#izzy canyon

[tampire]

Jim mouthing and vibing to Izzy's singing

[meyerlansky]

[nonpracticinghumanbeing]

Izzy IS about community. He’s ALWAYS BEEN about community in his own messed up way. The Canyon was right and the haters were wrong.

He wanted Blackbeard back because that was what kept the crew safe. He was terrible about it and hurt the man he obviously loves in the process, but it WAS for the greater good. It wasn’t a purely selfish act the antis love to frame it as. He wanted to feel safe again and he wanted the crew to be safe as well.

Hell, he was doing his best to help Edward through his post-breakup depression. He didn’t understand what was going on and was clearly distressed by it but he provided what Ed needed. He *knew* he lacked the emotional capacity to help his captain himself so he agreed to bring him Lucius. I really think he would have just gritted his teeth and suffered through it if Ed didn’t say the one thing that could collapse his whole world.

"Why do we even bother being pirates?" That was what freaked Izzy out so much that he pushed Edward to violence. Not because he selfishly wanted Ed to be close at all times but because Blackbeard the legend was the pillar of his community. That legend kept everyone safe and even if Izzy is a horrible asshole, he *does* care about his crew. He knows the world is a horrible hostile place and he focuses on risk mitigation, even if it means hurting the one person he really cares about.

He really tried to provide that to the crew when Edward and Stede took the Act of Grace. It was a terribly misguided attempt at keeping things under control and it was certainly influenced by his submissive tendencies which make him crave structure and feel safe within hierarchies. He *knows* he lacks Ed's charisma and ability to think outside the box and with such huge shoes to fill it's not really surprising he acted out in anger and in result failed miserably. But he was *NEVER* an asshole just for the sake of it.

Now he realizes those days are gone for good. He's already done everything he could to bring Ed back to his senses, including using *Stede fuckin' Bonnet’s* name. It didn’t work. The realization that his one true safeguard is really gone must be terrible, but it also pushes him to take action.

The moment he realizes the crew are in real danger, he takes things into his own hands. He not only goes against the hierarchy he believed to be sacred but also against the man he *LOVES*. He fucking shoots his beloved captain to save the crew. You don’t get much more *community* than that.

He is clearly struggling. He's just tried to fucking kill himself after being maimed AND told he was disposable by a man whom he's apparently served for dacades. He will have to reevaluate his whole life and he *knows* it. But he puts it all to the side and he does what needs to be done. He took all of Edward’s abuse without complaint it seems but the moment the crew are in real danger, he intervenes. You can’t tell me a community (*any* community) doesn’t need people like that.

It all feels very old-time queer to me. The willingness to make terrible sacrifices to protect one's space. The decision (conscious or not) to be effective rather than liked. The choice to stay alive despite terrible heartbreak and go on fighting.

He's absolutely NOT an irredimable villain. He’s an asshole who tries to keep his little world safe. He’s Larry Kramer getting kicked out of GMHC for being too confrontational and politically incorrect to be palatable to the general public.

[calypsolarts]

[izzyhandslightofmylife]

ofmd really said okay imagine there's this guy that's been desperate for love his entire life and was so convinced that he was destined for tragedy that he actively tried to bring about his own downfall and pain because he was convinced it was all he had. now imagine that there's this guy that got accepted despite the darkness inside of him for the first time in his life and instead of being scorned ended up bringing light to everyone around him. imagine him with a family that he had convinced himself he didn't deserve. got him in your head, this little guy? is he there? do you love him? we're killing him now. sorry

[godasfarasyoureconcerned]

seen someone say it but it’s so poignant that izzy spends the entirety of episode 4 lashing out, screaming at the ship and at his own reflection. his anger and frustration comes out violently and he puts no effort into filtering it. he’s a drunk mess and doesn’t care to stifle his anger, if he even could. he’s used to feeling hurt and then lashing out. it’s normal for him to be hit and then go hit someone else about it. it’s normal for him to feel like shit and then go shout at someone about it. he can do that blackout drunk, and doesn’t even need another person around to do it

but when he’s gifted the leg, and suddenly given something to be actively happy about, he has to stifle his reaction. he suddenly has to choke back his emotion, and the words don’t even form. he can only shake and cry and keep himself as hushed as possible, literally clamping down with his hand to keep them restrained

