#look up matelotage

[the-spirit-of-adventure]

People thinking K’nuckles is genuinely a man’s man is so funny to me because he’s so clearly meant to be making fun of someone who is overcompensating for not feeling manly enough. Yes, you see on the surface level K’nuckles acts macho. However, you must ask yourself, IS he really that macho?

No! He regularly gets his limbs stolen and made fun of by the other sailors because he’s pathetic! Literally no one in Stormalong respects him except for Flapjack. He acts that way because he’s insecure, and he’s insecure because he is NOT manly!

[areyoudoingthis]

"So," Ed says while the crew gets the ship ready for Lucius and Pete's matelotage ceremony, shyly swaying his shoulder as he leans towards Stede in what is rapidly becoming Stede's favorite bit of Ed body language. "Zheng's offer."

And Stede hears the question he isn't asking. Hears the plea this time, too. This time he isn't drunk and coming off the high of being worshipped for killing a man to protect his loved ones. The renewed threat on their lives and watching Ed sob brokenly while Izzy died in his arms have sobered him up fast, instilled a new understanding of the way Ed views piracy in him and rearranged his priorities one more time. He thought he had this right when he left Barbados. No matter, he'll keep learning as he goes, keep listening and trying his best to do right by himself and by Ed.

"You wanted to become a fisherman." Ed winces. Stede doesn't hold a drop of resentment towards him, understands how easy it is to panic when faced with something as immense as what they share while the burdens of their pasts still plague them.

"I think I wasn't as well suited to fishing as a I thought," Ed says, ruefully.

"Nonsense. You're great at fishing." He beams at him, knows that Ed is capable of excelling at anything he sets his mind to. But it doesn't have to be fishing, it can be anything they choose. There's a whole world of possibilities open before them now. "What if we explored a different avenue?" he suggests.

Ed's eyes open wide, excited. Stede knows he's on the right track, the way his heart settles in his chest at the look in Ed's eyes tells him he can't go wrong if he follows this instinct for the rest of his days.

"Yeah? Like what?" He sounds impatient to get started.

"I remember you expressing an interest in becoming a restauranter once?"

"Eh, the food industry might be a tad too much work. We'd have to catch the food first, then cook it and serve all the customers..." he looks bashful, like there's something on the tip of his tongue that he's hesitant to speak out loud. "What if-?"

"Yes?" Stede asks, quiet and a little breathless with anticipation. His blood is thrumming, he wants to take this leap with Ed with every fiber of his being, is leagues more eager for this than he was when he first commissioned a ship and set off to sea.

"What about an inn?"

The memory flashes through his mind of Ed gifting a couple of kids on the Republic a bag of gold and a pair of knives, and claiming they weren't pirates but inn owners afterwards. How long has he been thinking about this? How long has this been a dream of his?

"Sounds fun." He smiles, radiant. He's thrilled to join Ed on their next adventure, inn ownership or fishing or bar and grill management. He would go anywhere with him.

"Yeah?" Ed sounds exhilarated too.

"Yes."

And there isn't an ounce of hesitancy in his voice this time around. He knows himself at last, knows the bottomless capacity for loving Ed his heart possesses, doesn't intend to ever let him go again.

Ed leans forward as if he intends to kiss him and Stede's heart starts beating faster, always greedy for Ed. But Ed stops, pauses halfway to Stede and looks doubtful all of a sudden.

"What about this?"

"This?"

"The ship. The crew. Piracy." Stede thinks he means the last one most of all. And god, what a fool he was to almost lose this to a fantasy. What he set out for a lifetime ago wasn't piracy, it was a dream of freedom and a place where he could be himself. He's never more himself than when he's standing next to Ed, looking the future in the eye together. This is his home, where his body and soul belong forever. The ship will continue to house their family and carry them safely across the sea, and they'll come back to visit as much as they want to. He can't wait to see what they get up to, either.

"You're the only adventure I need, Ed."

And Ed melts into his arms and kisses him sweetly.

[ladyluscinia]

What Exactly Did David Jenkins Say?

Look, I'm still staunchly of the opinion that Word of God statements and creator interviews are overvalued in fandom, especially when they get pulled out mostly as gotchas without then continuing to analyze whether or not the show canon is successful at getting across that same message. Death of the Author is good, actually, and we should remember that. But they are worth looking at in the context of evaluating intent vs execution, and for future speculation - just, like, please with less of the whole mile high pedestal idolizing and backlash cycles.

But if overvalued "Word of God" is annoying, then overvalued "supposed creator statements that have gone through three rounds of telephone and any given blogger has only heard about a quarter of them, which they'll use confidently anyway" is worse. So, since I'd already looked up interviews for various reasons...

Here is a fairly comprehensive list of interviews David Jenkins has given and statements he's made during them, presented without commentary (save curating which statements get highlighted). All provided with links. I definitely missed some, so if you have any that you want to add, please do - though if you could trim off any commentary and save it for tags / your own post with a link that would be cool.

Also, again, just because he said it doesn't make it incontrovertible canon that only a blind person wouldn't understand. Some of these even arguably contradict each other. The creator's intent doesn't always translate to what the show is doing, nor do you even have to think it was a good idea.

(Listed in chronological order from oldest to newest - post contains spoilers below the cut)

Pre-S1

Gizmodo - Feb 22, 2022 - with Cheryl Eddy (io9) - Link

Why this story - Really, it was the enigma of Stede that drew him in. "I think actual pirate stuff is fine, but it's not necessarily my cup of tea. And I think Taika [Waititi] felt similarly. But hearing about this guy and reading about him and seeing that, you know, he left his family, then he met Blackbeard, they hit it off, and we don't know any of the details in between. So filling those blanks in, and having a very human story, and then being able to do it with the pirate genre, that was like, 'Oh, this would be cool.'"

Post 1x01 - 1x03

Polygon - March 5, 2022 - with Tasha Robinson - Link

David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview

About Stede running off to sea - "Stede thought he could outrun his baggage, and you can't outrun your baggage."

About S1 - "I don't think there was enough improv on set! We had an insane schedule, with a huge amount of plot. We were budgeted and designed as a one-hour show, but with a half-hour production schedule, which means we really had to chase these episodes to get them shot. And then there are certain emotional beats that we really needed. So trying to find places to find the fun was hard."

Mashable - Mar 5, 2022 - with Belen Edwards - Link

About the show concept - "It was Jenkins' wife who first told him about Stede's adventures; she thought it would make a good TV show."

On casting Rhys Darby - "Stede did a terrible thing to his family. If you cast it wrong, he's a very hard character to get behind," Jenkins said. "Very quickly, the only person I thought of for this was Rhys [Darby]. He has this childlike quality that's endearing."

About the story - "Seeing them discover a need for each other that neither anticipated and charting how that relationship goes is the meat of the story." + "If you're on this ship, you're running from something, and you're running to something that you can't be on land"

Mentions of matelotage - "In fact, one of Jenkins's favorite pirate facts that he learned while working on Our Flag Means Death was the term matelotage, which was a civil union between same-sex pirates. "The more you look at it," he explained, "the more you write to the fact that this is a queer-positive world.""

Discussing piracy careers - "Something else that astounded Jenkins about pirates was "just how fast it all moved — their lives were quite short," he said. "Your career [in piracy] wasn't very long.""

Post 1x09 - 1x10

Decider - Mar 24, 2022 - with Kayla Cobb - Link

David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview

Pitch for the show - "That was in the pitch," series creator David Jenkins told Decider. "That was the reason, to make them fall in love with each other."

About the romance - "The main thing to me was to side-step coming out," Jenkins continued. "I just want a romance. I want a Titanic romance between these two people. We don't have to do the coming out story and then the non-binary story for Jim [Vico Ortiz]."

About S2 and the show - "The show is the relationship," Jenkins said. "So, we end in a place where there is this breakup. What happens after a breakup between these two people who, one’s realized he's in love and the other one is hurt in a way that he's never been hurt before? What does that do to each of them in an action, pirate world with them trying to find each other again? So again, I really love those rom-com beats."

Collider - Mar 24, 2022 - with Carly Lane - Link

On making it a romcom - "It's the only reason to make the show. If you didn't do that, it would just be weird. I mean, you're using the rom-com beats. You're using these like they're together. And it's funny because so we're so habituated to be like bromance, bromance, bromance, and it's such a simple move to put them together."

