#israel hands apologist

[arashikohedervary]

My nemesis: Ha-ha! I found your secret weakness!

Me: Oh, no! How did you find out that I really like the character type of middle-aged, misunderstood villains who realise their mistakes and try to redeem?

My nemesis: ...the what now?

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Jim and Pete both know a thing or two about the power of creation. It was something they'd bonded over, in coded language and shared looks and the discovery of binders and razors and dirty jokes and ways to settle into their own skin. Even though their interactions had been gruff, sharp at the edges, they'd sunk into a strange sort of not-quite-friendship, an understanding that sometimes kept Jim going.

Jim isn't Lucius. They're not in love with Pete. They have Olu, and Archie, and Jim and Lucius are both open but their types are wildly different. Lucius once made eyes at Izzy while Jim has kissed Archie.

But there was some part of Jim that tried to cling to that feeling. Not of love, but of understanding. Of a faith in their power to create, not destroy. It's been so hard to remember over their past few months trapped in the hell that has been the Revenge, forced to kill, to watch Lucius waste away, taking what little happiness could be sought in Archie's blood-stained kisses. Jim has not created. Jim has barely survived.

But as Stede Bonnet's dinghy docks against the side of the Revenge, Jim remembers what creation felt like. 

Jim is more familiar with holes, with destruction, than creation.

They have wanted to believe that somewhere out there, Olu is alive and searching for the Revenge. That months and months of living in hell were worth it, because the sun would break through at the end.

They have doubted. They have faltered. But they have clung, in a way they never did to the religion of the nuns, to this impossible, necessary faith.

God will be struck down. The sun will arrive.

In a literal sense, it's true. The crew all emerged onto the deck after the storm to find the sun beating down on the deck after days of storms.

But more importantly, Jim's sun has returned. Their Oluwande is back, climbing up the ropes to the deck of the ship along with the rest of the crew, Pete included. 

In between the dinghy and the crew, Blackboard groans on the deck.

Alright, then.

So, God lives.

Jesus rises from the dead on the third day. Miraculous. Divine taken human form. The sinners clamber to his side and all that-

Fuck that.

They're sinners, they all know that. Killers and thieves and pirates, down to their bones.

But killing God was no sin. It was no act of pride. It was an act of survival. Now that the sea god has been incapacitated, stripped of his wrath, of his deadly touch, they can all breathe. They can all live.

Jim steps right over the half-dead corpse of the sea god and leaps for Olu. Their teeth bash together, their kiss awkward and harsh and desperate, but Jim's love is here, warming their chest, soft and hot and welcoming against the sharp blade that has become their very existence.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Jim confesses their sin, their doubt, "I thought you were dead."

But Olu, their sweet Oluwande, doesn't falter, his smile brighter than the sun, the greatest blessing that Jim has had in months, in their whole life, probably. "Glad I could prove you wrong."

"I am never leaving you again, you hear me?" Jim's promise is a vicious, honest one. "They can bash my head in again and I'll crawl after you, killing any and every man I have to get back to you."

Despite the venom in Jim's words, the absolutely raw honesty in their voice, Olu doesn't falter. Doesn't even blink. "And I'll find you, across everything," Olu promises in return, just as honest, just as tender as Jim's blades.

Across from Jim, Lucius is still wobbly. They trimmed his beard last night and let him bathe in the captain's quarters, fed him dried ginseng and crushed clover, mint and horseradish, all in a warm broth with pieces of softened jerky that was supposed to start clearing out his lungs and filling his stomach, but one night of proper care and food does not clear out months' worth of illness and starvation. Lucius is going to need actual medical care on land, just as much as Izzy, to make a full recovery from the drowning and the trunk.

But right now, he is blinking into the sky for the first time in months. The sun's rays on the water are harsh enough to blind him after months kept in the dark, but he drinks them in anyway, seeking that paradise that was denied him, because there , sunlight glinting off of his shined skull, comes Black Pete, who makes the journey straight to Lucius himself.

Blackboard was a vengeful God, a demanding kraken, a figure of myth and monsters.