anger is something he’s comfortable displaying even when intoxicated. but, even when intoxicated, bittersweet tears are something he feels he needs to literally hold in. anger is acceptable, anger is normal, anger is something he knows how to deal with. feelings of camaraderie, the sting of love like alcohol in a wound— he doesn’t know how to deal with it, nor is he comfortable sitting with it. it’s never been something he was allowed to embrace, and it’s still not something he even knows how to

sorta like if you keep getting hurt, your skin will scab and callous and you’ll get used to the feeling of that pain. it becomes normal and your body adapts to become tougher and more resilient. only problem with knowing how to power through wounds like that is that when it’s time to clean them, to wash them with alcohol to disinfect, it stings like something you’ve never felt. something deeper and sharper that your skin isn’t used to, something actively counteracting the way your body has adapted to repeated offenses. once you’ve felt enough scratches in your skin, the alcohol of healing hurts worse than yet another countless scratch

my poor guy has never ever healed from anything that’s happened to him, he’s always just powered through and calloused himself for the sake of efficiency. only realizing now that you can only power through with dirty open wounds so long before they start to fester and rot. poor guy doesn’t even know what healing feels like and he’s never been allowed to know. any previous attempts might’ve earned him “fuckin’ lightweight” and “if you can’t do it, someone else will” so even healing feels like something he has to stifle and keep quiet

[hadeantaiga]

re: ofmd s2 clip with izzy and crew

[edsrosetattoo]

Yep………………

[izzysheavingbosom]

So do we have an AO3 tag to signal 'this Ed/Stede fic is written by an author who is normal about Izzy Hands and either he's barely in the fic or as much of an asshole in canon'?

Because I think we could do with that so I can avoid the Ed/Stede fic that comes with bonus 'every bad thing is Izzy's fault and also he's the big evil ultimate villain!!!' bullshit.

[magmitchell-blog]

CALYPSO'S BIRTHDAY cocktails... This June Pride Month at Pearl Moon in Woodstock NY (Date TBC, will be announced in the next 24 hours). There will be dancing to an Our Flag Superfan Playlist, prizes for costumes and furthest traveled, and so so many inside jokes. Get your costumes ready and come geek out with us!

[meyerlansky]

#petty king 😌

[nonpracticinghumanbeing]

I'm thinking about how some people STILL claim Edward wasn't abusive but just defending himself against Izzy's supposed abuse. And I'm thinking about the symbolism in 4 and 5 and I'm losing my fucking mind.

Izzy still doesn't feel like he belongs, even after everything the crew have done for him. His prosthetic leg is super wobbly because he STILL doesn't believe they want him now that the immediate danger is over. He has no idea how he fits in now or what is expected of him and his fragile new leg is a symbol of that. He keeps to himself, he drinks constantly and he snaps at every attempt at interaction from the crew. He believes he is alone, even among the crew.

Then he tries to intervene to save the crew *yet again* (if he was the selfish asshole the antis like to paint him as why on earth would he even bother to do this?) and the leg breaks - and Izzy is sure he is alone with it, as proven by his "we are born alone and we die alone" mantra. And what do the crew do? They fucking fashion him a new - much more stable and durable - leg. They go out of their way to fucking paint it gold. They drop it off at his door without any attempt at talking to him, which is a wonderful gesture of kindness on their part, proving that they know *exactly* what he needs.

And it literally changes Izzy, even if he doesn't like to show it. He finds his footing again, both figuratively and literally. He becomes more open towards Stede, offering to train him (also great character development for Stede, realizing just how incompetent he is and who to turn to for help). He starts fucking whittling to deal with his trauma (as unhealthy as this is, it is at least *an attempt* to deal with it). He pretty much returns to his pre-Kraken ways, going on raids with the crew and even getting complimented by Stede on his swordsmanship (because that's just *what he does*). An most importantly, he is treated by everyone as one of their own, meaning that they care for him and provide whatever help he needs.

Meanwhile, Edward starts as everyone's enemy. Stede is the only one who wants him around, with Izzy being unable to properly voice his feelings. They vote him out. They ALL want him gone, and not just his old crew. Everyone. They realize that at his worst he's capable of killing them all on a whim and they don't want him in their safe space. They LITERALLY call it a walk of shame because they realize Ed deserves punishment for his actions.