Discusses focusing on romance - "I guess I really... I get kind of bored. How much pirate can you do? They're going to rob stuff. They're going to steal ships. There's only so many pirate stories you can do. So if you're going to do a workplace story, I mean, you're essentially having this... You'd have this same amount of relationships in Grey's Anatomy in the ER. So it's standard. It's the most standard. We're making a soap opera on a pirate ship, and to use those soap opera beats... I like it, and I like the flavor in a comedy when you have something that's played genuinely up against very ridiculous things."

Discusses history and kissing scene

Discusses importance of going home to Mary - "Yeah, that was the problem for me in the story. I knew that I wanted to have the end where he goes home, because you need to give Mary her day in court. I just wanted to know from Mary's perspective what happened and then to see that, yeah, they're friends."

Is Lucius dead? - "You got to wait."

EW.com - Mar 25, 2022 - with Devan Coggan - Link

David Jenkins, Taika Waititi, and Rhys Darby interview

Pitch for the show - "To me, [Stede and Blackbeard's relationship] is the reason to make the show," Jenkins explains. "When Taika and I were first talking about it, he was like, 'Oh yeah, that's the show.' I first started reading about Stede and how he befriended Blackbeard and we don't know why. Very quickly, it was like, 'Oh, it's a romance.'"

Polygon - Mar 25, 2022 - with Tasha Robinson - Link

Discusses 3-season intent - "I think three seasons is good. I think we could do it in three."

Discusses acts within S1 - "To me, when you see him get stabbed, and the blood runs through his fingers, it’s like 'Oh, no, the clown got stabbed! And not comedy-stabbed, he got stabbed stabbed!' That to me is cool. And then having Blackbeard find him as the end of what would be the first act of our story felt good to me."

Discusses kiss scene filming and the national moment around gay rights

What to focus on a rewatch - "I think Con O'Neill does such a great job. He's such a complex character, and it's such a tortured relationship. And that's a love story too, between him and Blackbeard. It's a very dysfunctional story, but it's fun to watch. Watch that maybe, on a rewatch, looking where their relationship ultimately goes."

TV Insider - Mar 25, 2022 - with Meaghan Darwish - Link

Discusses show pitch - "When I was pitching [the show] to people, I'd be like, 'Okay, so it's about Stede and Blackbeard, and then they hit it off and then they fall in love.' And then people are like, 'Okay, cool,' Jenkins shares. "And then they really fall in love, and become intimately involved."

Discusses historical inspiration

Discusses S2 direction - "But when [Stede] goes to find [Blackbeard], he's gone and his crew's been abandoned. And so watching them try to negotiate that, that's a good rom-com beat," he adds.

The Verge - Apr 15, 2022 - with Charles Pulliam-Moore - Link

Discusses being surprised by queerbaiting legacy - "...part of me knew that, yes, Stede and Ed's romance was going to be real. But one part of me felt like, 'We're going to do this story, and they're going to kiss, and maybe that's not even going to be that big a deal. Maybe it'll just be a blip.'"

Discusses writing romance - "I'd never written a romance before this one, but I think with Ed and Stede, the question's always 'what's the need for each other?'"

Discusses falling in love and Stede's accidental seduction - "It made sense to have that love be almost like a teenage version of falling in love — one with all these intense and conflicting feelings. They're middle-aged, but Stede's young. Ed's young. Emotionally, they're like 16, and they've both got a lot to learn."

Discusses Con O'Neill as Izzy - "He plays an exhausted quality that's really lovely because this character could just be generically evil, and the way Con plays, it is like, he's credible. I believe that he can do some damage if he wanted to. My favorite thing I've seen about the show is somebody saying that Con's playing the only human with a bunch of Muppets. It does feel like that a bit where he's like Charles Grodin in The Great Muppet Caper."

On Izzy being in love with Blackbeard - "I think Izzy's deeply in love with Blackbeard, and it's a very dysfunctional kind of love, and he's like the jilted spouse who's losing his man to fucking Stede Bonnet, and he can't believe this is happening."

Discusses masculinity and piracy as an escape from that

Discusses diversity and trauma based stories - "And the consensus in that very diverse room was that we wanted to show that isn't just wallowing in trauma. We don't have to do a coming out scene or focusing on the trauma of it — not to say that those stories aren’t valid."

Gizmodo - Jun 20, 2022 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link

Musing on fandom response to the show - "I'm wondering if the fact that because the queerness of this show isn't gaslighting the audience, and isn't a function of wanting to do something, but not being able to produce the results because of network standards. I think we just happened to be in this lucky spot where the show is actually queer… and I do think that people are responding to that."

Comparing fanfiction to writing - "And Con O'Neill's audition was one of those things I would go back to. I would watch that and be like… Oh, right, that's the show. And in a way, you're writing fanfiction for a certain actor and character because you want them to do something, and you're like–" at this point, it must be said, Jenkins let out a maniacal little giggle. He’s just as thrilled to show off Con O'Neill's ability to seem both deeply exhausted and menacing as the rest of the fandom. "And you [as the writer] you're like… And then Izzy does this now."

EW.com - Dec 13, 2022 - with Devan Coggan - Link

Discusses The Chain sequence - "I had initially wanted that end sequence to be like the FBI raid in a mob movie, where the feds come in, and they've got boxes of stuff, and everyone's running, and someone makes a dash for it," Jenkins explains. "So, it's like a mob movie or FBI raid story, and then it's also a story of Stede's lover coming back."

Pre-S2

Collider - Oct 2, 2023 - with Carly Lane - Link

Discusses fan reaction to S1 - "I thought that they'd kiss, and people would be like, 'Oh, cool, cool!' I kind of thought people would know a little bit more [about] where we were going, but then in hindsight, no, people have been hurt and burned on so many other shows and then made to feel silly."

Discusses starting S2 dark - "One of these characters is very, very damaged and has never made himself vulnerable in this way before, and I don't think [he] would react very well to having his heart broken in this way. I don't think it would be cute, and I don't think it would be funny. I think it would be scary as hell to watch a very damaged guy that we've established in Ed, who killed his dad and thinks he's not capable of being loved, deal with rejection and see that Stede really hurt him."

Discusses adding more female characters

Discusses S2 needle drops including "This Woman's Work"

Discusses 3-season arc

Post 2x01 - 2x03

Mashable - Oct 5, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link

Discusses fandom response to S1

About the canon gay relationship - "To watch the explosion of enthusiasm around [the kiss] was disorienting, almost," Jenkins said. "I thought people would react to it, but I didn't think the reaction would be that big. And then it was moving, because I didn't realize that this audience felt so unserved in general, as far as storylines go."

Insider - Oct 5, 2023 - with Ayomikun Adekaiyero - Link

Tease on leaning into the Stede / Ed / Izzy love triangle - "I think Izzy, in a certain way, got the worst deal in the first season," the showrunner tells Insider. "He gets jilted and then he still is in spurned spouse territory at the beginning of the second season."

Discusses Izzy's arc - "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," he teases

Discusses addition of Zheng - "He likens Zheng's way of pirating to a successful tech startup, compared with the garage sale vibe Stede had going on the Revenge."

Discusses introducing Hornigold - "I thought Hornigold was the most obvious because he was the person who made Blackbeard what he is. And Blackbeard has a father complex, so it's natural that he's going to bring his former captain back," the show creator said. "It's a struggle with him because he and dad figures don't historically do well."

Discusses importance of the mermaid scene

Inverse - Oct 5, 2023 - with Hoai-Tran Bui - Link

Reveals he didn't commit to the romance until shooting 1x06 - "Jenkins always intended his pirate comedy to end with a romance, but he'd envisioned it as an unrequited love. "It was going to be about Stede learning what love is, and Ed making himself vulnerable and getting burned," Jenkins says of his original pitch. But Darby and Waititi's choices in the scene, which they played without diffusing the tenderness with a joke, made him wonder if they could take the show in a new direction."

Discusses mermaid Stede idea from S1 - "We talked about Stede as a mermaid very early on in the writers' room," Jenkins says. "At some point, yeah, I want to see Rhys Darby as a merman." + "They wanted us to come up with a Season 2 pitch during Season 1. And that was one of the ideas we hit on, and I can't quite remember how we got there, but it was us asking, what is a pirate world? Are there mermaids? Is there magic in this show? With pirate stuff, I don’t know that I want there to be magic, but there was a way where it was something really beautiful about a mer-person, and I like the idea that their coming together would have a mythic size to it."

