goes Kraken (or at least... we weren't supposed to be surprised. There are still a lot of holdouts blaming Izzy for interrupting Edward's "healing" despite how at this point in the story it doesn't make sense for Edward to have the skills to heal... but I digress). The relationship question is compelling at the end of S1, the cliffhanger hooks, and the fandom explosion of fics did not come from nowhere - the audience was invested.

I also think Act 1 does a great job of settling us in the universe. We understand the rules it abides by, from how gay pirates are just a fact of life to how there's no important organs on the left side of the body. Stede has a muppety force field. Rowboats have homing devices, and port is always as close as you want it to be. Scurvy is a joke. The overblown violence of pirate life is mostly a joke, but we are going to take the violence of childhood trauma seriously.

Lucius's fake-out death, while technically part of Act 2, works well because Act 1 did a good job of priming everyone to go "obviously this show wouldn't kill a crew member for shock value, and we're 100% supposed to suspend disbelief about how he could have survived getting flung into the sea in the middle of the night." And we do. And we get rewarded for it.

Regarding antagonists - a big focus of any setup - the show is deliberately weak. The one with the most screentime is Izzy, and he's purposefully ineffective at separating our main couple. Every antagonist is keyed to a particular character, and they function mostly to inform us of that character's flaws and development requirements. The Badmintons tell us about Stede's repression and feelings of inadequacy, and Izzy tells us about Edward's directionless discontent and tendency to avoid his problems. Effectively - the show is taking the stance this will be a character driven narrative where Stede and Edward's flaws are the source of problems and development the solution. No person or empire (or social homophobia) is separating them...

...which leads me to something not present - there nothing really about the struggle of piracy against the Empire. Looking at Curse of the Black Pearl... we see piracy is in danger. The Black Pearl itself is described as the last great pirate threat the British Navy needs to conquer. Hangings are omnipresent - Jack is sentenced to die by one almost as soon as he's introduced to the story, when his only act so far had been to wander around and save Elizabeth from drowning. OFMD tries to invoke this kind of struggle in 2x08, but there's no foundation. Our Navy antagonists are Stede's childhood bullies, and so focused on Stede the crew isn't even in danger when they get caught. The Republic of Pirates is getting jokes about being gentrified, not besieged.

Even the capture of Blackbeard by the Navy is treated as a feather in Wellington's cap but not a huge symbolic blow against piracy... because we just do not have that grand struggle woven into Act 1. You only know the "Golden Age of Piracy" is ending if you google it, or have watched a bunch of pirate shows.

Overall, a solid Act 1, well adapted to the kind of story they've said they were looking to tell - a romance in the (silly-fied) age of piracy, instead of a pirate adventure with a romantic subplot.

---

Now, Sidebar - Where is the story going?

The thing about the dramatic question - in OFMD's case: "What is Stede and Edward's happy ending?" - is that a) there's normally more than one question bundled up in that one + sideplots, and b) while you aren't supposed to have the answer yet, you can usually guess what needs to happen to give you the answer.

Back to our examples... Luke's driving question is "Will the Empire be defeated?" Simple. Straightforward. Also: "Will Luke become a Jedi?" The eventual climax of our story from there is pretty obvious... the story is over when Luke wins the war for the Rebellion in a Jedi way. That's the goal that they are working toward.

Pirates of the Caribbean is a bit more complicated. We're juggling more characters and have a less defined heroic journey, but there are driving questions like "Is Jack Sparrow a good man?" and "Is Will Turner a pirate / what does that mean?" and even "Will the British Navy defeat piracy?" They get basic answers in Curse of the Black Pearl, and far more defined ones in At World's End. Still, this is another plot-driven narrative. They've laid the foundations for the Pirates vs Empire struggle, and when that final battle turns into the trilogy climax then you know what's happening.

OFMD is not doing a plot-driven narrative. To judge how they are doing at their goals, we have to ask what they think a happy ending entails in a character sense.

Clearly it's not the classic romantic sideplot, where the climax is the first kiss / acknowledgement of feelings. They've teased a wedding in Word of God comments a lot, so that's probably our better endpoint. Specifically, though, a wedding where both of our protagonists aren't ready to flee from the altar (big ask) and where they've both grown enough that their flaws / mutual tendencies to run away from life problems won't tank the relationship.

In Stede's case it's still massive feelings of inadequacy and being too repressed to talk about his problems. Also he ran away from his family to chase a lifelong dream of being a pirate - "Is Stede going to find fulfillment in being a pirate captain, or will the real answer be love?" Edward meanwhile expresses a desire to quit piracy and retire Blackbeard, but we also find out he's struggling with massive self-loathing and guilt from killing his father - "Is retiring what Edward wants to do, or is he just running away?"

If they are going to get to a satisfying wedding beat at the climax of their story, what character beats do we need to hit in advance?

Off the top of my head - both characters need to self-realize their flaws (a pretty necessary demand of anyone who runs away from problems). They are set up to balance each other well, but also to miscommunicate easily. They have to tell each other about or verbally acknowledge that self-realization so it can be resolved. Stede has to decide how much being a pirate means to him. Edward has to decide if he's retiring and what he wants to do. They both need to show something to do with getting past their childhood traumas given all the flashbacks. Through all this, they also need to hit the normal romance beats that convince the audience they are romantically attracted to each other and like... want to get married.

Oh, and this is more of a genre-specific sideplot, but once they demonstrate a behavior that hurts the people who work for them, they need to then demonstrate later how it won't happen again. Proof of growth, which is kind of important in a comedy where a lot of the humor is based in them being massively self-centered assholes. Stede doesn't earn his acceptance in the community until he kicks Calico Jack off the ship, making up for causing the situation with Nigel in the first episode. A workplace comedy can get a lot of material from the boss as the worker's antagonist, but if you want the bosses to stay sympathetic you have got to throw them some opportunities to earn it.

All that sounds like a lot, but like - the relationship is the story, right? If we spend so much time on establishing flaws big enough to drive a story, we also have to spend time on fixing them. Which is where the turning point hits.

---

Act 2: How it Starts

This is where the full story reality-checks your protagonist. Glad you saved your boyfriend and embraced new love in Act 1, but his repressed guilt means he's about to completely ghost you, and your own abandonment issues and self-loathing are about to make his dick move into everyone else's problem.

Again, it's a non-conventional choice OFMD has this start at the very end of S1 rather than with a sudden dark turn in the S2 premiere, but it's still pretty clearly that point in the Three Act Structure.

In Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back opens with a timeskip to our Rebellion getting absolutely crushed and hiding on a miserable frozen planet. The Empire finds them as the plot is kicking off and they have to desperately flee. They get separated. Han and Leia try to go to an ally for help and end up in Vader's clutches. It's a sharp turn from the victorious note that A New Hope ended on.

Pirates of the Caribbean's Act 2 starts dark. Dead Man's Chest opens with our happy couple Will and Elizabeth getting arrested on their wedding day for the "happy end" escape of the last movie. Jack has not been having success since reclaiming his ship, and we'll soon find out he's being hunted by dark forces. As for the general state of piracy, we get a horrifying prison where pirates are being eaten alive by crows, and a new Lord Beckett making the dying state of piracy even more textual. "Jack Sparrow is a dying breed... The world is shrinking."

The key here is making a point that our heroes aren't ready. This is the struggles part - things they try? Fail. The odds do not look to be in their favor.

Now, OFMD apparently decided to go all-in on flaw exploration, especially with Edward. The first 3 episodes of S2 are brutally efficient in outlining Edward's backslide. In S1 you could see he had issues with guilt and feeling like a bad person. S2 devolves that into a destructive, suicidal spiral where Edward forces his crew into three months of consecutive raids, repeats his shocking act of cruelty with Izzy's toe offscreen (more than once!), escalates it with his leg, and finally they state directly that Edward hates himself for killing his dad so much that he fears he's fundamentally unlovable and better off dead.

Stede's struggles are subtler, but most definitely still there. He's deliberately turning a blind eye to tales of Edward's rampage, half from simply being too self-centered to care about the harms Edward causes others, and half from being unable to face or fathom that he had the ability to hurt Edward that much. Upon reunion he wants to put the whole thing behind them, not addressing why he left in the first place. Very "love magically fixes everything" of him, except Stede is no golden merman.

Interestingly, here, BlackBonnet's relationship dysfunction has very clearly been having a negative impact on the surrounding characters we care about. Make sense, since it's the driving force of the story, but that also adds a lot more relationships we need to make right. Like... Edward is the villain to his crew. The show focuses on their trauma and poisoned relationships with him. And then draws our attention even more to Stede taking his side to overrule their objections to him.

For a story where the conflict and required resolutions are primarily character based, and the setup had already given the main couple a good amount to work with, dedicating a lot of S2 to adding more ground to cover was... a choice. Potentially very compelling on the character end, certainly challenging on the writing end... but not a complete break with the structure.

Bold, but not damning.

---

Act 2: How it Ends

Now it is true that Act 2 tends to end on a loss. Luke is defeated by Vader and loses his hand, and Han has been sent away in carbonite. Jack Sparrow for all his efforts cannot escape his fate, and he and the Pearl are dragged to the locker.

But the loss is not the point. The loss is incidental to the point.

Act 2 is about struggles and failure, but it's also about lessons learned. There's a change that occurs, and our cast - defeated but not broken - enters the final act with the essential skills, motivation, knowledge, etc. that they lacked in the beginning.