They DO eventually let him back in, but the circumstances of this are so damn telling. He's standing before him like a penitent, confessing his sins. He's wearing a sackcloth AND a bell that adds to his humiliation while making sure he doesn't sneak up on anyone ever again. This is LITERALLY a medieval penance ritual and he doesn't even try to argue with it because he knows that he deserves it and that it is necessary if he wants to be allowed back aboard the Revenge. So he just goes on slowly repairing the damage he's done one crew member at a time, knowing he has to put work into gaining their trust back.

It is all so beautifully written, with Izzy's new leg making him confident enough to sit around in Stede's room and put his fucking leg(s) on the desk and Edward owning up to his actions and allowing Lucius to punish him in whatever way he wants. It is CRYSTAL CLEAR which of them is fully redeemed in the crew's eyes and which has to work very hard to earn forgiveness.

[forgottentothefog]

To The Izzy Canyon

Despite my dissapointment with s2 and the crushing realization that this show was never actually as smart as we thought it was, I will say one, actually two, good things. The OFMD cast, especially Con, Vico, and Kristian, were a huge part of what made OFMD season 1 (and 2) as beautifully queer as it was, and I will forever be grateful for all the joy and passion that they put into it. I will stand by the fact that OFMD season 1 was, intentionally or not, a beautifully executed story and one of the best pieces of queer media I have ever seen.

But what really made OFMD so special to me was the fanbase, especially the fanfic that you all have blessed this world with. I read mostly Izzy-centric works, and so much of the stuff I've read, even the darker stuff, has been both intelligent and kind in a way that I rarely see in other fandoms. It's just... beautiful to experience, and I hope that all you OFMD fic writers know that your contributions are what make this fandom so special and worth staying in, even if I've been dissapointed by canon. Your works, as crazy as it sounds, have helped me gain confidence and self-acceptance in ways I didn't even think were possible. If the angry little rat man can deserve to be loved and cherished and healed, then so can I. So can all of us!

I cherish you all so much, even if I don't interact much with anyone, and I hope you all know that your works have been a bright spot in my life, and that I can feel the love, kindness, and defiance radiating from them, passing from your heart to mine <3

[izzyhandslightofmylife]

Official statement on why Izzy's death affected me so much

Our Flag Means Death, is, at it’s core, is a show that focuses on queer joy- a form of therapy for those that have been raised on queerbaiting, shipping minor side characters, or watching, when nothing else is available, queer tragedies. You know how it goes- the two main characters, both male, have chemistry. They say things to each other that seem weirdly like declarations of love. They look at each other with love in their eyes. You see these things and the main man gets married off to a badly written, unfinished female character and is left feeling empty. The best friend dies for the main character to live. When everyone talks about how cute the main couple are, you want to scream all of a sudden, because nobody can see this love story play out except you. It’s queer, it’s tragic, and nobody else can understand it. 

Not Our Flag Means Death. From the moment it aired, it was praised as a show with unabashed queer joy, which means more than I can possibly say. The two main male characters meet, they have chemistry, and they fall in love. It’s not implied, or hinted at, but blatantly obvious. Their romances and the queer romances around them attracted so many queer fans who felt that after so many years, this type of show was a vindication for what they had been through with other media. 

In this show, piracy itself was that of a found family. Though Stede Bonnet and the crew of the Revenge start off with many differences, the core of the show centers around a theme that many queer audiences are attracted to: found family. The Revenge was depicted as a safe space, where everyone could express themselves freely, a refuge from a world of judgment. Queerness was not only accepted but normalized on The Revenge. No homophobia, no coming out, no typical complications of queer romance. Just love and safety. Warmth, which was Ed Teach wished for in purgatory. Which was what he found on the Revenge. The ship was a safe space that so many queer audiences had dreamed of. 

Well, a safe space except for one person: Izzy Hands, Blackbeard’s First Mate, who was a man painfully stuck in the wrong genre. This is the general consensus by both fans and the cast: Izzy, Edward and their crew had been in a gritty action movie, whereas Stede and his crew were in a muppet movie of sorts. While the majority of Blackbeard’s crew quickly acclimates to and celebrates the change, Izzy doesn’t. 

And right away, many fans felt a deep attraction to Izzy. The reason that Izzy couldn’t get Edward to love him was because, in the end, the only way that Izzy knew how to love was through blood. To give and receive pain in an action movie is one of the greatest forms of love, but Izzy fails to realize that Ed is not in an action movie anymore. He is happy with this stability, and the reason that so many people felt Izzy’s presence so was strongly was that he wasn’t. 