Discusses historical divergence

Discusses matelotage and pirates as weird outsiders

TV Guide - Oct 5, 2023 - with Allison Piccuro - Link

About the shipping culture - "It's the meat of the show, so it's great to have people bought into the central romance. If it were a bromance that we were trying to make look like a romance, that would suck."

Discusses playlists he makes

Discusses opening dream sequence - "I just like that it started with something badass. Stede, Blackbeard, and Izzy are on an arc together. Whether they're in stories together or not, their ultimate arc is together. I think, by the end of this season, the last episode, that first scene will be gratifying. I won't say why, but their fates are tied together."

Discusses Kraken arc - "But I think the thing that's good about this show is that it can go to really sweet comedy land, but I want there to be, like, if someone loses a body part, for instance, they lose a body part. To do justice to the fact that this guy is a killer and a monster, and dealing with heartache that he doesn't know how to deal with, I think you really need to go there."

Discusses Izzy in S2 - "I mean, he's jilted. He had a partnership with Blackbeard, and he knows he can't live up to this person that Blackbeard fell in love with... Who is that guy? What are his hobbies? What does it look like when he's not totally subsumed with his boss's love affair with somebody, and heartbroken?"

On S2 reunion - "The second season is them being a little bit more mature... It's the thing where you're in your 20s or 30s and you're like, "Well, should we move in together?" They have to make up some time because neither of them have been in a functional relationship before."

About genre of pirate stories - "...is a show about multiple relationships. That's what I want to see when I see this show. I don't want to see a bunch of pirate things that I've seen in other things, I'll just go watch another thing if I want to see that. That's not really my thing. I like the genre, but it's a very hard genre to budge. I want to see relationships in a pirate world."

Discusses the A Star is Born aspect of seeking fame / retiring

Mashable - Oct 7, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link

About the mermaid scene - "You need something expressive for when they come back together," Jenkins said. "Their reunion moment has to feel big and mythical. This is not a world where mermaids actually exist, but their love for each other has that size that you can get [a mermaid] in there somewhere."

About Kate Bush - "I love Kate Bush, and I love that song, and I know Taika loves that song," Jenkins explained of the choice. "So I wanted to find a place for that song somewhere in the second season."

Polygon - Oct 9, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson & more - Link

Compares S2 and "Golden Age of Piracy" stuff to Westerns, lists 5 he was thinking of - "Every Western that’s good is that story," Jenkins says. "'This way of life we made is coming to an end. It can't last. It's a blip in time. We created this thing because we need it to exist. We're outlaws, and we need a culture that suits us, but it's running out of time.'"

Gizmodo - Oct 9, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link

Short tease on leaning into the love triangle

About Stede, Edward, and Izzy - "I think the three of them are on an arc together that's pretty inseparable," Jenkins said in an interview with io9. "And to watch Izzy try to process what's happened [in season one]… to watch him kind of grow and figure out what's his own story, if he can separate himself from this kind of toxic relationship, is interesting to me and I think gives him a lot of room for growth."

Post 2x04 - 2x05

IndieWire - Oct 12, 2023 - with Sarah Shachat - Link

Discusses directing and show creation

"The limitations of the show also naturally push it back towards moments with the ensemble and plot problems that it would frankly be irresponsible to tackle if you had a giant budget and a fully working ship-of-the-line to sail and then blow to bits. "That's the fun of the show to us, I think. If you open this up and you're like, unlimited budget, that would be terrible because I think you can get seduced," Jenkins said. "[It could be like,] 'Oh man, it's all leading up to a climatic battle on the sea.' And those things are great. But that’s not this show.""

"The nice thing about that, though, is you get to be the lo-fi show that’s like, 'Hey, we’re making The Muppets.'"

PopSugar - Oct 12, 2023 - with Victoria Edel - Link

About S2 Stede - "I like the idea that he learns and grows and he doesn't just stay a bumbling captain. He might be ridiculous, but he is getting better at it."

Discusses genre challenges - "How do you have a show that's a romance show but it's also a workplace show and they're criminals?"

Discusses Edward's redemption - "But Blackbeard still has to come back and apologize and be part of the community again, and give his little press conference. It was fun for us to look at that in the context of piracy, where they all do terrible things to each other. But even by their standards, what Blackbeard did was a bit much."

Discusses Izzy in S2 - "When Izzy shoots Blackbeard and they all mutiny on him, that's Izzy breaking up with Blackbeard. And they're both having their own journey in the wake of it, and Izzy's having his own redemption arc. He's trying to figure out, "Who am I if I'm not Blackbeard's first mate? Who am I outside of this relationship?"" + "If Stede's Spongebob, he's Squidward. I don't know what that makes Blackbeard. But there's a real pathos to Squidward."

Discusses trauma-based narratives - "As a diverse room in terms of sexuality, socio-economic background, and race, we thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a non-trauma-based story for these characters who don't get that historically?""

Variety - Oct 13, 2023 - with Hunter Ingram - Link

Discusses three act structure and making Stede work for a relationship - "The way I like to look at a season is in threes. The end of the first act is when they find each other, and this is the beginning of the second act. They've found each other, but they are pissed. Stede thought it was going to be [Kate Bush's] “This Woman's Work,” but, in reality, it is this headbutt –– literally."

Discusses the central romance - "It was always part of the pitch... that is the reason to make the show. The pirate genre is fun, but I wasn’t dying to make a pirate show. Taika wasn’t dying to make a pirate show. But the thing that was interesting to me was that Stede finds love, and he finds it with Blackbeard."

Discusses 2x04 plot - "This episode is based on a very, very thumbnail sketch of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?." Anne and Mary are Martha and George, and they are Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton."

Discusses adding historical pirates

Discusses Buttons exit - "I just love the idea of him turning into a bird: I love the idea of Buttons somehow being the one character that is able to figure that out."

Discusses Izzy and the crew's trauma plot - "We liked the idea that there is something about trauma and getting past that trauma, even on a pirate ship. They have been through two very different ways of living and they have to get used to each other again. But it's also a family that was separated, and becoming one family again is painful."

Discusses bringing characters back - "We could bring Calico Jack back, who, if you remember, was hit by a cannonball last season. Anyone who is that fun to play with and wants to keep playing, you always find a way to bring them back."

Polygon - Oct 14, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson - Link

Discusses 3-season arc and how keeping them apart with some plot device was never in the cards - "at the end of the first season, they're 14-year-olds, emotionally. In this season, it's more like they’re in their late 20s."

Discussing New Zealand production and ensemble cast writing - "It's pretty organic, because as we're going through and tracking everybody's journey for the season, we're watching the thing that holds us together — what stage of Stede and Blackbeard's relationship are we in? Because the overarching arc is, are these guys going to learn how to settle into a relationship?"

"The second season is more overtly about romance, and more a relationship story."

Energizing aspect of fan reaction

S3 is about "love is work"

Gizmodo - Oct 16, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link

About the story - "I want to see them become a functional couple or fail to become a functional couple," Jenkins said. "Those are the most interesting parts of the show."

Discusses fandom engagement - "...ultimately the writers are also "the fans in the room." He goes on to say that, "We're fans of the world. We're writing fanfic about our own characters, our own worlds… It's paid fanfic, but it's fanfic." He gives another example: "If you're writing a season of Succession, you're writing fanfic Succession. You're just getting paid to do it. We, as writers–" it's clear that he's not just talking about the writers in the writers room, "become fans of the world and we all have things we want to see these characters do. What we do is not that different."

Discusses the A Star is Born aspect of seeking fame / retiring

Discusses Zheng Yi Sao

Villains of the series - There are a lot of new villains this season, but, Jenkins says, ultimately, "the antagonist on this show is normalcy… These pirates have a way of life that they're not finding in normal life. They've found a way to live and support each other and be there for each other. And that's always threatened by these larger, tyrannical forces that want to shut them down."

Post 2x06 - 2x07

Mashable - Oct 19, 2023 - with Belen Edwards - Link

Discussing drag performance in 2x06

"It is nice to see with Izzy's arc, where he finally breaks through whatever he's been doing to himself. He lets himself have that moment, which I just love. It resonates for Izzy, and I think it resonates for Con. Just personally, it made me feel good to see how it turned out."