Luke Skywalker could not have defeated the Empire in Return of the Jedi until he'd learned the truth about his father and resisted the Dark Side in The Empire Strikes Back. (Ok, confession, I'm using Star Wars as an example because literally everyone is doing so, but frankly it's a better example of formulaic Three Act Structure repeating within each movie because on a trilogy level - relevant to this comparison - it is a super basic hero's journey in a very recognized outfit and as such the Act 2 relevance is also... super basic "the hero tries to fight the antagonist too early" beat where he learns humility. Not really a lot going on. So, for the better example...)

Dead Man's Chest has a downer ending with the closing moment of the survivors regaining hope and a plan against an enemy now on the verge of total victory - a classic Act 2. But in that first loss against Davy Jones we get Will's personal motivation and oath to stab the heart, Jack finally overcoming not knowing what he wanted and returning to save them from the Kraken (being a good man), Elizabeth betraying Jack (being a pirate), Barbossa's return, and Norrington's choice to bargain for his prior life back. The mission to retrieve Jack from the World's End is the final movie's plot, but things are already on track to turn the tables back around as we enter the finale.

Now, relevant sidenote - one major difference between Three Act Structure within a single work vs across three parts is that Act 2 continues into Part 3, and only tips over into Act 3 about midway through. This is because obviously your final movie or season cannot just be the climax. That's why both movie examples start with a rescue mission. They have to still be missing something so they can get the plot of their third part accelerating while they go get whatever that something is.

But if you wait until the 3rd movie / season to get the development going at all - you're fucked.

Jack's decision in the climax of At World's End to make Elizabeth into the Pirate King goes back to the development we saw in the Pearl vs Kraken fight in Dead Man's Chest. So does Elizabeth's leadership arc. Will's whole arc about becoming Captain of the Dutchman gets built upon in the third movie, but it starts in the second. Not just as an idle thought - he's actively pursuing it. Already consciously weighing saving his father vs getting back to Elizabeth as soon as he makes the oath. Everyone is moving forward in Act 2. Their remaining development might stumble for drama, or they might be a bit reluctant, but I know that they know better than to let it stick, because they already faced their true crisis points.

I'm not sure we can say the same about OFMD.

S2 does a good job of adding problems, yeah, but there's not really any movement on fixing them. Our main couple stagnates in some ways, and regresses in others.

Stede opened Act 2 by running away in the middle of the night back to his wife without telling Edward anything. We know he did it because of feeling guilty and his core childhood trauma of his dad calling him a weak and inadequate failure. Now in S1 he actually speedruns a realization of his shitty behavior with Mary, but what about S2? Well...

He continues to not talk to Edward about... pretty much anything. My guy practiced love confessions galore but Edward only finds out about going back to his wife via Anne, and it gets brushed aside with a love confession. He seems to think Edward wants him to be a dashing pirate, or maybe he just thinks he should be a dashing pirate. Idk, it doesn't get examined. Regarding his captaincy, they give him an episode plot about Izzy teaching him to respect the crew's beliefs, but this is sideplot to a larger arc of him completely overruling their traumas and concerns (and shushing their objections) to keep his boyfriend on the ship so. That.

Stede kills a man for reasons related to his issues, shoves that down inside and has sex with Edward instead of acknowledging any bad feelings. At least this time Edward was there and knows it happened? Neither Chauncey's death nor his dad have been mentioned to anyone. He gets a day of piracy fame that goes to his head, gets dumped, and ends on a complete beat down by Zheng where he learns... idk. Being a boor is bad? He's still wildly callous to her in the finale, and spends the whole time seeking validation of his pirate skills. He reunites with Edward, kisses, and quotes Han Solo.

Where S1 ended on a great fuckery, his S2 naval uniform plan after they regroup is ill defined except to call it a suicide mission - and we don't get to see what it would have been because it devolves into a very straightforward fight and flee. And gets Izzy killed. Quick cut funeral (no acknowledgement of his S2 bonding with Izzy), quick cut to wedding (foreshadowing), quick cut to... innkeeper retirement? Unclear when or even if BlackBonnet discussed Stede's whole driving dream to be a pirate and live a life at sea, but I guess that got a big priority downgrade. Despite the fact he was literally looking to Zheng for pirate-based compliments in the post-funeral scene.

I guess he's borderline-delusionally dogged in his pursuit of love now - so unlikely to bolt again - but he's also got at least a decade of experience mentally checking out in a state of repression when he's unhappy. And he's stopped being as supportive and caring toward the crew in that dogged pursuit, while arguably demonstrating a loss in leadership skills, so, um, good thing someone else is in charge?

And if Stede is a mess, Edward's arc is so much worse.

As established, they devote the Kraken to making Edward worse. He literally wants to kill himself and destroy everyone around him in the process because Stede left, and this is fixed by... Stede coming back. That's it. The crew tries to murder him and then exiles him from the ship (and Izzy takes the lead on both, indicating exactly how isolated Edward has become), but it's resolved in half a day by Stede just forcing them to put up with his boyfriend again. Like they think he murdered Buttons and still have to move him back in???

The show consistently depicts Kraken Era as a transgression against the crew, but they also avoid showing Edward acting with genuine contrition. He admits he historically doesn't apologize for anything, and then mostly still doesn't. It's a joke that he's approaching probation as a performance (CEO apology), and then the only person he genuinely talks to is Fang - the one guy cool with him - and the only person who gets a basic "sorry" is Izzy - the guy he really needs to be talking to. Edward's primary trauma is guilt, but apparently he only feels it abstractly after all that? He's only concerned with fixing things with Stede, despite Stede being about the only person around who hurt him instead of the reverse.

Speaking of primary traumas, Edward hating himself doesn't really go anywhere after the beat of self-realization. Apparently Stede still loving him is enough of a bandaid to end the suicide chasing, but he doesn't like. Acknowledge that. Edward is maybe sorta trying to go slow so he doesn't hang all his self-worth on Stede again (you can speculate), but they a) absolutely fail to go slow, and b) he doesn't make any attempt to develop himself or another support structure. Just basically... "let's be friends a bit before hooking back up." And then we get the whiplash that is Blackbeard and/or retirement.

Kraken Era is Blackbeard but way worse, like no one who has known Blackbeard has ever seen him. In the Gravy Basket Edward claims he might like being an innkeeper, before destroying his own fantasy by having the spectre of Hornigold confront him over killing his dad. The BlackBonnet to Anne & Mary parallel says running away to China / retiring makes you want to kill each other - burn it all down and go back to piracy. Stede rightfully points out prior retirement plans were whims. Edward gets sick of the penance sack after a day and puts his leathers back on to go try "poison into positivity". But also claims to be an innkeeper (look - two whole mentions!) when trying not to send children to be pirates after teaching them important knife skills.

Killing Ned Low is a serious, bad thing that prompts ill-advised sex and then going hardcore into retirement mode - leathers overboard, talk about mermaid fantasy, get retirement blessings from Izzy, end up dumping Stede for a fishing job instead of talking about how he's enjoying piracy. The fishing job, however, is also a bad thing and a stupid decision because Edward is a lazy freeloader fantasizing about being a better person. We have an uncomfortable, extended scene of "Pop-Pop" weirdly echoing his abusive dad and then sending Edward to go do what he's good at - disassociate, brutally murder two guys, fish up the leathers, rise as the Kraken from the sea. He continues with comically efficient murder but also he's reading Stede's love letters and seeking to reunite with him so... wait, is this a good thing? Post makeout / mass slaughter he's trading compliments on his kills with Zheng so. Yeah. Looks like it. Murder is fine.

Wait, no, skip ahead and Izzy is dying and Edward suddenly cares a whole lot as Izzy makes his death scene about freeing Edward from Blackbeard. Now being a pirate was "encouraging the darkness" because Izzy - a guy who had little to no influence over Edward's behavior - just couldn't let Blackbeard go. Murder is bad again, and he is freed. Minus the little detail that the murder he explicitly hates himself over was not related to Blackbeard or piracy whatsoever, so presumably haunts "just Ed" still. Anyway he's retiring to run an inn with Stede now, as the "loving family" Izzy comforted him with in his dying moments sails away from the couple that can best be described as the antagonists of their S2 arc. Also Edward implicitly wants to get married. It's been 3 days since making out was "too fast". He's still wearing the leathers.

So most of the way through Act 2 and Edward's barely on speaking terms with anyone but Stede, who he has once again hung his entire life on really fast? Crushing guilt leads to self-hatred leads to mass murder and suicide, but only if he's upset so just avoid that. He's still regularly idealizing Stede as a non-fucked up golden mermaid person (that maybe he personally ruined a bit) because he barely knows the guy. His only progress on his future is "pirate" crossed out / rewritten / crossed out again a few times, "fisherman" crossed out, and "innkeeper ?"

Just.

Where is the forward movement?

It's not just that the inn will undoubtedly fall apart - it's that the inn will fall apart for the near-exact same reasons that China was going to at the beginning of Act 2, and I can't point to anything they've learned in the time since that will help them. I guess Stede realized he loved Edward enough to chase after him, but that was in S1! They should be further than this by now. You can't cram another crisis backslide, all the Act 2 development, and the full Act 3 climax into one season. Certainly not without it feeling like the characters magically fix themselves.

If they just fail and keep blindly stumbling into the same issues because they don't change their behavior, then Act 2 doesn't work. You're just repeating the turning point between Act 1 & Act 2 on a loop.

---

Where Did They Fuck Up?

Actually... lets start on what they did right.