The man in front of Lucius is a dream, but is no myth. He is blessedly, physically human, fragile and tough and prone to giggling during sex and so hot and so blessedly alive.

Lucius is trembling. He is not recovered enough to run across the deck, no matter how much he might want to. He is nauseous and light-headed and-

And he cannot look away. He cannot bear to break eye contact with the man in front of him, the thought-made-flesh that kept him going for so long trapped beneath the deck.

"Babe!" Black Pete shouts and crashes into Lucius. They slam to the deck together, and Lucius' back is going to ache so badly later but he can't bring himself to care about future pain when past and current pain have become such an integral part of his life and this pain, at least, means Pete is alive, Lucius' own miracle, and for that, Lucius will bear any agony.

"I'm sorry," Lucius says, mouth almost pressed to Pete's. He can smell the dirt and sweat and sea water on Pete, and once would have found that a turn-off, but he's gotten so used to associating it with his crewmates, his saviors, over the past few months that all he can feel is deep, aching relief. "I lost my finger."

"I can whittle you a new one, love," Pete swears, and Lucius kisses him again, pulls him in tight, clutches on with everything he has. He knows the nails on his good hand and his wooden finger are digging into Pete's back, but if he lets go he's going to fall and he can't bear to drown ever again.

Pete doesn't grimace. He doesn't even flinch. He just pulls Lucius in even tighter, as if he, too, cannot bear to let Lucius leave him, can barely believe that he is holding his living lover, and Lucius was a ghost for so long, but he can never feel dead when he is being held so painfully tight.

The clouds parted on the fortieth day. The ship sailed on, at peace-

And then Saint Izzy Hands raises his pistol to Stede Bonnet, crouching over the body of the kraken. Izzy is leaning against Frenchie's side , the crew not having had a chance to whittle him a new leg just yet. He is a mess, sacrifices carved from his physical body, and yet he stands taller than Blackbeard or Stede Bonnet ever could.

"You can bring him back, if you dare," Izzy says, the avenging angel, "But you can't save him."

"I don't need to save him," Stede says, and there's something angelic in that, too, the faith in god even after god has wrong every human he has touched. "I just need to be there for him."

Izzy gestures to the brig with his pistol and spits over the railing into the ocean. "Take him down there. Do whatever you want. Try to bring him back from the dead. Keep him this side of the afterlife. Blackbeard will never be a god again."

"God?" the Swede asks, brow furrowing, and maybe no one who did not live on this ship, this hell on earth, will not understand what happened here, this cult to the kraken that was created, but as long as Olu and Pete don't question it too harshly, things will work out.

Blackbeard is not a god, anymore. If he survives, he is a man. Edward Teach will emerge, or nothing will survive at all, because if Blackbeard tries to return, someone on this crew- whether it be Jim, or Izzy, or Archie, or Frenchie, or Fang, or even Lucius- will make sure that this time around, the death takes.

Now that they have risen out of purgatory, out of the circles of hell, out of the storm, they can begin to recover. They can become people. They can find some way to turn this ship from hell into a home.

[aithusarosekiller]

[stardust-ti]

Hey

All you Izzy Hands Apologists

I've been making YouTube edits at the moment. I want to make an Izzy/Con O'Neill growling words compilation. You know the voice.

Stede: "Well I hate to tell you this Iggy!

Izzy: "Izzy...."

So. Do your thing. I only know of like 3 times in the show and two interviews. I'm sure some of you have done the stalking for me.

Please leave your ideas in the comments.

Please link me if it's not in the main show. With a timestamp.

Doesn't have to be Izzy specifically. Anything Con goes :)

Here's the progress so far:

[carrymelikeimcute]

People who say that what Izzy said to Ed needs to 'come to light' so he can make amends for 'turning Ed evil' are...interesting to me.

You think he'd have been fine if no one had said some mean words to him? You think he wasn't winding up tighter and tighter into a manic state that was destined to all come crashing down at the slightest provocation? The tiniest reminder of what he lost? It could have been Lucius, saying something about Stede, it could have been Frenchie asking what happened. It could have been anyone at any time - Izzy just took a hammer to something that only needed a nudge to break.