Consequence - Oct 19, 2023 - with Liz Shannon Miller - Link

Discusses intent for romance - "...telling a love story in a serialized medium like television has its perils, largely because it's tough to know how much you can draw out any unresolved tension. "I think we take it episode by episode and we try to not piss people off in taking too long and doing double beats and triple beats," Jenkins says. "You can only do Will They or Won’t They for so long. Then you have to deepen it.""

Discusses pirate setting - "The emphasis on relationships also fits into the show's high-seas setting, which Jenkins finds similar to post-apocalyptic narratives. "It is a little bit like you're doing Mad Max, except there's relationships," he says. "Stuff's shitty, so you gotta try to find some joy. Of course, people are going to have a need for each other in these extreme circumstances, and I like the idea of these characters finding some level of a healthy relationship in these extreme circumstances.""

Discusses Jim x Archie

Discusses 3-season arc

Polygon - Oct 21, 2023 - with Tasha Robinson - Link

Discussing gender and power dynamics in Jackie x Swede / Zheng x Oluwande / Blackbeard x Stede + A Star is Born aspect

Jim not being jealous of Oluwande - "I think that relationship was always seen in the room as a friend relationship that got romantic."

About adding a villain - "I think a lot of the internal forces in Our Flag are the villains." + "I think this is a story about the age of piracy coming to an end. This way of life is coming to an end. And every Western that's good is that story: This way of life we made is coming to an end, and it can't last. […] I think every story about outlaws is about trying to preserve a way of life against normative forces that are kind of fascistic."

Historical accuracy - "The balance of the show is 90% ignoring history, and then 10%, bring it in, whenever we're like, Ah, gotta move the story forward! Remember, the English are out there, and they're really bad!"

Post 2x08

AV Club - Oct 26, 2023 - with Saloni Gajjar - Link

Killing Izzy was always the plan - "We wanted to show the depth of that character. Izzy is one of my favorites. He's like middle management who is in a sort of love triangle [in season one]."

Discusses how they really wanted the happy ending for S2 - "I think with season one's end, it was a gamble to leave it the way it was. Everybody stomached through it. Now if it turned out they didn't want us to make more, I just didn't want to have another story where the same-sex love story ends in tragedy, unrequited love, or if one or both of them are being punished."

Discusses S2 progressing the 3-season romance - "They’re a couple who is like in their late twenties right now as opposed to being teens at the end of season one." + "It was an interesting tension of, which one gives up their dream? A lot of times in relationships questions can come up, like who is going to give up on their dream to take care of the kids? Obviously, no one wants to, but someone ends up giving up more than they want to at some point. What's wonderful about a mature romance, and what I'd want to see more of in season three, is Ed and Stede making these tough decisions." + progressing past the getting together point

Discusses parallels, Republic of Pirates, and Zheng Yi Sao

Short bit about fan response

Collider - Oct 26, 2023 - with Carly Lane - Link

Discusses Ed leaving fishing - "I like that he had a little prima donna moment where he thought he could go and be a simple man, and then it's revealed that he really isn't a simple man; he's a complicated, fussy, moody guy. No, he's not gonna be able to catch fish for a living. For him to be told that, "At your heart, you're a pirate. You have to go back and do it," he doesn't want that to be true, but it was true."

Discusses Izzy's speech to Ricky - "I wanted to give Izzy a proper eulogy for himself. He gives a eulogy for himself, but it felt true writing it."

Discusses Izzy's death scene - "In a way, it's very much for Ed, that speech. The "we were Blackbeard" is claiming that he is also Blackbeard, that Blackbeard is not just Ed’s creation, and I like that for him, too, because he's worked so hard for that — and then just to say, "You can give it up." There can never be a Blackbeard again as far as Izzy's concerned because he's dying, and they did that together."

Discusses Republic of Pirates / music parallels from premier to finale

Discusses finale wedding - "We knew we wanted a matelotage in the season, which is the real term they had for marrying crew members. And yeah, they've always been in relief to Stede and Ed, and they're a little bit ahead of Stede and Ed in how much they can talk about things. So to have a bunch of family things in the season, like a funeral and a wedding, and have the parents kind of watch the kids sail away, felt right, and all of those things seem to work well together and build on each other."

Discusses retirement ending - "That will-they-or-won't-they is interesting to a point, but the real meat of it is always like, "Can they make the relationship, and can they do better than Anne and Mary?""

"Frenchie's in charge of the Revenge" + teases Stede struggling to give it up

EW.com - Oct 26, 2023 - with Devan Coggan - Link

Discusses Izzy's death and telling Con - "It feels like the logical end of Izzy's arc. It's heartbreaking to me because he's my favorite." + "I told him in the middle of shooting because I didn't want him to find out at the table read, obviously. I also didn't want it to leak. He was lovely about it."

Discusses Izzy's final arc - "You know, I didn't expect him to become kind of a father figure to Ed. I think we hit on that while we were breaking the [final] episode. He's in such a weird position: He's like a jilted lover, and then he's a middle manager who has to work for a terrible boss. He gets thrown away, and then he comes back. He really develops, and he becomes a part of this family. I think the biggest surprise was the extent that he was a mentor to Ed. They were both Blackbeard. They both made Blackbeard happen."

Discusses the happy ending intent - "With this season starting so dark, I kind of wanted to reward them for the work that they've done and the character growth that they've had. I wanted to leave them in a place where they're really going to try and make this work. I don't think it's going to be easy for them, necessarily. They're both still immature."

Discusses the wedding - "We knew we wanted a matelotage in the second season, and pretty quickly we landed on Lucius and Black Pete. It seems like they were ready for that. We made up a ceremony and everything, where they call each other mateys, and it was just fun to make our own version of a pirate wedding ceremony."

Discusses potential S3 and Frenchie's Revenge - "But it felt like a good place to end the second season. It felt like a contrast to the first season. If it turns out we don't make any more, I'm comfortable with that being a resting place."

Variety - Oct 26, 2023 - with Hunter Ingram - Link

S3 endpoint - "I love things in threes," he says. "That first act, second act, third act structure is so satisfying when it is done well, and you don't overstay your welcome. I think this world of the show is a big world, and if the third season is successful, we could go on in a different way. But I think for the story of Stede and Ed, that is a three-season story."

Discusses the draw of a "Golden Age" and it's ending

Talks about father figure Izzy and wanting a real sense of loss - "There is a nice parallel to have Ed treat him so badly at the beginning of the season and then come all the way around to where Izzy is this sort of father figure he doesn’t want to lose — because Ed usually kills his father figures."

Gizmodo - Oct 26, 2023 - with Linda Codega (io9) - Link

Teasing future Izzy - "Jenkins looked slightly sad himself, saying that "Ghosts exist in this world." I told him not to make promises he couldn't keep."

"Jenkins said that he doesn't see Izzy as a pure antagonist in season one because on some level… Izzy was right in his hesitations about Stede."

Discussing Con O'Neill & Rhys Darby acting

Jenkins confirms the season was always 8 episodes due to budget cuts

About S2 finale vs S3 - "The first season ends on such a downer, so it made sense to end the second season in a kinder spot." + "I think there's plenty of story left for season three, but I think that it was important to end this as if it was the end of the show, and on upbeat note and avoid the kind of "kill your gays" trope. I don't want to see Stede and Ed punished for giving it a go. I want to see them really say, 'yeah, we’re going to we're going to try to have a relationship'."

Teases S3 revenge against Ricky and going to the Americas

Vanity Fair - Oct 26, 2023 - with Sarah Catherall - Link

About the ending - "It's bittersweet. There's death and there's the rebirth of Stede and Blackbeard's relationship; there's a funeral, there's a wedding, and the idea that this family is going to keep fighting even as they lose members. And then it's about belonging to something." + "A lot of times, with this narrative of characters, same-sex relationships end on a dour, downbeat note, where one of them dies and it's unrequited or it's unrealized; something horrible happens and they're punished in a way. So it was important to leave it open and a lot more show to go, but also leave it in a place where it's happy."

Discusses Izzy as a mentor / father figure - "We felt like Izzy's story had reached its conclusion, where we put him through enough. And then there was the realization that he is kind of a mentor to Blackbeard and that he is kind of a father figure to Blackbeard." + "And it's also a pirate show, so he's got to die."