The one consistent aspect of S2 that I praised and still think was done well in a vacuum (despite being mostly left out of the finale) was the crew's union-building arc.

With only 8 episodes and more to do in them than S1, side characters were going to get pinched even if the main plot was absolutely flawless. That was unavoidable. With budget cuts / scheduling issues, we regularly have crew members simply vanish offscreen outside of one scene, meaning cohesive arcs for your faves was not likely. Not to say they couldn't have done better - my benefit of the doubt for the TealOranges breakup and Oluwande x Zheng dried up about when I realized he was literally just her Stede stand-in for the parallel - but something like Jim's revenge plot from S1 was realistically not on the table without, like, turning half the crew into seagulls to afford it.

The union building works around this constraint really well. They turn "the crew" into the side arc, and then weave Izzy's beats in so that they aren't just about Izzy. The breakup boat crew working together to comfort each other and protect him turns them into a unit, and Stede's crew taking it upon themselves to address the trauma vibes while the captains aren't in the way solidifies it across all our side characters. The crew goes to war with Stede's cursed coat and wins, they Calypso their boss to throw a party, and they capitalize on a chance to make bank with an efficiency Stede could only dream of.

We don't get specific arcs, but Frenchie, Jim, and Oluwande are defaulted to as leaders in just about every situation, and Roach is constantly shown sharing his inventions with different characters. Individuals can dip in and out without feeling like the sideplots stutter. Any sense of community in S2 is coming from this arc - even if there are cracks at the points where it joins to other storylines (Stede and Edward, Zheng, etc.)

So why does it work? Well, because it's a workplace comedy, and you can tell they are familiar with working on those. They know where the beats are. They know where to find the humor. They know how to build off of S1 because they made sure the bones were already there - an eclectic group of individuals that start as just coworkers, but bond over time in the face of their struggle against an inept boss who they grow to care for and support while maintaining an increasingly friendly antagonism because, you know, inept boss.

OFMD does its best work in S2 when it's being true to its original concept... and its worst work when it seemingly loses confidence in its own premise.

"The show is the relationship," right? It's a romance set in a workplace comedy. The setup of Act 1 was all about creating a character-driven narrative. So given that... where the hell are we getting the dying of piracy and a war against the English Navy?

That's not a character-driven romcom backdrop, it's an action-adventure plot from Pirates of the Caribbean or Black Sails. It's plot-driven, creating an antagonistic force that results in your characters' problems. Once the story is about the fight against the Empire, the dramatic question becomes the same as those adventure stories - "Will the British Navy defeat piracy, and will our protagonists come out the other side of the battle?"

Forget the wedding. The wedding is no longer the climax of the story, its back to the happy ending flash our romantic subplot gets after winning this fight.

Except, of course, trying to pivot your story to a contradictory dramatic question near the end of Act 2 can be nothing short of a disaster, because either you were writing the wrong story until now, or you've completely lost the plot of the real one. I shouldn't even be trying to figure out if they are doing this, because it should be so obvious that they wouldn't.

And yet.

What do the Zheng and Ricky plots add to the story if not this? Neither of these characters have anything emotionally to contribute to Stede and Edward - they truly are plot elements. It's a hard break from the S1 antagonist model, but it also takes up a lot of valuable screentime. This was considered important, but still Zheng's personality and motivation only gets explored so far as it's an Edward-Stede-Izzy parallel with Oluwande and Auntie, and they only need the parallel for Izzy's genre-jumping death scene. Which follows a thematically out-of-left-field speech about how piracy is about belonging to something good (workable) and how Ricky could never destroy their spirits (um...?). And then David Jenkins is pointing to it and saying things about "the symbolic death of piracy" and speculating S3 might be about the crew getting "payback"??? An idea floated by Zheng right before our temporary retirement, btw.

Fuck, the final episode of S2 didn't have time for our main couple to talk to each other because it was so busy dealing with the mass explosion of Zheng's fleet and Ricky's victory gloat. We get lethal violence associated with traumatic flashbacks until they need to cut down enemy mooks like it's nothing, at which point we get jokes with Zheng. The Republic of Pirates is destroyed outright, and it feels like they only did it because they got insecure about their "pirate story" not having the right kind of stakes. Don't even get me started on killing a major character because "Piracy’s a dangerous occupation, and some characters should die," as if suspending disbelief on this aspect makes the story somehow lesser, instead of just being a fairly standard genre convention in comedy. Nobody complains about Kermit the Frog having an improbably good survival record.

Did someone tell them that the heroes have to lose a battle near the end of Act 2, so they scrambled to give them one?

Just... compare the wholly plot-driven struggle in 2x08 to Stede and Edward's character-focused storylines in 1x10 and tell me how 2x08 is providing anything nearly as valuable to the story. Because I can't fucking find it.

At best they wasted a bunch of time on a poorly integrated adventure plot as, like, Zheng's backstory or something, and just fucked it up horribly by trying to "step up" the kind of plot they did for Jim. In which case the whole thing will be awkwardly dropped but damage is done. Otherwise, they actually thought they could just casually add a subplot like this because they've done something wildly stupid like think "pirate" is a genre on the same level as "workplace comedy" and can just trample in-universe coherency while you draw on other media to shore up their unsupported beats.

Bringing us to the most infuriating bit...

---

"...end the second season in a kinder spot."

If this was the goal, the entire season was written to work actively against it in way that is baffling and incompetent.

The really ironic thing is that the reason that the Act 2 part typically gets a downer ending is because of the evil empire that OFMD did not have to deal with until they pointlessly added it. A plot-driven story has an antagonistic force - a villain - that the heroes need to defeat. Something external working against them. The story ends when they beat the thing, and it's not much of a climax if they do most of the defeating before you get there. Ergo, they have to be outmatched up to the climax. Ergo, the second part cannot end on them feeling pretty comfortable and confident going into the third.

The same rules do not apply in the same way to a character-driven arc.

We already established Edward and Stede declaring their love is not the end of the story. Nor, necessarily, is both of them confidently entering a relationship. Even once they've developed a bunch they will have to show that development by running into the kinds of problems that would have broken them up before and resolving them better.

David Jenkins keeps talking about this idea that S2 is getting a hopeful open ending and S3 will get into potential problems, and like... I don't see any reason why they couldn't have done that successfully. They didn't, but they could've.

If S2 grew them enough as characters and then had them agree to try again in the last minute of the finale, they absolutely could have had a kind and hopeful ending where you were confident they could do it. And then a potential S3 can show that. It's a bit rockier than they were counting on, but they have learned enough lessons to not break up. And then the overall plot can build to proposal (start of Act 3) and wedding (the romantic climax). It doesn't have to be a blow out fight to be emotionally cathartic.

(Hell, the main rockier bit that they overcome in the S3 Act 2 portions could be marriage baggage. I'm sure they both have some. It would work.)

In the same way focusing on our character's long term flaws and character-driven conflict makes an Act 1 "happy ending" more difficult, I suspect it makes an Act 2 "happy ending" easier.

Instead they wrote an Act 2 that failed to convincingly start development and got confused on its direction, and then presented a rushed finale ending in a copy of the predictable disaster from S1 as though it's a good thing. They yanked the story at least temporarily into an awkward place where a romcom is trying to sell me on a bunch of serious drama / adventure beats that it has not put the work into, and inviting comparisons to better versions of those same beats in other, more suited media that make it look worse. The need to portray everyone as reaching happy closure overrules sitting with a major character death and using it for any narrative significance, while still letting it overshadow those happy endings because a romcom just sloppily killed a major character with a wound they've literally looked into the camera and said was harmless.

If I'm being entirely honest, Dead Man's Chest ends effectively at Jack Sparrow's funeral and then cuts to the British Navy obtaining a weapon of mass destruction, and it still feels kinder and more hopeful just because I leave with more faith the characters are actively capable of and working toward solving their problems.

OFMD S2, in contrast, has half-convinced me our main couple would live in a mutually obsessed, miscommunication-ridden horror story until they die.

---

Additional Reading

Normally I link stuff like this in the post, but that requires more excitement than I'm feeling right now. Here's my alternative:

Where I thought they were going with Edward - really outlines the mountain of character development they still have unaddressed

Where I thought they were going with Izzy - touches on a lot of themes that might be dead in the water & also context that's still probably relevant to why Izzy got a lot of focus in S2

My scattershot 2x08 reactions

An ask where I sketched out the bones of this argument, and another where I was mostly venting about the fandom response

This one, this other one, and this last one (read the link in op's post too) about genre shifts and failure to pull them off

The trauma goes in the box but it never opens back up - the whole point of Act 2 is that they needed to start opening shit like that - and also they focus so much on needed character growth and so little on following through

They can't even carry through on character growth that we got last season???

Why Izzy's death feels like Bury Your Gays ran smack into shitty writing

EDIT: Oh and this post is REALLY good for outlining the lack of change in way less words than I did

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/24/24 OFMD Daily Recap

TLDR; Cast and Crew Sightings with clowning; UK News; Wee John Wednesday; RenewAsACrewUpdates; NewTwitter Resource: @AdoptOurCrew; Pirate Omens Watch Party; LubeAsACrew; The Queerties; Petition Status; Final Notes; Love Notes; Rhys & Rosie's Anniversary;

==Cast and Crew Sightings==

David Jenkins got the clowning going really early this morning with a picture of a red sunrise, playing the song "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley.