[paroxsysdraw]

i JUST WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY OK???? con thank you for being the most handsome man on the fucking planet.

[doushitemacaron]

Unpopular Opinion: Izzy doesn't take shit from Ed

Izzy is frequently depicted in fanon to be kind of subservient or willing to put up with anything from Ed, which I think is really inaccurate to how he's portrayed in the show. Izzy is actually always shown to have really strong lines for what he will and won't take from Edward and from everyone else the whole time. People just get confused because the toe thing makes them think that he'll accept anything from Edward, but it's very untrue. That particular thing just doesn't cross one of Izzy's lines. Violence in Ed is something Izzy is deliberately trying to cultivate; therefore, it's not something he objects to even when it's directed at him. In contrast, he stands up to Ed multiple times when he disagrees, and is even willing to quit at one point, mostly when he thinks Ed is putting himself or the crew in danger, which is honestly not that unreasonable if he's trying to run a pirate ship and keep them all alive (including Ed.)

[souslamer]

yeah izzy’s death hurts SO BAD OH MY GODDDD that was the best redemption arc i’ve seen in a long time and i was rooting for him! i just want them all to be happy!

that being said, in a way it was fitting, the final death of blackbeard? they put him to rest and with him, the past, yknow?

but i WANT HIM BACK

[hussyknee]

Keep seeing the videos from Gaza. Blood-curdling, unimaginable horror. Death toll currently at 830. Displaced 187,500, 4000 injured, some of them maimed for life. Hospitals at capacity with no medical aid able to come through. They're now washing injuries with soap because there's no antiseptic.

They're murdering them in cold blood while the world watches.

Westerners, watch the news footage. Remember that half of Gaza is children under 15. That they've not only blockaded them from all sides but they're bombing the Egypt border crossing too. Understand this is what they did in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that your people watched and cheered. Know that this is happening with the full support and aid of your governments and leaders. This is a massacre. This is genocide. And you're watching it happen live.

If any of you murderous freaks still think any of this is justified I hope from the bottom of my heart that your own house falls on top of you.

[trashcancalicojack]

I just cried, because of all the love I have for Izzy???? Like... i simply started thinking about him and suddenly I started literally crying because I love him so much and he has become a truly important character in my life and ???? I just didn't expect it, he just makes me so soft

[and-fishing-equipment]

hmmm shit my izzy aplogism has taken over. no more "he's so awful i love him". he has never done anything wrong in his entire life ever. he was just in a silly goofy mood.

[arashikohedervary]

I don't like Izzy.

I like-like Izzy.

[wolf-in-a-trenchcoat]

I'm bored, so have a (possibly) triggering first chapter look-see of my Ouizzy fic "A Dance With The Devil" that I'm gonna post. I plan to rewrite it to be more canon-accurate but also throw in a little personal spice since I love writing angst.

Also! For those of you who happen to read it anyways, I'd absolutely LOVE some feedback. (That includes the negative feedback. I don't get better unless it's given, and I strive to better my writing). Alright, let me put the trigger warning so we can be prepared!

TW/CW: implied/explicitly expressed abuse, canon typical violence, panic attack, mild aggression, and mentioned amputation and consumption of a toe.

⚠️Reader's discretion is advised.⚠️

Chap 1: Izzy's Torment.

Edward was in a horrid mood again.

Well, Blackbeard.

As typical, Izzy tried keeping things running as smoothly as possible, only speaking when spoken to and snapping orders at the crew if any were caught slacking. He spent the majority of his day limping around the deck, weight leaned on his cane. His foot fucking hurt, and the bandages around it chafed and caused the somewhat healing wound to open and bleed.

Izzy bites back a curse. Literally just a week ago when Blackbeard returned from being willingly captured by the English, Izzy had been force-fed his toe. He remembered that night with very little fondness despite the relieving excitement that coursed through him seeing that dark, malicious glare from Blackbeard. He swallowed thickly, once again reliving having to consume a piece of himself. How fucking poetic.