Discusses filming challenges - "It's a big show; it's basically a one-hour show that we're doing on a half-hour budget."

Discusses adding Zheng Yi Sao

Is the show a queer romance? - "For this show, it's important to me just to write a really bold-bodied romantic show that happens to be between two characters of the same sex. I think that the story beats don't matter, because if you've been in love and you've been hurt and you met someone you love—hopefully we all know what those feelings are."

Blackbeard's arc in S2 - "...the second season is about Blackbeard's midlife crisis. And then when they both have their midlife crises, they can open a B&B together." + "I don't think Stede and Blackbeard are ready to be married. They're emotionally saying: 'Let's give this a go.'"

Discusses historical piracy as "counterculture" that's been straightwashed and whitewashed

Did he feel responsibility to the fan community? - "As opposed to responsibility, it feels more like relief—that people feel seen and they feel good about it and they liked what we did. And so it feels like, Okay, somebody's out there and wants the show. The makeup of the writers room looks a lot like the makeup of the fan base. So as long as we're true to our stories in the writers room, I think we just feel excited that there's somebody waiting on the other end to enjoy it."

Paste Magazine - Oct 26, 2023 - with Tara Bennett - Link

Discusses whether fandom expectations felt weighty - "I think particularly for this season, that "bury your gays" thing… I didn't want to end on a downbeat for Ed and Stede. We did that in the first season. I like that there's a lot of different flavors. It's even a little melancholy because the Republic of Pirates got blown up. But there's still more good things."

Discusses production and plotting - "I wanted to start at the Republic of Pirates this season and end at the Republic of Pirates. And I knew I wanted the Republic of Pirates to be destroyed, ultimately. Within that, we are making a one-hour show on a half hour budget, on a half hour schedule."

Discusses planning the ending - "In terms of ending this season, it all felt right just in talking through it when we were in the room. It felt pretty intuitive. When you get to the third act of the story, things kind of settle in. There's gonna be a funeral. We always knew we wanted a wedding at the end of the second season. And I knew that I wanted Stede and Ed to start an inn together. So once you have those beats, it's kind of locked in."

Discusses Izzy's arc - "It's kind of a strange arc in that I knew we were going to put him through all these things, and I knew he would ultimately die. But I think him becoming a father figure to Ed in the last episode didn't really dawn on us until we were breaking the last episode. Asking what would this man say to Ed at the end because they've been together through everything? He went from a troubled and downtrodden employee to a jilted lover to a discarded employee, to someone that is just trying to find his footing again—no pun intended—to actually becoming this guy's parental figure on some level. And he's one person who kind of raised Ed right, because Blackbeard usually kills his parental figures. So, it felt right and it felt like that's how the mentor dies. The mentor in a story usually dies in the second act and then our hero has to go on and try to do it without them. It felt like the right journey for Izzy and a gratifying one for Con."

On leaving open for S3 - "I don't think it was a very hard thing to do. I think it was more that I felt a responsibility to leave Ed and Stede in a good place, at least for now. It's not gonna go well. They're not going to run a business well. Ed's too much of a talker. Stede can't focus. It's gonna be challenging."

Vulture - Oct 28, 2023 - with Sophie Brookover - Link

Discussing Izzy as a "father figure" and his S2 send-off being a priority

Meaning of piracy - "...what our pirates stand for is a life of belonging to something larger than they are in the face of a crushing, slightly fascist normalcy."

Re: Con O'Neill & Izzy's death - "I had to tell him about halfway through the season"

Third season about the work of a relationship between still damaged main characters

Discusses middles as about change and transitions, and wanting characters to change instead of reset, have them experience permanent consequences

About the final scene - "...Ed and Stede as the parents kind of watching the kids take the ship. Frenchie's the captain now..."

Objective of the crew - "...have had terrible things happen to them at the hands of colonial forces, so they want some payback. Party, plunder, and payback — the three P's."

Metro Weekly - Nov 1, 2023 - with Randy Shulman - Link

Discusses historical premise of S1 and easing into the romance

Discusses S2 genre - "In the second season, it was great because we know it's a romance and we can lead with that. It's a workplace show essentially. I wanted it to be more in the vein of early episodes of Grey's Anatomy or something where there are all these relationships on those shows. That's what you’re following — relationships and friendships that are taking place in a hospital, procedural. That's Grey's Anatomy. This is less procedural for the pirate stuff — and you need the pirate stuff."

Discusses not being into pirates - "But I'm like you. I'm not a big pirate person. In general, it's a big creaky genre that's hard to budge" + "Pirates of the Caribbean, those movies are great. That's not necessarily what I hunger to see, but in that genre, it's great. You're not going to beat that, especially on something that's lower budget. We've seen a lot of this stuff, so it's fun to take it then and don't do any of that stuff."

Discusses adapting historical piracy - "You don't want to see them punch down. You don't want to see them do terrible things to people who don't deserve it, which is not what they really did. So, in the show's world, I think piracy is like a stand-in for something. I think it's a stand-in for being an iconoclast and an outsider and queer in some ways and just different." + "Yeah, I mean, the British are there to be Stormtroopers, or Nazis in an Indiana Jones movie. I mean, they're in there to die essentially."

Discusses diversity staffing

Discusses performative masculinity

Discusses Izzy's death, happy endings, and openness to S3

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/21/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; Rhys Darby; Samba BTS; Vico Ortiz; Ruibo Qian; HowToHelp; Petition Embed; Queerties Last Day; IRL Outreach Assets; New Watch Parties; Visual Rep of SaveOFMD Effort; Fan Spotlight; Collages; OurFlagMeansBooze; Articles; Morale; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika;

Wow everyone, crazy day again. Day 2 of BTS Darbygeddon. I'm actually going to set a google calendar reminder for tomorrow between 1-2 in case Samba decides to drop another doozy on us. Hope you all had a good day. Here's the highlights-- there's more I would have liked to add but I need to get permission first, so I'll hopefully have them up tomorrow. As always, please let me know if I missed anything <3

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

Back again with another Cameo is Rhys for our lovely crewmate @Kellykat53 over on twitter! Thank you so much for sharing this with us Kelly, it's a lovely little inspirational video, definitely gives us plenty of Vitamin RD (as @scorpiostarseed would say). Check out the Cameo

= Saint Samba Schutte =

I've seen several people mention that Samba is a Saint (sorry not sure who started it to attribute it) so going forward, that will be his name. SO MANY BTS pictures and videos. My goodness. Has it even been a day since the last Merstede dump? It has, but damn, here we are with the BOYFRIEND video, and the nipple scratching, and oh look it's Buttons from the Cryptid Factor! As always, if you have access to instagram, please check out these posts on Samba and Rhys' posts/stories.

Videos on Tumblr:

Boyfriends - ty @blakbonnet!

Merstede - ty @kiwistede!

English Jacket - ty @kiwistede!

Cursed Jacket - ty @kiwistede!

Steard Nips - ty @kiwistede!

Rhysently Granted Reunion - ty @kiwistede!

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico voiced the new novel "The Diablo's Curse "by New York Times Best Seller Gabe Cole Novoa! I know some of you are huge Vico fans so wanted to mention it, you can purchase the audio book here. Src: Vico's IG

= Ruibo Qian =

Are you in New York? Our Pirate Queen will be at the #TonyKiserTheater NEXT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 at 6:30PM for a one night only reading of On The Evolutionary Function of Shame, by D.A. Mindell - For more details visit here.

== How to Help ==

Hey all! We're adding some things to the daily task lists (and taking some off). Here they are!

= Petition Embed Code =

Looking to easily embed the petition link in your AO3 fic, or maybe your email? @sonnetforbonnet was kind enough to provide us with some embeds you can use! Please visit the repo for the codes!

= Last day for Queerties! =

Please remember to vote! Today's the last day!

Best TV Comedy

Best TV Performance

= IRL Outreach Assets =

== New Watch Parties Coming Up! ==

The Pirates! Watch Party! This is a family friendly movie so bring the kids! Or the adults-- or anyone you know, really, as long as it's not against their will! Sunday March 3rd, 3 PM EST, 12 PM PST, 8 PM GMT!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#OurPirateCaptain

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

== Visual Representation of Fandom Efforts to SOFMD ==

Remember our friends that had the in person Matelotage Processional? Well they're back with a funny video illustrating the fandom efforts of Save OFMD!