There's been a lot of speculation (obviously we don't know what it means for sure) but the current fan theories going around are:

1. "Red Skies In Morning, Sailor's Take Warning" which Djenkins previously posted prior to a new OFMD Trailer being released back in Sept. Thanks @saltpepperbeard!

2. Some folks think that the Red color is to help indicate Netflix as it is very similar to their signature red. @_Irene_Adler

3. Others are going towards the AppleTV route since out in sunnyside queens, there is an Apple building nearby. @skrifores

Do we actually know? Nope, just conjecture, but it left people wanting to target Netflix and AppleTV more today in terms of hashtags. Which is great cause the Pirate Omens Focused on PrimeVideo in the afternoon.

=Con O'Neil Updated his Instagram, and David Fane commented =

==Ruibo Qian also made a profound update on IG==

"Amplifying positive intent toward a paradigm is what solidifies it into live experience".

Take these updates as you will, but one nice thing about being broken apart from Max is we're starting to see the crew reach out again, and all of it seems to be in somewhat of a positive direction.

==More UK News!==

Today’s news from the UK 24 January 2024 - by @lamentus1

We have a date!! The most amazing news! Season 2 will be available to watch in the UK on BBCiPlayer from Monday 4 February!!! The arrival of season two in the UK will give us an opportunity to organise some attention grabbing events around the show. We’ll keep you posted!

=Convention news=

Starfury Conventions is considering holding an Our Flag Means Death convention here in the UK! We need to show how much interest there is in the idea, so make sure you vote in their poll.

Vote here: https://x.com/starfuryevents/status/1750149921880059968 Make sure they know just how interested we are!

**Note from @gentlebeardsbarngrill: If you are avoiding twitter and need someone to log in and for for you, I have lots of extra twitter handles, just shoot me a DM with what answer you wanna choose and I'll vote on your behalf.**

=Previous Access Poll=

After a week and 986 votes the poll is closed and we can confidently state that 36.5% of fans can’t even watch Our Flag Means Death season 2 in their country yet! This is more than a third of the dedicated fandom not even able to watch the second season, and yet look at how passionate we all are about renewal. Imagine how that will grow when the second season is shown in those countries that have missed out so far.

The poll is here: @lamentus1 Are you able to watch Season 2?

While this last piece isn't SPECIFICALLY for the UK, it is being run in UK time zone so may be a bit harder for some US folks to join in.

== Wee John Wednesday is back! ==

EDIT: hey all, my sick brain messed this one up, Kristian announced on twitter he was gonna reboot wee john weds and I went to IG cause I wanted to get the link and apparently linked an old IG post. Sorry about the confusion! It hasnt been announced when it will start yet. Thank you to @wastingyourgum for the correction!

== Renew As A Crew News ===

So I was a little hesitant to post this, but I'd like you to read it and then read my notes below. This was posted in the Renew As A Crew Public Discord (If someone actually has access to that can you please invite me? I can dm you my creds, I'd rather get it from the source then bugging people).

So, essentially, right now they are considering not keeping the Renew As A Crew "brand" if a team internally doesn't step up within the next two weeks. Several volunteers have expressed their concern with this (as Renew As A Crew is already popular and news sites know about it). I have it on good authority that even though this was posted, other volunteers are trying to change that so we can maintain that Renew As A Crew brand. So if you happen to see this floating around -- please understand this is still up in the air-- so please don't lose hope or worry too much about this just yet.

==New Resource Group on Twitter ==

@adoptourcrew on twitter is trying to keep threads available with compiled resources (similar to these recaps and daily task lists) if you are in fact on twitter, they're a good resource for up to date information. There's been some questions on "who are they!" well they're a fan led group (much like the rest of the campaign) and they will not be focusing on collecting money of any kind, they are an information group. They may suggest fundraisers, but as of right now, no money is exchanging hands with them. So please feel free to check them out here.

== Pirate Omens Watch Party ==

Another fun day of watching good omens with Pirates and Omens fans alike. On to Season 2 tomorrow.

== Lube As a Crew ==

Still making waves all. Thanks @_Irene_Adler for posting this

=== The Queerties! ===

If you have a moment, feel free to head over to the queerties page and do some voting for OFMD! It is.. a really long list, and OFMD only qualifies for two (Vico Oritiz and OFMD in general), but if you have a few minutes it'd help out. It'd be great to at least get those two voted for!

Vote

===Petition Status===

We're so very close to 80K all!

== Some Final Notes ==

So something I noticed today is that we're not trending as much across all the platforms. On twitter, AdoptOurCrew was sticking to 30-35K per 24 hr period for several days, but now it's down to about 24K. We're down to #2 on Max, and the engagement score has gone down quite a bit. Now that might seem like a bad thing. That might seem like we're losing momentum. But I'd like to offer a different perspective. People are taking breaks. People are still directing their efforts on making things more efficient, and compiling information. People are doing more with less -- higher quality tweets, instagram messages, etc. I know that tumblr isn't really being counted high in those stats that tv companies look at, but Im seeing more people interact and delve deep into analysis of things and hashtags are being used. But most of all I'm seeing people take breaks, whether it's in the global strike for Palestine, or just taking some time to recoup.

Not every day is going to be record breaking, nor should it be, because if it was, it'd be people-breaking too. Take it from someone who's worked on 8 month long quality assurance projects, you're gonna have some down days, and that's a good thing.

We've done SO much in so little amount of time, and with David Jenkins and Ruibo Qian posting uplifting things...they see everything we've done, and while they can't tell us if S3 has been adopted, they are sending love. I don't wanna read too much into it conspiracy wise, but I've seen David multiple times over the past few days post RIGHT when things are getting chaotic across all the platforms. He's watching and he's rooting for us. Don't give up hope, but take this time to take a break. Relax, do something creative and fun that you love. Come back when you're feeling refreshed. We'll get there.

=== How To Help ===

If you are still out doing things for the campaign, here's a reminder on how to help (This is not a directive but a guide for when you come back) How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

== LOVE NOTEEEES ==

Did you know that you're beautiful? When I say beautiful I mean the non-gendered version. You're like really beautiful, inside and out. Seriously look at you. I can feel your beauty miles and miles away through a computer screen, that's how friggn beautiful you are! You're just such a great fucking person and you should be proud of that. You're gorgeous, and beautiful in all ways, and you deserve to be happy lovelies. As always, love you crew, rest up tonight/today.

=================

Well apparently today is Rhys an Rosie's 20th Anniversary! So tonight's Rhys picture will feature Rosie and her lovely letter of love to our favorite dude.

[canonizzyhours]

please help me out here:

the part of izzy's redemption arc that's about the crew embracing him, that part totally works for me and i actually really like it. the part about him changing his opinion on stede feels a little more rushed and handwavey, but i get it.

but the part about his relationship with ed, i don't understand that, can somebody explain it to me? where and why does he realize that his obsession with manipulating ed into staying blackbeard at the expensive of his personal needs and relationships was toxic and abusive and he needs to let go?

i know the canyon answer would be that izzy was never toxic or abusive toward ed but that's obviously not what the show's suggesting because he apologized for it and said it had been going on for years. the answer that seems implied in david jenkins' interviews is that ed rejected his love confession and that made izzy realize he needed to get over his stalkery crush, but that doesn't seem to explain what made him realize his own culpability and move into an actual healthy relationship with ed. the answer i get from con's interviews is that he saw that ed was miserable and that made him change his mind because he actually cares about ed, but that doesn't really work as a read of his dialogue at the start of the season for me, plus if it were true it would seem like really bad writing because it would mean this huge shift in the single most central issue izzy had to wrestle with just happened offscreen between seasons.

am i missing something here? like this is not a rhetorical question, i really want to know if anyone here feels like they have a good answer. this really bothers me because i thought watching izzy wrestle with his view of edward's identity was like THE crucial issue he had set up in season 2 and i was excited for it and it seems like the one that was most handwaved?

#116.

[izzysillyhandsy]

Thoughts about the finale, and my utter confusion about Izzy Hands

What I hated about Izzy's death wasn't him dying. I love a tragic arc, and although Con O'Neill elevated every scene he was in, it would have been ok if they'd handled his death better.

To have him die with only 10mins of the episode left (and this might even be the last ever episode!) was the first terrible decision. Everything that was built up over 2 seasons had to be resolved in a few minutes, we don't see any repercussions for anyone Izzy was important to - Ed, the crew and even Stede.

But the main criticism is the 180° turn the show made for his character arc in the last episode (or more precisely, in Izzy's last scene) and in David Jenkins' latest interviews.

Since season 1, I kept asking myself the same two questions:

What function does Izzy Hands have in the narrative? What is the nature of his relationship with Ed?

And the answers changed drastically from S1 to S2, and got more and more complex and intriguing.

Until the finale.

Izzy Hands as a plot device for the main couple

In S1, Izzy was an antagonist. His function in the narrative was to stand in the way of the Ed/Stede romance, of Ed growing and finding happiness and to move the plot along. He brought a lot of humour to almost every interaction he was in - he was such a fish-out-of-water character, clashing with everyone and constantly losing.

He was barely human - he was a pirate cliché.

But there was also so much going on in the background - his quiet desparation, his obvious love and longing for Ed, and these hints of a fascinating backstory between the two of them. This is what many fans picked up on, and going into S2 we hoped that we'd get more of this (for me personally the most important thing was clarification on Izzy's importance to Ed).

And then S2 came along and boy, were all of our expectations exceeded.

Suddenly, Izzy wasn't a plot device anymore. He was one half of the most intense (and interesting, sorry Stede) couple in the show. It was even confirmed by the showrunner that he was in a love triangle with the main couple!