Leaning against the railing of the Revenge, Izzy stared out into the expanse of water surrounding the ship. The sun was hanging high in the sky, beating down on the deck in exhausting heat. He pulls away, sighing roughly and turned heel towards the lower decks to check in on the crew, to make sure they weren't slacking. They had a tight schedule, and Izzy made sure of it so they would stay busy.

As he descended, he could hear soft murmurs and hurried conversations before they went completely silent. Izzy's stony glare cast over the crew as they stand awkwardly in a circle, eyes directed at the ground as if in submission. Maybe it was genuine submission- that's all Izzy had disciplined into them in his fourteen hour power-trip when Edward was gone.

"What's with all of this... nonsense? Having a little chat with each other? Talking feelings?" Izzy rasps in lilting sarcasm, leaning on his cane with a scowl. No one responds, all except Jim. Their eyes remained trained on the ground, something unusual and out of character to their normally intense glare.

"We need an intervention." Their voice was slow but sure, and then the intense stare strays to Izzy. There was a small shock that ran through him, so subtle he wasn't sure it even happened. He nods his head upwards, chin slightly higher in curiosity.

“An intervention, ay? Ed wouldn't be too fond of that.” Izzy points out, tapping his cane against the floorboards to emphasize it. He sauntered forward, his scowl turning softer. “It's suicide to try and talk him out of this.”

“Still- it'd be better. For all of us.” Frenchie piped in, nervously looking anywhere that wasn't the shorter-statured man. Izzy had noticed the bard was very iffy about eye contact, fluctuating between a hard stare and no eye contact at all. The first-mate didn't know what to make of it, and instead decided it wasn't worth his time- knowing Stede Bonnet's crew, they'd have Izzy soft-side up and forcefully coddled like he was part of their crew. Part of them.

“Get back to work. Fuckin’ useless twats.” Izzy snarled, turning away. A deeper part of him knew that Jim was right- hell, even Frenchie! Of all people, excluding Jim, Frenchie actually had a point- one stating that sitting idly by would only make things worse. Izzy would never admit it, even in his dying breath that he agreed with Stede fucking Bonnet's maniac of a bard. Shame worms its way up Izzy's spine, settling in the center of his chest like a weight in his ribcage.

He… wanted to mutiny against Blackbeard. The one thing Izzy swore his life to uphold the name of, and here he was regretting his choices. A sickening feeling sits ominously idle in his gut, like a viper waiting to strike… waiting until Izzy is distracted. The first-mate swallowed back the rising pain in his throat, stalking off to the top deck and not even waiting to see if the crew listened.

He found himself below deck in his cabin. He was pacing the cramped room, hands tangled in his graying hair, trying to calm the raging storm of emotions in his mind. Izzy was never one for emotions, always keeping them bottled up until they all came out in spiteful insults and barked orders. Right now was not one of those times.

In a swift attempt of releasing his pent up self-destructive loathing, he grabbed a stool and threw it against the wall, the wood exploding into splintering shrapnel as it made impact. Izzy let out a strained shout, heaving in breaths as his attempt of control became vain. He had never let the thought of mutiny cross his mind.

“Fuck. Fuck!” Izzy growls, sitting roughly on his rickety cot and burying his face in his hands. He was sure his death was imminent if Blackbeard heard any whisper or word of possible opposition. The crew would die alongside Izzy if they didn't cower to the Kraken's absolutely mental demands and pressuring emotional manipulation.

Izzy Hands wanted to turncoat on Blackbeard, the man- no, the myth- he helped create. To break the promise he had made so long ago that it became the very air he breathed to upkeep. All for just a little taste of comfort in a trying time that won't last. He was stupid for letting himself be so… invested in the damn crew. How they felt, how they saw him, how they fucking bitched and moaned about how horrible Blackbeard treated them and yet, Izzy understood. How, he'd never know and even if he did, he'd never tell.

Of all people, Israel Hands understood their pain. Of all things, he could empathize with their distaste and wariness of Blackbeard's volatile behavior. The only grace Izzy gave the crew was being the one who took the brunt of all of the Kraken's anger and physical violence. And he wanted it. He deserved it.