Fangirlfoto's Instagram Don't have instagram? See the video on the repo here.

＝＝ Fan Spotlight ＝＝

Thank you once again to @wndrngnomad on twitter for all their awesome collages dedicated to the Cast and Crew! Day 21: Calypso's Birthday! Perfectly timed considering the lovely Boyfriend themed BTS we got today! Catch-Up: Day 2: Madeleine Sami!

= Our Flag Means Booze! =

Our absolutely brilliant crew-mate @quiet-compassion over on tumblr has been designing OFMD Themed Drinks since the show was dropped by Max!  These not only have super fun and creative names you'll all recognise, but an amazing array of flavours too! If you're 21+ (in the US) or the appropriate age for drinking in your country, feel free to try them out! As always, please drink responsibly! Are you celebrating with Moonglow Manifesting? Why not try the "Moon Glow" cocktail for the end of the event! Want to see ALL their concoctions? Head on over to the repo, they're all there!

== Articles ==

17 Facts and Easter Eggs about OurFlagMeansDeath That will Get you On Board - 17 Fakten und Easter Eggs zu „Our Flag Means Death“, die dich ins Boot holen - ty @AddieH on twitter

Max: The 34 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch

==Morale ==

Hey crew. I've been hearing some scuttlebutt around the deck that people are starting to worry again about whether or not s3 is going to happen. The love notes section is already pretty long so I'm not gonna go too crazy up here too -- instead I'm going to just point out that David Jenkins, while not active and posting things for us right now, is sneakily poking around in Samba and Rhys' BTS comments. He's still there, he's still watching, and I think he can tell we're all feeling the high from Samba's releases. Don't give up hope, these things take time. They're gonna get there. I'm gonna add the trends to this section today because I think it's important to see what we did today:

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies. I know I've said it before, but it bares repeating since I know a lot of you are struggling right now.

Just a gentle reminder that if your brain is telling you that there's something wrong with you, or that you've done something wrong or embarrassing -- it's lying to you.

There's been so much dopamine from all the excitement lately with the BTS, that it has to come down at some point, and when it does, your brain will sometimes over-compensate and you start feeling maybe worse than you did before.

This is totally normal, it really is. Our brains are glorious complex pathways of unmeasurable brilliance, and yet a simple hormone change can make that same brain tell us that we're not enough, or we're not worthy.

I am here to remind you, you are so very much enough.

No matter what is happening in your life-- in your job, in your personal relationships, in your family, in your school, anywhere--

YOU ARE ENOUGH, EXACTLY HOW YOU ARE.

If you feel like you've failed, or you've let someone down, just know you are STILL enough. We all fail, it's how we learn.

We pick ourselves back up and we try again, and if we fail again--

We're STILL enough, and we are still worthy of love and comfort.

Eventually you will succeed. You will get there, and all the while while you work on it, YOU. ARE. ENOUGH.

I know it's so hard to see when you're feeling small, but I see you all every day, and I am awe-struck at your constant ability to band together and not only find love and support, but give it so freely and lovingly.

A simple @ to someone, alerting them to something they'd like

A love note in dms or on a tumblr post

A gif or picture or video brought to tumblr from some other platform so others can see them.

Writing a fic or drawing a picture.

A reblog with tags, goofy or not

Anon Asks showing people you support how they feel about a given topic

Liking a post.

These are all love notes. No matter how public or private, they're all there and they all add up eventually to form this wonderful community and you've been kicking ass at love.

I know we all look like we're having a good time, but a lot of us are struggling silently, and yet we're finding ways to reach out to one another and spread love to help us all get through. Love isn't always positivity, it can be commiseration, or frustration on behalf of someone. You all are finding the best ways to help your crew, and I'm so very proud of you.

You all are capable, creative, gifted, beautious piles of stardust smooshed together into one wonderfully unique package, and you are so very loved.

You are enough,

You are loved,

and THINGS WILL GET BETTER Lovelies.

Get some rest <3 You got this.

= Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika =

What can I say, I literally can't not include this Rhys gif today. It's physically impossible, please forgive me. Good fucking lord, I'm going to Costa Rica now. Also, sorry I tried to get a matching Taika gif, but I have run out of brain cells. Hopefully this one will suffice.

Rhys - Courtesy of @bizarrelittlemew

Taika - Courtesy of @studiomoon

[ofmd-alsaurus]

THE WAY ED LOOKS STEDE UP AND DOWN DURING THE MATELOTAGE CEREMONY LIKE "HMMMMMM"

[idzymi]

So here’s an idea

Izzy left after the duel all right

BUT!

He hasn’t reached calico jack nor British navy

Instead he got into a terrible storm, almost drowned and got an amnesia

A merchant ship picked him up and he’s been sailing with new crew and captain for almost a year

Listening to the stories of a notorious pirate Blackbeard

Who’s been searching each and every corner looking for his first mate/matelotage

Things get pretty interesting when the merchant ship gets boarded by the revenge crew

[suddenrundown]

this post is me going full charlie day mail room scene but hear me out: i've created an "ed and stede bang it out" timeline

ignore the slightly blurry screenshots lol BUT

at first, the thing that was tripping me up was ed's wardrobe change. because in the trailer for eps 6 and 7 he's both wearing his leathers and his potato sack. stede is only wearing that green shirt BUT we know from a behind the scenes clip that he does wear that red and black blouse from the kiss scene when they go back to the republic of pirates (?)

which is happening this episode, because we also see this guy

which is the same guy from the trailer for this week who is after stede

for what and why? who knows! but stede is wearing the green shirt again in the rest of the scenes at the republic of pirates and ed is back to wearing the potato sack

while they're discussing some guy coming to murder stede. now apparently someone is also coming to murder them during the matelotage episode, and maybe the two are related and the plot point carries over, but i think its unrelated.

now anyway...the wall scene.

please ignore the pirates who are about to bang it out and look at the wall behind stede's shoulder

now look at this scene where the two are tied up on a couch

definitely ignore the fact that the strings of stede's shirt that always run across his chest are untied, (probably because they were TRYING TO BANG IT OUT!) and look over ed's shoulder to see the same thing on the walls in the previous picture. this is the same scene from the same episode, stede and ed are unsuccessful in their banging it out journey this go round. which delights me, cuz i called that lol

nowwwww

say hello to shirtless stede and his stiddies, but ignore the stiddies and focus on that red mark on his chest above the right stiddy

its a wound, which

he gets from the guy who crashes the matelotage party

so this is the morning after, which ed just happens to be around for, wrapped up in a blanket...

do you see the vision?

[izzyspussy]

My Izzy BINGO Fills Masterlist

At Capacity: Ed/Izzy(/Frenchie) + Ooh, Daddy Blackbeard calls Frenchie into his cabin while he's... doing stuff to Izzy. It's a test. There's no right answer. Rated E.

Our Love Is God: Ed/Izzy + Summer Izzy was the Other Woman first. Rated M.

another kind of love: Ed/Izzy + Biting Ed wakes up from the nightmare in Stede's arms. He knows in reality it's just his own sweat, but he feels like he still has Izzy's blood on his hands, dripping down his face where Izzy in the dream had touched him for the last time. Rated T.

A Lot To Unpack: Izzy & The Crew + Secrets The crew finally get a chance to Talk It Through, like Izzy wanted. Sort of. Rated T.

Plan to Entangle: Frenchie/Izzy + Matelotage When the crew insists despite Ed's violent protestations that love is real - Izzy's love, in particular - he demands one of them make the ultimate sacrifice to prove it.

my lamb and martyr (this will be over soon): Ed/Izzy + Stripping Izzy gives Edward another piece of himself. At request. Rated M.

Among Thieves: Lucius/Izzy(/Ed/Pete) + Possessive Sex When Ed tries to ask Izzy if he still loves him but chickens out and asks if he still belongs to him instead, Izzy gets understandably pissed and suggests to Lucius that since pushing Ed overboard didn't make him feel better he should try stealing from him. Specifically, he should take something Ed hasn't properly appreciated having. Like Izzy. Rated E.

Would you light my candle?: Stede/Izzy + Wax Play When Stede accidentally spills candlewax on Izzy, his first pirating lesson becomes a kink lesson instead. Rated E.