In the first 2 episodes, we got so much more than we ever expected. At the end of Ep2, Izzy broke the lifeline with Ed, both of them almost dying in the process. He went on a journey of discovering who and what he even was without Ed (and right up to his death he was still deeply unhappy and broken, even though he was on the right path).

Izzy suddely became a fascinating character in his own right, with his arc of healing and self-acceptance and his inability (for now) to keep himself from sliding back into this relationship with his other half. He was blaming himself for everything that had happened. He was still so entangled with this man he built his whole life around. He still had a long way to go and a lot to work through (the same also applies to Ed btw).

But he also became the crew's unicorn, doing Izzy things (still related to Ed, always to Ed) but you could feel him becoming more himself. Slowly, Izzy's real personality started to shine through and we realized - this man is fascinating on his own accord. He's a respected and very capable pirate. He came from nothing and fought his way up. He's a really good teacher. He's creative and sensitive. He also cares about other people than Ed a lot.

Viewers who hated him or were indifferent to him in S1 suddenly became interested - this man's journey was fascinating and, most importantly, it wasn't at all finished. There was so much yet to come, and we wanted to see it.

Does this sound like a plot device to you? If it doesn't, bad news.

At the end of the final episode, Izzy is suddenly back where he was in S1.

He dies in a completely unnecessary way - almost as if how he died didn't matter. And it didn't matter, because in the end, Izzy Hands' journey didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that he died and how it affected the main couple.

On his deathbed, Izzy is saying exactly what Ed needs to hear to move on. He absolves him of any guilt. Ed is ready. Izzy has played his part, he's ready to die.

Notably, nothing is really resolved for poor Izzy. Even if Ed says he doesn't want him to go, it's because Ed is losing his only family. He doesn't tell Izzy he loves him, or that he's important to him as a person, as his oldest friend, as the one who knows him best.

In the end, Izzy's function in the narrative, even after everything that happened in S2, was to be an obstacle to the Ed/Stede romance, to Ed growing and finding happiness. He had to die to free Ed of his Blackbeard persona and because "it's nice that Blackbeard is upset by it" (WTF).

The problem is, for the rest of the season, that wasn't Izzy's role in this show at all and I felt completely blindsided.

More than a spurned, jilted lover

"I guess it's a journey of redemption, but I think it's more a journey of finding out, who is he to Blackbeard?" According to Jenkins, Izzy is "more than a spurned, jilted lover." "What is that relationship about? And I think by the end of the season it kind of becomes a little unexpected of who they are to each other and what they mean to each other." (source)

I also made a poll about that question after Ep3 if anyone's interested.

The answer is, apparently, the two of them were Blackbeard. Or, Izzy was the brains behind the operation. Or, Izzy egged Eddie on to give in to his darker impulses (which, I think, was alluded to quite strongly in the murder/suicide scene).

I mean, yes. That was one of the options on my poll that I was quite sure of, and I think most of us suspected this even in S1.

Izzy was Eddie's only family. Ok, I think family doesn't quite express what was going on between them in S2, but that certainly was one aspect of their relationship.

This is all fine. I can see that being built up to over the two seasons.

But.

"And then there was the realization that [Izzy] is kind of a mentor to Blackbeard and that he is kind of a father figure to Blackbeard. It felt nice to have him die and have Blackbeard be upset by it, because Blackbeard killed his father. But this is a father figure that he’s losing that it’s hard for him; it's sad and he doesn't want him to go." (source)

This is not fine. Not at all.

Izzy is not Blackbeard's mentor. Izzy is obviously in love with Ed (and Ed is fully aware of that). Izzy might have been a mentor-like presence in Ed's life when they were younger, but when we meet them in S1 Izzy is more like an overworked housewife cleaning up behind her disinterested husband. Izzy would do anything for Ed (apart from killing him) and is ready to die at one point because of him. Izzy is desperate, grabbing onto the scraps Ed throws his way.

Where, where does Izzy seem like a mentor to Ed in all of this? A mentor is supposed to be at least at the same level or above but Izzy is clearly not.

And in the death scene, suddenly, that's all there is left of their complex, intense dynamic.

Izzy took young Eddie in and fed his darkness. He was Eddie's only family, binding him to himself out of selfishness in the process.

So that's their unexpected "who they are to each other". Izzy taught Ed everything he knows (which is actually bad for him) and it'd probably been better if they'd never even met.

And don't get me wrong, I don't completely disagree with this take. As a part of their dynamic, this is a fascinating concept - but only if this wasn't the end.

Because there was so much more, so much promise of a complicated, mutually destructive relationship that nevertheless was also full of love. Those two seemed so intertwined (and I'll never forgive Stede for stealing that for himself and Ed). Ed is Izzy's missing half and Izzy is Ed's.

And I still believe that, without Izzy, Ed isn't complete.

And with this rushed conclusion, and all the mess left behind and never even looked at, Ed will never be happy.

Conclusion

I think what hurts the most is, that with Izzy dead and their last conversation being that reductive, all possibilities of an exploration of all these complex and fascinating aspects of their relationship are now closed. I know this show isn't about Ed and Izzy. But Izzy is a big part of what made Ed interesting, and he's a brilliant character in his own right. We could have gotten so much more (even if it's only allusions, we really don't need everything spelled out).

I guess I expected too much from this show - but with good reason. The actors gave it their all. S2 set up such an intricate dynamic (and it was probably overly ambitious with only 4 hours of screentime!). I've never gotten so much of what I wanted from an outsider character in any show.

And then it let us down in the last 10 minutes.

And even if we hadn't gotten a season 3 - the setup was all there for meta, for fanfiction. Why ruin it all with killing off Izzy for all the wrong reasons and making their last conversation all about Ed "outliving his mentor".

To quote Prince Ricky: "Oh, my goodness. You've just grown so tedious."

Still, I love everything they've done in this show except for the ending. I will watch it again, many times, and enjoy the drama, the humour and the complexity. But I will try to forget these interviews and convince myself Izzy's senseless death was just a dream :).

[naranjapetrificada]

Ooooh thank you for playing with me! I enjoyed your answers!

You write both Ed and Stede beautifully, but I totally get what you mean about getting into Ed's hornet's nest!

Funny, I don't really listen to music as I write because I get too distracted, but I love linking songs to scenes. Weird.

Awww... I'm freakishly proud that my words could make you cry. You'll never know how much your comments and support mean to me.

I made myself cry when I finished AWoTT because I hate the last few chapters. They did a real disservice to the story because I rushed and tried to write something readers would like instead of what I'd done for most of it. On top of that, I ruined the Buttons/Jeanne d'arc ending because I worried that it would seem like I was ripping off the show. They were both supposed to turn into birds. I can't face trying to fix it. (If you haven't read the end, don't waste your time, and if you did and were disappointed we are on the same page.)

Eeek! Sorry for the ramble... xoxoxo

Before I get to the actual reply to this ask: if y'all haven't been treated to A World of Tempestuous Things, one of the top-five best fics in the fandom, I'm gonna need you to drop everything and read it the way I did whenever I got a notification that a new chapter had been posted.

Re: the ask itself:

I'm sorry you're dissatisfied with how it turned out but if it's any consolation it felt like a fitting end to me! The first time I tried to read the final chapter I literally couldn't for all the tears in my eyes because I knew it was ending. I no longer have a neutral relationship with any of the songs you used for the section titles, especially "Don't Dream It's Over" because god if that didn't just get at the root of everything I felt about the fact that your fic existed. I miss your versions of Ed and Stede terribly and it's gonna be a tall order for anyone but David Jenkins to make them half so indelible to me. I felt like I was watching actual people I loved sail away forever.

I started reading it around when it was halfway through I think? It shouldn't have immediately worked for me when I first started. I was burning out a bit on reunion fics and I thought of myself as someone who didn't love when fics had too many OCs and those OCs got a lot of time in the story, not to mention my strict no-WIP rule, but whatever made me read it must have been fate or something. That and the reflectiveness of the characters and the times the prose knocked me off my feet and the usually gutting historical interstitials (I still think about/am haunted by the Chopin one at least once a week) and the lines I took screenshots of to send to my therapist. It's so much greater than the sum of its parts, and fiction like that can change things about a person's preconceived notions and personal tastes forever.

If I tried to list the things about it that are going to stay with me well, it would literally be easier for everyone if I just c/p the entire fic into this reply. It felt like such a journey that readers got to go on with both the characters and with the story on a like, metatextual level? It completely changed my relationship with high-quality WIPs. Now that I'm writing my first longfics I'm thinking about character and framing devices and POV voice in entirely new ways because I was fortunate enough to get the chance to read it. It's criminal that it's not in the top 5 most read fics in the fandom and I will not stop recommending it until that happens.

Even if you're not happy with the ending I think your readers are. This reader certainly is. And if you did want to go back and change it someday I have zero doubts that I'll be happy with that too. The fandom is richer for having your work in it.

[cursed-coat-of-homosexuality]

A good is-Tom-Normal-About-That-Media? meter is how I deal with music related to that specific media. Unfortunately in OFMD's case it's ticking in the "Brain Rotted Pile of Clown Meat" zone, because I basically went through every song ever made by Nina Simone just to try and guess which two songs are playing in s2.

So you know what??? I'm laying out my predictions here, if any of these starts playing then I'm owed a Jenkins thumbs up or something like that. Idk. I spent four hours of my life on this, I need a hug. I threw the dice and this is what came out.