So many queer people are, in a way, addicted to tragedy. Tragedy is all that is represented in queer media for the most part, or was until very recently. Take Achilles and Patroclus, one of the most celebrated and recognized queer love stories of both ancient and modern times. Why that one? There are other greek love stories, many of them queer. The tragedy of it- Patroclus’ death and Achilles’ rage- made it all the more appealing. Many in the audience of Our Flag Means Death were not comedy fans, they were horror or drama fans, attracted to a comedy because of the love story. But Izzy, to them, was a physical representation of who they were, carrying an awareness of homophobia, of blood and pain that so many queer relationships had previously been illustrated by (i.e. Hannibal). Though Ed may not have understand this type of affection, the audience did- Izzy’s Otherness from the crew despite it’s safety, his expressions of love and his unrequited love story were all things that the audience were familiar with feeling. 

If Ed and Stede were good queer representation, Ed and Izzy, for example, were a foil of that. They were evil, messed up, and fed into the worst parts of each other because it brought them closer. This is a theme present in a lot of queer media, and by extension, queer lives: “if you love me, Henry, you don’t love me in a way I understand”, is an excerpt classic queer poem about unrequited love that fits the situation. The very reason Izzy stuck in people’s heads because he was of a different genre. His grittiness and bitterness made sense to the audience. They saw Izzy and saw what was familiar. He was exquisitely written, simultaneously making even casual audiences both hate him, and against all odds, find him oddly endearing. The idea of this man sacrificing every inch of himself for an unrequited love was a concept of tragedy, leaking into a comedic show. 

So fans projected onto Izzy. He was a catalyst for the heartache, for the audience’s sheer inability to have a happy show. For one reason or another, some of the audience simply couldn’t live with a show that was all fantastical, which I theorize is because they couldn’t see themselves in it. So Izzy became the epitome of queer suffering: pining longingly after another man that couldn’t understand him. This projection of suffering, however, led to a new wish: happiness for Izzy. If Izzy in Season 1 was a tragedy, assimilating him into the found family in Season 2 would have elevated the safe sense of the ship all the more. It would have proved to so many of these Izzy Fans that yes, even though you view yourself as unloveable, even though you see yourself as Israel Hands, Villain, even he can be loved too. Why can’t you be? 

And Season 2, for the most part, delivered beyond our wildest dreams. Izzy had people who cared about him. And though the genre shifted into the darker, Izzy himself shifted slightly to the comedic side as well. His life, which had been centered for so long around a man that didn’t reciprocate his feelings, was gone. He started a new life, and this life, again, focused on queer joy. The queer joy from Season 1 was suddenly for everyone, even those like Izzy that couldn’t have understood it. He sang, he whittled, he talked about feelings, he dressed in drag. Many elder queer fans also saw Izzy as another metaphor, too: that queer joy can be attained overtime. You don’t have to have had it the whole time, but you can accept yourself even when you are older. The message of Izzy was one of resilience and stubbornness, one that the queer community needed to hear: that you don’t have to be like this, you don’t have to create pain for yourself. You don’t need to watch tragedies all the time. You, too, can heal from the past.

And then, the season finale happened. By this point, many argued that Izzy had stolen the show. Con O’Neil’s acting mixed with his general arc of self acceptance had made him a fan favorite. In the last episode, it is Izzy himself who sums it up perfectly, accepting that he belongs somewhere despite his pain and flaws. Despite the darkness within him, he was still accepted and loved. He says it right to the face of Prince Ricky, who thinks himself above it all. That piracy, a metaphor for otherness, wasn’t actually about being alone; it was about finding others that understood you when nobody else could. 

Listen, this show is known for it’s nonsensicality. In the finale of Season 1, Lucius is thrown overboard by Ed and survives by simply swimming to another ship. Stede reunites with his crew by sailing a rowboat. Buttons turns into a seagull. Stede stabs Ed for a comedic bit. Earlier in the season, Izzy himself gets shot and survives. This queer joy show was celebrated for being, well, joyful. Even when things like getting thrown overboard did happen, they were, ultimately, a blip in the character’s journey towards acceptance, healing, etc, which was what made the show unique. Our Flag Means Death, whose audience had been living for years off of the “Bury your gays” trope, was adored because it illustrated a world where things didn’t have to be that way. A place where the impossible, such as Izzy Hands being loved, could happen. This show was one of survival. 