Sang About In Songs: Izzy/The Crew + Face Fucking Lucius sounds scandalized but very, very happy about it when he demands, "Hang on, was that Izzy?" "Sure was," Frenchie confirms, not looking away from Izzy either. Izzy licks his lips again, more deliberately this time. Frenchie sets aside his lute. "Feeling good, Boss?" "Could feel better," Izzy rasps, spreading his legs in invitation. Rated E

View the Full Collection on AO3 ->

[nerdygaymormon]

Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈

I want to wish a Happy Pride to:

Violets, “the Lesbian flower”

Sappho (c. 630-c.570), the Greek poet who lived on the island of Lesbos, often referenced violets in her ancient poems, thus creating a connection with female love, and this coded association endured for centuries. In fact, in 1927 the New York City district attorney’s office shut down the Broadway play The Captive because a female character in the play sent a bunch of violets to another female character, creating a big scandal

Crop Tops

Crop tops used to be associated with sports and were a popular option for manly, athletic men. However, the fashion of 1990′s and early 2000’s was dominated by loose and baggy clothing. Crop tops, which had once been viewed as hyper-masculine, came to be seen as more feminine and a fashion statement, which made straight men reject the crop tops and gay men embrace them.

Pirates

Back in the Golden Era of Piracy (1650-1730s), homosexuality was highly stigmatized on land and illegal in most places. However, piracy was known for rejecting societal standards and expectations. Queer relationships at sea were not uncommon, and pirates even had their own form of domestic partnership called matelotage. If you want to learn more, there are many pirates to choose from, but you can start with these: Anne Bonny, Mary Read, John “Calico Jack” Rackham, and Pierre “the pansy pirate” Bouspet.

Carabiners

Carabiners are a steel loop designed for rock climbers because they can easily be opened with one hand, which is useful when hanging on by the other hand. This practical tool for carrying around equipment was adopted by working-class people to carry keys. In World War II, a large number of women entered the workforce, and those who went into manual labor were usually more butch than femme. More traditionally feminine industries, like sewing or secretarial work, were closed to them due to their gender presentation. After the war, many women were reluctant to give up their new financial independence, and thus the carabiner is linked to female liberation and working-class aesthetics and this belt-side key chain came to be part of the lesbian style. 

Lavender 

Lavender is used interchangeably with “rainbow” to mean “LGBTQ+” at events like Lavender Graduations and the annual Lavender Law Conference. It’s thought that lavender became code for queer because it’s created by mixing pink and blue—colors which are culturally connected to girls or boys—thus blurring the distinction of what is feminine or masculine. One sweet use of this color connection within the queer community is on Valentine’s Day, lavender roses are often the choice of LGBTQ+ partners.

Lambda (the Greek letter)

In the early 1970′s, based on the recommendation of Tom Doerr, New York City’s Gay Activists Alliance chose as its symbol the Greek letter lambda, which looks like a lowercase “y” flipped upside down, because it’s used in science to represent kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is energy an object has due to its motion, thus making lambda a symbol of change. For example, Lambda Legal works for positive change to the legal status of queer people

Ace playing cards

Due to the word “asexual” being commonly shortened to “ace,” this led to a play on words by ace playing cards coming to represent asexuality. The ace of spades for aroace, and the ace of hearts for ace & romantic

Undercuts

Queer people find ways to challenge heteronormativity, whether it’s gay men bleaching their hair blonde or lesbians rejecting the association of long hair with womanhood. Short hair has become associated with lesbians, whether it’s a bob, a brightly-colored close crop, and most iconically the undercut which is a hairstyle that leaves the top part of the hair medium length or long but has one or both sides and/or the back of the head shaved closely

Brunch

Brunch is THE gay meal and for a number of reasons. There was a time that brunch wasn’t viewed as respectable, but rather was a meal for those who’d stayed out late partying. Bucking tradition is a queer tradition and so brunch is a natural. On Sundays, brunch exists at a time many people are at church, and it’s a great use of that time for queer people who chose to leave churches that reject them. Gay spaces were generally bars and clubs which are usually nighttime spaces, but brunch was radical as a place gays could gather and be themselves in the daylight. Historically, queer people found it more difficult to secure gainful employment, and brunch is a bargain, usually half the price of dinner, so it makes sense the queer community flocked to a meal that was more affordable. Brunch is more casual than a proper breakfast or dinner and therefore is often accompanied by fun conversation and gossip. Brunch offers a greater variety of food options than the typical meal, there’s something for everyone. Could anything be more queer than variety & acceptance?

Ms. Frizzle

In the 1990s, the popular children‘s television show “The Magic School Bus” featured a teacher, Ms. Frizzle, who was never confirmed to be queer, but she was definitely queer coded, such as her quirky fashion style of mismatched brightly-colored patterns & those big earrings. She bucked gender norms by being a woman teaching STEM topics, and having a love of adventure. Another clue is she wasn’t married at a time when gay marriage was not legal. Also, the character was voiced by lesbian actress Lily Tomlin.

Women’s Hockey

Women’s hockey has a joyous history of lesbian players who are visible. In 2017, Caroline Ouellette and Julie Chu—former captains of the Canada and US ice hockey teams—welcomed their newborn daughter into the world. The following year Meghan Duggan, the captain of the US women’s Olympic ice hockey team, married her girlfriend Gillian Apps, who played for Team Canada, and they had faced each other in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic finals. Dating & marrying your opponents, lesbians are setting the example for World Peace

BLÅHAJ

Blåhaj—pronounced blaw-high—translates simply as "blue shark" in English, and is a toy introduced by IKEA in 2014. The blueish body, white underbelly, and pink mouth are the trans flag colors. There’s so few things designed and marketed for trans people, that it’s delightful they latched onto this cute and cuddly plush shark 

Keith Haring art

Keith Haring was an American pop artist who advocated for safe sex and AIDS awareness through his images. In 1988, Haring designed the logo for National Coming Out Day, which is still used today. A year later, he established the Keith Haring Foundation to provide funding to AIDS organizations. He died in February 1990 of AIDS-related complications. His distinctive and instantly recognizable style came to define the 1990′s

[supernaturallyginger]

Bestie you KNOW I'm curious about Matelotage 👀

hehe I am really excited about this one!! <3

In my notes I called it a "lusan wedding adventure!"

This was would take place after the events of Whole Cake Island. As that group is on the Sunny headed to Wano, they need to make a stop on an island. That island happens to be a wedding theme resort!

Something something the usual Strawhat shenanigans end up with Luffy and Sanji tying the knot

Here's a little snippet:

“A wedding island?" Luffy parroted. His finger so far up his nose it was looking for the damn one piece. 

"‘Matelotage; the only resort island in the world dedicated to those to be wed and newlyweds. Stay in any of our world class hotels to celebrate your honeymoon or finally tie the knot at one of our daily wedding ceremonies. Mateloage is the place for lovers at sea.” Nami read the informational brochure that was flown to their ship by a white dove. 

Sanji bit the end of his cigarette. The irony of being at another wedding was not lost on him. "Nami-swan~!" He twirled over to her until he was down on one knee. "Will you—!" 

"No!!" Nami whacked his head with the brochure, swatting Sanji away like a fly. "You’ve had one wedding too many already. Let’s get moving.” 

"Nami-swan." Sanji recovered to his feet as smooth as ever. “You misunderstood me. I was going to ask if you’ll go to the island and gather supplies. The sweets stolen from Big Mom’s territory will not last us till Wano. We need real food.” 

“We do?!” Chopper and Carrot echoed at the same time. Their eyes glossy with innocence while their furry cheeks were full of chocolate and gingerbread. 

“Right. Fine.” Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. “But I’m not going near another wedding right now. Sanji, if you need supplies, go get them yourself and we’ll watch the ship.” 

“I wanna go, too!!” Luffy was gripping the railing, threatening to jump over into the water with excitement. “I’ve never seen a wedding.” 

“You just crashed my wedding yesterday, you moron!” 

“But that wasn’t a real wedding. You gotta smooch for it to be a real wedding. Everyone knows that.” 

Sanji didn’t have time to push him further on his stupid idea before Nami ushered them both to the side of the ship. “Great, take Luffy. He’s the one that set your kitchen on fire anyway.” 

“He whAT?!”