> These three are my favorites, I have a feeling about them, they smell like OFMD to me and my brainwaves bounce up a bit when I hear them (u know... like the sea.... ha...ha)

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Ed-Coded, sad, moody, it's frantic and helpless in a way that's also really desperate, and ohohoho the rhythm on this one tickles my brain a bit.

Feeling Good

A bit overplayed, basically in every fandom playlist but It! Is! There! For! A! Reason! And that reason is that it's reeeally good and very villain like. Could be Ed-Coded, I'd like to imagine that's him trying to conform into his Kraken/Blackbeard persona, could be other people too though. Use your imagination here.

Do What You Gotta Do

Are all of these Ed-Coded? You might ask. And the answer is, well.... maybe. It's not my fault Executive Producer David Jenkins based Ed's whole character on Nina Simone songs okay????? (I see what you did there you little evil man-shaped weasel. I SEE IT ALL.) But just.. here, look at me... listen to it and tell me it isn't Ed through and through.

> These ones are also very OFMD-like and I wouldn't be putting them in here after sifting through more than 100 songs just because. I also have a feeling about them, but it isn't the overwhelming sense of certain doom I get from the previous three.

Save Me

Ed coded. He loves Stede and he hates that with every fiber of his being. He's still very hurt, but cannot help being fond of the whimsical dipshit, poor guy.

I Shall Be Released

Ed coded, just give my man a break.

I Put A Spell On You

Overplayed one again, this one isn't really coded to any of them. But I feel like it would play after Stede tries to reconcile with Ed for the first time and fails miserably. Ed is still really hurt, and Stede is just realizing the extent to which he hurt him. It's after they just had a discussion, maybe it's raining, Stede is soaking wet calling "Yd! Yd! Yd please talk to me!" But Ed just keeps on walking. It's a romantic comedy staple and we need to have one of these.

Take Care Of Business

Semi-Competent!Stede being the breadwinner of the family is one of my favourite hcs. Ed is really tired of The Pirate Life™️ and I bet he'd fucking love to be a trophy wife, man spent his whole life being the scourge of the seven seas, give him a break for christs sake.

Mr.Bojangles

just... listen to it

Just Say I Love Him

Is- Is that a... no, it can't be! Dios mio, It's... a Stede coded song 😱😱 *pain sounds* *weird bone cracking going on* *little bit of a fleshy sonority to it now* *crashing sounds* *cat meowing* *bone cracking again but this one is good I think*. Ok back to it, this is really just "I should just have told him how I feel" vibes, Stede made a mess, he regrets it. Etc.

That's it then. Did I do this just to prove I was right if any of them appears in S2? Pfft of course not! Who would even do that... lol... Also please feel free to add thinky thoughts to this if y'all are willing! I'd love to hear people's interpretations of the songs.

[chronicbeans]

The Suggestions Box

(an Abandoned by Playfellow AU short)

You are tasked to look through the suggestions box, a box filled with the suggestions and comments of your fellow employees, and clean out answered suggestions. It hasn't been sorted through in about a year.

TW: Depression/Anxiety, Threats of Violence/Death Threats, Traumatic Events, Abusive Work Environment, Death, Eating Disorders/Focus on Body Weight and Type, Vomit (Seriously y'all it gets gross-), Body Horror/Gore

Opening up the box, you sigh in disdain. There has to be hundreds of tiny slips of paper in here, with most not even being replied to. So, you have to read every single one just to get every suggestion that was replied to out of the box. Damn it.

You pick out the first suggestion, which is from a janitor who signed it C.M.:

"Suggestion: I need a fucking raise. I just cleaned up puke from a kid who ate a Poppy's Chocolate Sundae Cake, by the Painter's Isle. Took me three hours to get rid of the brown stains on the rainbow carpets, and even longer to get rid of the rancid smell. What the fuck are we even feeding the kids here to make chocolate puke smell like rotten chicken?

-C.M. Janitor"

There isn't an answer on the back, so you quickly place it by the box. What a great way to start the day... reading a vile description about puke! Fucking amazing...

"Suggestion: I keep seeing this one kid climbing over the fence of Wally's Road Trip. Sure, the ride is safe when you are in the ride, but he's climbing right onto the tracks! That coaster goes about 20 miles per hour! We need the fence to be taller or something.

-Sam Jenkins Security

Answer: Sam, we cannot afford to make the fences taller. You will just need to keep watch of the children. That is your job, after all.

-Management"

Well... Not the best answer, but still an answer. So, you place it by the bucket that was given to you to collect answered suggestions. Alright, next paper.

"Suggestion: Whoever the FUCK keeps puking in the Barnaby costume, I fucking hate you. You do know that other people here play Barnaby, right? You could at least warn a fellow by leaving a note or something before somebody else wears it. I didn't notice until I got in the suit, and my face was covered in it. Jackass. Others have started complaining, too. I suggest management gives us more breaks, so whoever the weak stomached bitch is doesn't keep puking everywhere.

-David Dwyer Suit Mascot

Answer: I apologize for the incident, Mr. Dwyer. However, we cannot give more breaks. We shall try to figure out who keeps getting sick, so we can have a physical done to ensure that they are still healthy enough to be a mascot.

-Management"

Again? AGAIN?! Why the fuck is there so much puke already...? Yeah, you expected it, but really? Thank God you aren't a mascot. Well, into the bucket.

"Suggestion: I'm worried for Angelo. You know, Angelo Dalisay? The guy who plays Wally Darling most of the time. He's been losing weight pretty fast. I think he might be sick. Maybe the food was bad or something? Can you have someone check the kitchens for sanitation? Please and thank you.

-Angelica Carter Julie Joyful Actress

Answer: Our kitchens are clean.

-Management"

Angelo... yeah, you remember Angelo. You've seen him from time to time. He has been getting pretty skinny, lately... Really skinny. Unhealthy skinny. The kids don't seem to mind, though, and he doesn't say anything when asked. What an odd answer... "Our kitchens are clean.", with no further comment on Angelo's health. Why doesn't he get a health check up?

You place the paper in the bucket. Next one.

"Suggestion: I keep seeing a Wally actor running around, not staying in character. His clothes are a mess. He's been scaring the kids. Whenever I get close enough to catch him, he finds a way to escape, then disappears around a corner. Please, do something!

-Security"

Okay... odd. You know what? Everything you've read so far is weird. It's only your third week here and you are already so confused. No answer... By the box it goes.

"Suggestion: SERIOUSLY, WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE, I AM GOING TO BEAT YOU WITH A GOLF CLUB."

-David Dwyer Suit Mascot"

No answer. You don't want to dwell on this one. Into the unanswered pile.

The next one you pick up is covered in yellow paint... you are guessing face and body paint, since the actors for Wally and Sally ha e to paint their faces and hands yellow.

"Suggestion: I can't stop smiling. I don't want to smile anymore. My face is tired. I can't stop smiling. Can someone help me wipe it off?

-"

You don't find any answer, per say, but flipping it over to the back, you find a scribbled on note.

"I don't know who wrote this, but I found it on the ground by the body paint storage. I don't know why we keep the paints and foods so close to each other. There was a pile of used makeup remover, paper towels, and face cleaners next to it. Can whoever wrote this tell me? Does this have to do with that weird Wally Actor that security keeps talking about?

I don't feel safe, I might quit.

-Sarah Jones Cooking Staff"

Okay... back to the box, you guess?

"Suggestion: Can we please have a health check for Angelo? PLEASE? Something is clearly wrong! I just saw him eating some food, then he rushed to the employee restrooms and started puking! Then, he walked out like he was fine! Some of the things Miss Carter mentioned when I told her are concerning, as well. He's skin and bones right now! Clearly, he isn't fit to work, much less play Wally! What if his appearance scares the kids?

-Gertrude Stone Suit Mascot"

"Answer: We understand your concerns, Miss Stone, but we assure you that he is alright. His weight is still healthy enough for him to keep playing Wally Darling. When we confronted him, he said it was to make sure his weight stays within limits to play the character. He isn't sick. After all, for Wally Darling actors, the smaller the better! It makes him look more petite and closer to the puppet 's body type. The children adore him, as well.

-Management"

On the side of the answer box, you see that somebody has written "BULLSHIT" in big, red letters. Somebody must've gotten in here before you have. Once again, thank God you aren't a mascot. The answer is really alarming, however... Did they even have him check in with a medical professional? Healthy enough? You feel gross just reading it.

You... don't want to keep going through the suggestions box. Maybe just one more, so it looks like you tried? Your boss might send you to look through it again on a later date, but you are feeling like reading all of this is weighing you down. When you heard you were going to be going through a suggestions box, you expected things like "raise my wage" or "hire more cleaning staff"... Not whatever this stuff is. You feel like you've stumbled upon something you shouldn't be seeing, but still needs to be seen.

You dig into the bottom of the box, pulling out a slip of paper. This time, it seems to be covered in red paint.

"Suggestion: I can't stop smiling. My face won't come off. I can't stop smiling. My face won't come off. I can't stop smiling. My face won't come off. I can't stop smiling. My face won't come off. I can't stop smiling. My face won't come off. Please let me stop smiling.

-Where's Frank's attitude when you need him?"

You hesitate, before flipping over the slip of paper. More writing. It's all in frantic, shaky, scribbled handwriting, as if the person was in some sort of rush or panic.