A strangled sob left him, his heart hammering in his chest as his throat felt like it was closing. The walls felt like they were closing, his vision tunneling into the abysmal darkness of his own mind, eating away at whatever control he had garnered before it all went black. Silent. His body ached, his chest tightened and he couldn't breathe. He blindly grabs at his shirt, the collar, ripping at his clothes just for some air. Another noise left him as his struggles proved fruitless and he felt suffocated in the weight of this newfound desire to flee. To run from his past, his choices, his actions.

And as if it were as sudden as it set in, he calmed. His breathing was still yet heavy and sharp, sweat soaking his brow and clothes. He was shaking, hands gripping the front of his leather vest like his life was on the line. And it was. If he even told Ed about any of this, he'd lose another toe- no, his entire foot, maybe his life. He inhaled sharply, shakily. He had to set this right.

Whatever it was he needed to do, he'd do it. He stiffly removed his hands from his shirt, gingerly flexing his fingers to get feeling back into them. Smoothing back his disheveled hair and wiping his forehead with his sleeve, he took in a steadier breath. He'd steel himself, force back all of this panic and anguish and become Izzy Hands again. Cold, stoic, and damn near emotionless. Calculated- not some emotional disaster who couldn't even fathom not being dependent on his captain.

[our-flag-means-gentlebeard]

Lmao you're an abuse and racism apologist is what you are.

Wow my first anonymous Izzy Hands hate, I’ve really made it on tumblr dot com

[stardust-ti]

Hey

All you Izzy Hands Apologists

I've been making YouTube edits at the moment.

I want to make an Izzy/Con O'Neill growling words compilation.

You know the voice.

Stede: "Well I hate to tell you this Iggy!

Izzy: "Izzy...."

So. Do your thing. I only know of like 3 times in the show and one interview. I'm sure some of you have done the stalking for me. Please leave your ideas in the comments. Please link me if it's not in the main show. With a timestamp. Doesn't have to be Izzy specifically. Anything Con goes :)

Update on this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/stardust-ti/738987785467445248/hey

[carrymelikeimcute]

Do you think Ed told Izzy to maroon the crew in s1e10?

I've been thinking about this for enough time that I've gone back and re-watched the end of the episode and we never see what orders he gives Izzy about the crew.

Here's what we do know - Ed pushed Lucius off the ship and tells Izzy that Lucius is dead. He had no reason to lie to Izzy about this, so I am assuming that he considered Lucius to be dead. He also threatens Jim/Frenchie to get them to stay on the crew. Conclusion I'm drawing? Ed didn't care if Stede's crew died or not. Point of fact, Ed didn't even care that they lost crew on the Queen Anne, crew he'd probably known longer.

I'm done some meta on Izzy before, about how his use of violence is usually practical. He doesn't do the elaborate torturing that Ed alludes to/orders in the show (see: the fork in 'the best revenge...'). Killing is part of his job, but it's not the only way to get things done and we see him avoid violence when it suits him - handing over one of the hostages, avoiding a bar brawl in s2 etc.

HOWEVER. That leads me to believe that it was Izzy who decided to maroon the crew. I think Ed wanted them 'gone' and left it up to Izzy to make that happen, and Izzy chose to leave them behind instead of killing them outright.

I am not saying this because he's my special baby girl, or to give him credit for 'mercy' or 'secretly being good'. Because he 100% left them there to DIE. It was just easier/more convenient to maroon them and lie to them, than to try and overpower them with the few loyal men he had.

I'm only bringing this up, because I still occasionally see posts saying that Izzy should apologise for what he did to the crew, usually from the same people who think Izzy still owes Ed an apology (and maybe his other leg) for being verbally mean to him that one time.

But it makes no sense to me to hate Izzy for marooning the crew without also keeping that level of hate for Ed because he ordered their deaths AND probably wouldn't have cared if Izzy decided to execute them on the ship.

There wouldn't be a crew to apologise to if Izzy had, for whatever reason, decided not to kill the crew. Because ED would have ordered someone else to do it, or killed them himself. It wasn't Izzy's idea.