But not for the one person that was seen to struggle with this concept the most. Not for the one person that was a metaphor for belonging in this place, who became, over the course of a season, the embodiment of the message itself. Not for the Unicorn, the very symbol of this magical, nonsensical ship. Not for the most stubborn, most indestructible, most enduring (queer) person in the show. Not for Izzy Hands. 

This trope, honestly, was one that many have seen before, both in mainstream and queer media. A character, previously shown to be a villain or else to have gone through a lot of pain, is shown to heal, to get better, and then to die in order to “complete their arc”. This trope is common: Loki, Cas. even Ted Lasso, who doesn’t die but goes back to the very place that broke him in the first place. But the reason that Izzy’s death, while it might have been expected in another show, felt like a betrayal in this one is because it was known for subverting those tropes. From the “Bury Your Gays” to the “Up For Interpretation”, it was known to look those tropes in the eyes and say “fuck you, these people deserve to be happy”. And this did happen! Except for the one character who’s healing journey was one of the most relatable, at least to queer audiences. 

What also made it so jarring was that all the other characters got to be happy, except for the one that had struggled with the idea of happiness the most. In the scene immediately after Izzy is buried, Lucius and Pete get married. In the scene after, a montage of queer joy and found family is shown amongst the whole crew. In the final scene, Ed and Stede, our main queer couple, are shown healing themselves and starting a new life together. The last shot, however, showed Izzy’s grave, visited by Buttons the seagull while Ed and Stede had dinner. A tragedy in it’s finest. It wouldn’t have been difficult for Izzy to live. Because, in the end, his death meant nothing. His healing meant nothing. He died and was moved on from in a matter of seconds. He was, as I mentioned, the catalyst for tragedy, more specifically, queer tragedy. But because of this, of his genre, Izzy didn’t get to live. He had to die in order for the rest of the characters to keep living in this fantasy world. This death was, in a way, a preservation of these other love stories.

I maintain, however, that it would have meant more if Izzy had lived. If he had been  able to show to us that yes, despite what you have been through, despite what you may have inflicted upon yourself, you can switch genres. It’s possible. Izzy’s survival up until that point had been a profound testament to many that it is possible to heal, that queerness does not have to mean sadness. It would have continued to be a testament to that if only Izzy had lived. And so, this pirate that we latched onto, not in spite of his darkness but because of it, was buried on land on the side of the road. 

As a side note, many previous incidences in the story point to the idea even though Ed and Stede will definitely stay together, it’s uncertain if the inn would have worked out. It’s likely that, being a whim, those two might have chosen to move, or go back to the sea, or sail to China. If this is true, they would have left Izzy’s grave by itself, like a family pet buried in the yard. If this is true, Izzy Hands, a metaphor for belonging, would rot alone. 

Long live the tragedy addicts. Long live the Richard Siken poems. Long live Izzy Hands. 

*When I talk about the "fandom" I am referring to the canyon.

[wonderonamission]

Ed and Stede opened an inn and Izzy became the new captain of the revenge.

[godasfarasyoureconcerned]

canNOT stop thinking about this shot

the range of emotion we get in one fucking second.. hes so in love but it’s so much more than that…

in the first half of the second, he looks relieved, and excited. he looks like he knows he just accomplished his goal of awakening the kraken. he clearly knows he did, just been choked and had his eager hand smacked away. that’s right. that’s the blackbeard to whom izzy swore his loyalty. there he is, fucking finally

but less than a second later, there’s something much more desperate in his expression. something almost melancholy. he’s not sorry he did it but he is sorry it had to be done. it’s not easy for either of them. blackbeard is a genius, a menace who leaves wreckage across the atlantic. and izzy just drew him back out after an increasingly erratic bender. there he is, more upset than izzy’s ever seen him— fuck. there he is, having just pinned izzy to the wall by his windpipe and— fuck. there he is, angry and spitting and hitting and— fuck. there he is, touching izzy like he hasn’t in years, and it hurts but is so intimate and— fuck, fuck, fuck me. he’s begging. he looks like he’s fucking pleading. for forgiveness. for more anger. for another touch, soft or rough. for anything. fuck!!!