"Julie can't stop smiling. Sally can't stop smiling. Poppy can't stop smiling. Barnaby can't stop smiling. Howdy can't stop smiling. Eddie can't stop smiling. Frank is the only one who never smiles. Maybe he can't stop frowning? It hurts to smile. It hurts to smile. I'm not happy and it hurts to keep smiling. WHENEVER I TRY TO FROWN I FEEL AND HEAR SOMETHING SNAPPING IN MY FACE. Do they hurt too?

The people around us can stop smiling. The people who aren't as bright and colorful. I can't help but be jealous. Do they hurt when they smile? I'll help them wipe it off."

You stare at the paper, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. How are you supposed to respond to this? What are you supposed to even THINK about this? Will the management even care about this? They haven't cared about Angelo's health, they haven't cared about threats in the suggestions box, they haven't cared about a possible imposter scaring the customers! Should you even bother putting it back into the box-?

"YOU... OPEN...?"

You whip your head around, seeing a yellow hand on the window by the door. You quickly shove the suggestion into your pocket, frowning. Maybe it's Angelo at the door? He clearly hasn't been well... What if he needs immediate help?

Opening up that door, you instantly regret it as a disgusting, rotten smell hits your nose. Looking up at the man, you can tell that it is NOT Angelo. He may be dressed as Wally, but it isn't Angelo in costume. His clothes and hair are a mess, much like in the suggestions talking about this imposter, but that isn't what you notice first.

His smile is too wide.

IT LITERALLY SPLITS FROM EAR TO EAR.

You try to close the door on him, only for whoever it is to grab it and hold it open. A monotone voice speaks, which you can only assume is from the strange person. He leans in as he speaks, only making the rotting smell coming from him more apparent. Is this what a corpse smells like?

"It... hurts... to smile.... It hurts... to move my face... You too? Help me... wipe it off?"

You frantically look around, trying to find something, anything to get this person out of the room. You unknowingly end up shaking your head as you look around the room, which the man seems to take as a "no".

"No...? O.... okay... I'll go... Find manage... ment. They'll know... what to do..."

He walks away. He walks away like nothing happened. You slam the door shut, dropping to the floor and taking a few, shaking breaths. Your arms are shaking heavily, alongside your legs. Scratch that, your entire body is shaking like a leaf.

You heard of that imposter Wally, but you always thought it was a joke. Now, however, you have been proven wrong. As much as you want to quit, however, you need this job... You have too many unpaid bills and debts, and if you quit, who knows when you'll get hired for another job?

Plus, as horrifying as that situation was... for whatever reason, that imposter didn't attack you... He seemed rather docile, actually.

Once you calm yourself down, you stand up, grabbing the answered suggestions bucket. Then, you book it out of there as fast as possible, hoping that you don't see that Wally again, today.

[uselessheretic]

Saw some post on here about how interpreting Izzy as being aware that Ed doesn't kill people stems from people wanting to believe that Izzy and Ed are more intimate than they actually are and 1. I feel like that's just kinda a rude statement tbh because I think it's open to interpretation whether you think Izzy is aware or not and to what degree. And 2. I don't think Izzy picking up on the fact that Ed doesn't like to kill people with his own hands is particularly intimate either?

I don't think Ed and Izzy have ever talked about Ed disliking killing people, but I don't think they really need to. It doesn't impact Izzy's job and as his subordinate (and a severely emotionally repressed man) I don't see why he would ask about it. There's plenty of explanations for why Ed might not care for it (he finds it crass, doesn't like the mess, only kills people with his own hands who he thinks are worthy of it, just kinda lazy, another one of his eccentric behaviors, etc)

Part of the reason there's such a toxic relationship between them is that Izzy doesn't ask these questions. He doesn't address things with Ed until he feels like he absolutely has to and often comes out in fits of anger (ep 4 flipping him off, ep 6 with trying to talk to him during the first fuckery, ep 10 with... oh you know.) Ed doesn't like to kill people with his own hands? That's fine. Izzy can happily do it for him. There's no need to bring it up.

And Ed definitely wouldn't had told him directly lol. When Ed tells Stede that he killed his dad, this isn't him correcting a lie from earlier, this is him uncovering a repressed memory from a deeply traumatic event from childhood. I don't think Ed even fully understood his own aversion to killing people with his own hands until that moment. I doubt Ed has ever talked about violence in that manner before, and if he did, I don't think Izzy would have a response.

A lot of Izzy and Ed's conflict doesn't come from Izzy not noticing things about Ed, the man is obsessed with him, it's that he doesn't have the right answers. He knows Ed's depressed and has for years, but he doesn't talk to him about it. He just does what he can to keep the ship functioning. Izzy isn't creative. He doesn't know how to fix problems, he just maintains the status quo and waits for orders. The reason Ed takes to Stede so well is that Stede has ideas that think outside of the box. Stede can imagine a better tomorrow, in fact, he expects one. Meanwhile, Izzy's just concerned about living until tomorrow. There's no need to consider retirement, he already knows that isn't something available to him.

Anyways, I fr think it's up to interpretation and intentionally left vague for how much Izzy knows about Ed's aversion to killing with his own hands. There's not a right or wrong answer here! We are not being quizzed by David Jenkins on our understanding of the characters despite how badly I want to be forced to take an Izzy Hands AP exam.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

Hi, I have huge gratitude and admiration for your posts and updates on OFMD, I always find them so comforting and informative! Especially as I'm only on Reddit and got a Tumblr account 4 days ago to keep track of OFMD (Twitter/X is just too overwhelming for me lol). What was your take on Rhys Darby's Cameo video in regards to making you feel more hopeful/less hopeful/neither but it was still lovely? With the deafening silence from David Jenkins and worrying that the morale is dropping, it's irresistible not to start feeling a bit of doom, you know? Any response appreciated, but regardless, thank you so much for the work you're doing ❤️

Hello my dear! Welcome to tumblr, we're so glad to have you! I really should get on reddit sometime (I get notifications when certain posts get busy but I just always forget to check them). I totally get that Twitter is overwhelming, it's a tornado of information--and thank you! I'm so glad you're getting something out of the updates!

My take on the Rhys Darby cameo, ay? Well I'll be honest, I thrive on even a little bit of feedback so I was 100% pumped after that yesterday. It sounds silly but I went and cried in the shower for 20 mins because I was feeling torn between the sadness for Rhys and what he lost and was feeling and then also the beautifully kind and positive advice he was giving us.

After that-- I basically felt like someone called Gondor for aid and I was a raging pile of need for action. I actually feel more hopeful now, but I think Rhys has that affect on people. Like that man could tell me the sky was blue and I'd grin like a toddler with a lollipop and nod and feel like I could take on the day.

I do totally get that doom and gloom feeling that comes with the silence. We need that feedback from the people we're fighting for to keep morale up. That being said though--- I've noticed a trend over the past few weeks since cancellation, and that is that when we start feeling down, someone in the cast/crew starts poking their nose out. Usually its Chaos Dad (David Jenkins) but all of a sudden when things are slowing down again this week, Rhys puts himself up on Cameo, two days before the UK launch of s2? I just don't believe in coincidences in most cases, especially when we're all watching things so closely. It may make me sound like a conspiracy theorist but I do truly believe that a huge chunk of the cast and crew is watching our actions and reactions to things very carefully (Hell, Alex Sherman is over on twitter liking a bunch of fan art and porn, so at least we have our little perverted guardian angel!). They just seem to keep popping up at the exact right moments to help rally the troops for them not to be.

The difficulty with negotiations in any industry is the whole Non Disclosure Agreement that comes along with people potentially taking on new clients/funding new projects. Legitimately, there could be a contract in the works right now with a network and we already have our s3, but we just can't know about it because that would damage / threaten negotiations. It could be the other way too, but with how supportive Chaos Dad and Rhys and the rest of the crew have been just popping in and out like little bubbles of positivity, I really feel like we have still have some hope here. It's just really hard to be patient when we're all pushing so hard-- which is why breaks are so important. Anywhoooo, I've had my coffee so I'm obviously rambling at this point-- thank you so much dear for writing into me! I hope that answers your question... I am feeling overwhelmingly positive after Rhys' videos and feeling very mama bear on wanting to protect that man by doubling down on efforts, lol. So glad you're will us on tumblr friend! Always feel free to reach out :D <3<3<3 Ty!

[cononeillbreastingboobily]

Hiiiii as someone who is new to the show & fandom can you please explain the javid denkins lore??? I want to know about the shapes 😭

Ooh boy, okay.

By "shapes" I suppose you mean the nautical flags used in posts like these:

These symbols are flags commonly used in communication between ships in situations where they are too far away from each other to just, you know. Shout whatever they need from their respective decks.

In order to understand what they mean you can refer to many sources available online, like for example this infographic:

That's what I usually used to decipher Javid's posts, anyway.

As you can see, the flags can mean single letters, numbers, as well as short phrases signaling the situation upon the vessel that is flying those flags: whether everything is fine, whether they need any help etc.

A lot of the time, Javid would use these to spell short messages, names of places or people too I think. But I can't be too sure, as it's possible I might've missed some posts.

Either way, if you're ever confused about what a certain post/a posted link means, always look at the comments and reblogs! There's a lot of incredibly fast and smart people who managed to figure out each of them very quickly. Which is very comforting to me personally, because Javid LOVES anagrams, and I've never been quite good at solving them. Well, that's when the fandom comes in!

As to possibly the most important question: who is Javid Denkins? Who's behind the account?

As far as I know there hasn't been a conclusive answer pinning it on anyone in particular. Most people came to the likely conclusion that it's someone in the fandom (in which case holy shit, way to go!!!), and the reason the account exists in the first place is because months ago David Jenkins (the real one) posted on Twitter that he has the Tumblr app on his phone, after he promised he'd join the website. Soon after that Javid Denkins came to be.

Whatever you end up believing - more power to you! Personally I just love a good mystery and the feeling of everyone losing their shit over Javid's posts together. As a crew!!! 🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I hope this answer cleared things up for you at least a little bit 🫡

[canonizzyhours]

Honestly sometimes I see the canyon talking about "but Izzy meant so much to people how dare they kill him" and I'm like Bestie (derogatory) the redemption arc was your love letter. David Jenkins would not have bothered spending time redeeming him if you had reacted to him like how you reacted to the Badmintons or to Calico Jack. Izzy's character arc as set up in season 1 was supposed to be three episodes of Ed and Izzy's relationship circling the drain, the underlying daddy issues on Ed's end and psychosexual fixation on Izzy's end speaking like an exposed wire as Ed disappoints Izzy over and over again, and then Stede comes back and Izzy dies like a bitch because he needs to die for Ed to be free of his relationship with Blackbeard. Instead, specifically because he was a fan favorite, they bothered to keep him around for an extra 5 episodes in order for David Jenkins to ask the question, "who is this guy without his creepy Blackbeard fixation?" And the answer was a resounding "uhhhhh? idk? Con O'Neill playing himself but a pirate?"

Just take what you're given it's more than you were meant to have.

#383.

[ivyblossom]

The Mystery of Edward Teach

I feel like there's still a lot about Ed that I don't know, and I go back and forth on whether I've got a decent read on him or not.

David Jenkins recently called Ed "troubled, lost, and fragile," and I like that a lot. It makes me think maybe I understand him a little better than I thought I did. At least enough to try and write this.

It seems to me that much of how Ed presents himself is heavily based on two things: what he most fears he is, and what others want him to be.

Ed fears he is an unloveable monster, the kraken. The kraken is a destructive, cruel beast that strikes terror in the hearts of all, and kills without remorse. This is the version of himself that killed his father, and is fuelled by his helplessness, fear, self-hatred, horror, and guilt. Blackbeard appears to be a cross between who Ed actually is and these kraken fears and fantasies.

Being Blackbeard undeniably saves Ed, and turns him from a lost and abused boy from a desperately poor family to the most infamous and wealthy pirate in the West Indies, surrounded by loyal pirates who worship him. But it was never very honest. It has become empty, easy, false, and pointless for him. But he still fears that the monstrous version of him that drives the core of Blackbeard may be a truer representation of who he really is: a terrible, unloveable person. While Ed is surrounded by fearful worshippers, he isn't loved, and he feels that keenly.

Blackbeard is a version of himself that Ed no longer identifies with, and no longer wants to identify with. As Ed's rage and fear has subsided, he needs the cover and comfort of Blackbeard's ruthlessness less and less. Perhaps Ed's boredom with being Blackbeard is a sign of his own growth and healing. As the show opens, Ed is ready to let Blackbeard go, but he isn't sure what would replace him, or even if he can replace him. But Ed is done being this terrible man. But what's next? Can there be something more? Who is Ed, really?

I'm not sure Ed knows.

Ed heavily modulates how he presents who he is based on what will please others. He will be cruel for Izzy, a dirtbag for Jack, or polite and unbearably domestic for Stede. His identity is frighteningly flexible. Ed loses himself very easily in the quest to be what others need and want him to be.

Ed can ably perform wanting what others want him to want. But what does Ed actually want?

I fear my own answer is too simplistic, and maybe leaving out too much. I think he only wants to love and be loved in return. I fear he doesn't yet have enough self-love to honour and protect who he is in his quest to secure that love, though.

At the end of season one, Ed has tucked away his desire to be loved in favour of what definitely works to keep him at least strong, in control, and admired: Blackbeard. Blackbeard doesn't need love, and doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. But that's not Ed. So he's uncomfortably stuck in between the two by the end of this season.

I don't know how much of Blackbeard is Ed, in the end. Certainly Blackbeard is a part of him. We know that, like Blackbeard, Ed enjoys challenges and applying his prodigious creativity and intelligence to complex problems. Ed likes novelty and innovation. He likes uniqueness and boldness. Like Stede, Ed likes lovely clothes, knick knacks, beautiful soap, and top-tier food. We know he has had "dalliances", and given how tactile he is and how easily he opens up to Stede when they first meet, it's probably safe to say that Ed enjoys and craves intimacy, too. (It's hard to say the same for buttoned-up and repressed Stede, who will really need to work on that.)

It was nice to see Ed giving in to his heartbreak and being gentle and honest with himself towards the end of this season, living in his pillow fort, eating marmalade from the jar and writing songs. He's creative and artistic, emotionally-aware and attuned, and willing to fully experience and express his own emotions. He's sad, but he's not lying to himself or others.

If this was another performance of self hoping to find an admirer, like Jeff the accountant or perfect Edward Teach at the academy, I don't know who it would have been for. I don't think it was a performance. I think that was finally just Ed being Ed.

It seems like, by the end of the season, Ed is once again under pressure and using his Blackbeard persona to claw something of his former self back, but he's more raw now, and we know that raw Ed is kraken Ed. Loving someone, even for a short time, has opened up some dangerous wounds that left him vulnerable to Izzy's insistence on him returning to his blood-thirsty state, and he is probably back to believing that he is inarguably an unloveable monster who will never love and be loved in return, so he might as well act the part.

But I'm not sure I fully understand everything that Edward Teach is. Perhaps he doesn't either. So: next?

[korineedsanap]

Can we as a fandom please stop talking about Izzy for five minutes and if we’re gonna talk about Izzy, how about we talk about how he’s probably gonna get resurrected next season because he probably is there is no show without him calm down please I’d rather I miss the theorizing The arguing is tiresome.  like even if we don’t focus on Ed and Stede’s inevitable failure at customer service as they figure out how their relationship is going to work there’s so much interesting shit going on! We could talk about how Zheng got adopted into a polycule that’s fun and interesting can buttons turn in to a bird at Will now? can he turn back into a person or is he just a bird? Does Jackie love any of her husbands or are they just kind of like plus plus employees who fuck? I need to know if Jackie is in love with the sweed, and I want to believe the answer is yes. These are the questions I need answers to! Not people being mad about the death of a character that’s probably not going to stay permanent David Jenkins has done everything, but gone wink, wink nudge nudge. This man turned another man into a bird necromancy is not above him.  we need to stop asking why is he dead and start asking how are we gonna bring him back! Be hopeful, you pessimist we are the our flag means death fandom we are known for our delusional behavior  put on your clown, make up and be positive pirates dammit!

[actofgrxce]

Read before interacting with me

P.S., while I'm here, kind of a PSA and the only time I'll make it: I cannot stress enough that Ed is very deliberately and painstakingly coded as neurodivergent and mentally ill and if you write with me, you need to respect that.

And I don't mean the ableist impulse of "WOO HOO cray-cray stabby pyro cap'n Blackbeard, what a nut amirite!" I mean the man, as Taika Waititi plays him and David Jenkins writes him, is legitimately profoundly struggling with acute trauma and s*icidal ideation, while ALSO struggling to overcome more than 50 years of maladaptive coping techniques. Since Jenkins et al have (imho very cleverly) elected to frame the narrative more as an ahistorical allegory of found family and queer belonging that just happens to take place on the high seas with colonial-era pirates, they therefore allow characters to be aware of their own feelings and cognitive processes in the way that we are (in the 21st century). This means modern diagnostics apply. So, like. Y'all.

Ed has ADHD.

He has an Attachment Disorder (probably Avoidant, but I'm still thinking).

He has C-PTSD,

and he probably has either RSD (with the ADHD) and/or Bipolar II Disorder.

These disorders are real and they are hell to cope with (I only have two on the list myself, and I find it almost completely debilitating sometimes), and despite the modern self-awareness and the modern lingo, Ed still lives under conditions that make self-diagnosis near-impossible. He made a major effort in the Divorce Robe with the feelings-sharing then lost the battle with himself. This is one reason Stede is so good for him. So how does my blog come into all this?

I still ship Blackbonnet. Yes, even more than Stede x Izzy, despite its own understandable appeal. Yes, definitely more than Ed x Izzy (unhealthy in a way that's just not my jam--do it if it's fun for you, it just won't happen here). I will probably filter tags for those ships, in fact, for personal reasons. It's a bit frustrating. People turned on Stede too fast for my taste in s1 and I think they've turned on Ed too fast in s2. These two are learning how to be better as middle-aged closeted queer men (one also from poverty and BIPOC). Let 'em make (big) mistakes. Which leads to the next point.

I'm not going to dilute or make light of the awful things Ed did in "Red Flags," but I'm also not going to engage with any part of the OFMD rpc that permanently condemns him. I've spent the past 15+ years writing controversial, complex muses and doing the thankless work of defending them to people who are committed to misunderstanding and contempt. And uh. Well. As I enter a new decade of life, I'm just no longer equipped (or interested). So if I see signs of that, I'll just quietly disengage.

This isn't the same ofc, as answering meta questions to the best of my ability; media analysis is still My Thing™. I just hope y'all can catch the distinction. I don't want to be a character's constant "defense attorney" anymore. People have the right to hate him, and they can go ahead while I continue, in my space, not to.

Thanks a million (truly) for reading and considering.