[boxboxlewis]

For the made-up fic title game: The Coast Is Never Clear

daniel ricciardo is a PIRATE CAPTAIN and has not a care in the world. he's gripping his cutlass between his implausibly white teeth and laughing as he swarms up the rigging, he's fucking (willing) captives on piles of gold doubloons, he's having a glorious time. he's covered with tattoos and dead to polite society and he wouldn't have it any other way.

one day daniel and his men attack a fat dutch schooner only to find that instead of gold or treasure it's laden with... fabric. daniel is very "fucks sake" about this, because what is he meant to do with a load of damask? but the merchant whose ship it is says hey. if you let me live, i'll help you sell this and we can split the profits. this is sensible for both of us.

daniel is like lol that's cute, you are my literal prisoner, how are you bargaining right now. but also, if you're this relaxed with my sword at your throat you're probably pretty good at negotiating so... fine i guess.

as they make their way to [waves hand] whichever port it is where they'll unload their wares, he starts spending more and more time with the merchant. he's blunt and snide and funny, and he laughs at daniel's jokes helplessly, as though they're the funniest things in the world. he has a weird, beaky face but daniel can't stop looking at it, somehow: doesn't want to stop. they have sex and it feels different than sex usually does, like it means something.

he takes to life at sea, the merchant: the men all respect him and soon he's become daniel's de facto second in command. when they reach port, daniel is like hey, i've just met you... and this is crazy... buuuuut have you heard of this thing called matelotage/fancy ditching your nice safe merchant life and being pirate-married to me? & the merchant smiles so big he almost cracks his jaw and says "i think that would be simply lovely."

[stedes-incredible-library]

fics where izzy and ed are either married or have a matelotage? canon setting and modern (or otherwise) aus are all fine!

Negotiations in a Married State by xylodemon [E]

"Wait," Stede blurts.

It comes out somewhat strangled, but honestly, he can't be blamed for that. This conversation has taken several unexpected turns in the last few minutes, and he's feeling more than a bit blindsided.

"You're married? And you're just telling me now?"

Blow the Man Down by MyHowTheyFly [E], WIP

Sidling up to the man’s right side, Izzy tapped him on the shoulder before sitting on an empty bar stool. The man hesitantly looked at Izzy who rasped out, “Are you trying to fuck my husband?”

The man turned bright red and stammered, “No! No! I’m sorry, I had thought he was alone, but now that I know better I’ll leave you to your evening.”

Izzy grinned, and leaning in until his breath tickled the man’s ear, said, “That’s a shame.”

things we're all too young to know by dinoromance89 [E]

Ed and Izzy manage a coffee shop. They have also been married for 20 years. It’s not always been easy, but they have recently reignited the spark of their relationship by entering a casual arrangement with their affluent (and horny) patron Stede. Things are better now. Or so Ed thinks, until he overhears Izzy on the phone…

Ochre, Resin, and Light. by onlyoneday [M]

Pygmalion inspired Steddyhands in which Ed and Izzy, top conservation artists at London's National Portrait Gallery, restore an antique portrait of an unknown man for an upcoming show. Strange, then, when Ed starts seeing the guy for real. He is real...right?

-

Or; the one where Ed and Izzy get super horny about a painting, and then find out the guy is real and get super horny about him as well.

The Gentleman Unicorn [E] by Nadzieja

Ed is a famous actor who is bored to death with the roles he is offered. His husband and manager, Izzy, is at his wit's end to keep Ed entertained and in the business. Livening up their lives with a threesome might not be the wisest idea but since when has that ever stopped them?

There's also If Not Now Then When comic over at Twitter by Buukin

~Mod N

[khruschevshoe]

Captain Oluwande Jimenez

When I fall asleep I can see your face

What I lost in you I will not replace

And if you see me in the darkness

I hope you know I'm not alone

I carry you with every breath I take

I won't let up, I won't let up

Until the wind is gone

-Bleachers, Like A River Runs

The idea surges in Olu's chest: him as co-Captain would mean that he's in charge. No one would ever be able to tear Jim or Archie away from him again. No one could even try.

Olu wants that guarantee more than anything. He wants to be able to continue pirating with this crew, with this family, while guaranteeing as best he can the safety of all of these people he's come to love. And yes, he's not the most ambitious type, but if he can take a position that maybe tampers down some of Stede's more outlandish ideas and allows them all to keep the jobs and the lives they love?

There are only two people who could stop him.

Olu looks to Jim and Archie. “Would you two be okay with that?”

“You being a co-captain?” Archie lets out a delighted laugh. “Man, I can think of no one better! You’re the best leader I’ve ever met!”

And Jim, Jim who hates authority, Jim who is the first person to call out Stede and Blackbeard for being shitty captains, Jim looks to Olu as if he’s hung the sun.

“Jim?” Olu asks, voice tender, because he thinks he knows their answer but still needs to hear it anyway, because he refuses to accept the position if it means that Jim will ever look at him with fear in their eyes.

But Jim has no fear. No hesitations. “It would be an honor to sail under you, Oluwande Boodhari,” Jim says fervently, pledging themself to the cause more devotedly than they ever signed up for Nana’s revenge mission.

-aletterinthenameofsanity, let's take a chance, baby, we can't lose (it's the one thing you can choose)

Captain Oluwande my beloved! It was so exciting getting to see his relationship with Jim and Archie develop into something incredibly solid, fun, and absolutely devoted. Possibly my favorite OT3 of all time (tied with maybe Parker, Hardison, and Eliot from Leverage, if that). They would all cross the sea for each other (and have, multiple times)! This fic is the one that focuses on their matelotage ceremony and it is the sweetest thing in the world.

@polikate @possumsmushroom @angxlwiings @yuenity @bricksbloggyplace

[xylodemon]

[ofmd prompt ficlet] Matelotage (Ed/Izzy)

Ed/Izzy | gen | ~1000 words

(post-mutiny, matelotage proposals)

For izzythecowboy, who wanted married Ed/Izzy. Originally posted here.

Ed asks, "How's the crew?" as soon as Izzy closes the door behind him. 

As far as Izzy's concerned, the crew is a bunch of faithless cunts. The La Concorde has only made port once since the mutiny; most of the men on deck are Hornigold's leftovers, and too many of them had waited to declare for Ed until it was clear the old bastard was as good as dead. Izzy doesn't trust any of them, and there are at least two who'd serve Ed better with a slit throat. Izzy will have to do it himself, unless he can maneuver them into killing each other.

But that's not what Ed's asking. Izzy says, "Only minor injuries."

"What about Horace?" Ed presses. He's wearing the leather pants he picked up on their last raid. They look strange on him, after years of seeing him in maroon, rough-spun breeches.  Becoming, but strange. "I saw him take that knife."

"It didn't hit anything important. Doc Thomas already put a hot blade to it."

"And the take?"

"Cloth, mostly."

Ed brightens a bit. "Silk?"

"Cotton." Silk fetches considerably better prices, but it's nearly impossible to get this time of year. Izzy continues, "Provisions, which we need. Some spices. A bit of gold."

"Coins?"

Izzy shakes his head. "Fripperies. The kind of dross posh twats put in their houses." A frown tugs at Ed's mouth, so Izzy adds, "That Dutch fellow in the Republic—Roord—he'll buy it by weight."

"I know," Ed says, dismissive. He pauses before asking, "We did alright though, yeah? For our second raid out from under Old Horny's thumb?"

"Yeah, Boss. We did."

Ed murmurs, "Boss," under his breath. He pauses again. He spends a few moments fiddling with something in the pocket of his shirt. Then: "Iz, come here."

Izzy can't imagine what Ed wants, but it's an order, so he follows it. He takes a step closer, and—after Ed scoffs and beckons him with his other hand—another. He hesitates then, and Ed pulls him yet closer by the sleeve.

"Iz." Ed rests his hand on Izzy's shoulder, then drags it down the length of Izzy's arm—slowly, almost a caress. When he reaches Izzy's wrist, he tucks two fingers under the band of his glove, nestling them into the center of Izzy's palm. He strokes the burned skin there, the reminder of a fire they escaped together. "Is that all I am to you, mate? Your boss?"

"You—" Izzy looks away.

He wants Ed, certainly. And they've touched each other before; they shared a bunk on Hornigold's ship so long that it was almost inevitable that they'd seek relief in each other. But he never imagined that Ed wanted anything more than his hand when he woke up hard, or sometimes his mouth, and that was before Jack signed on and they fell in together. Before Ed got promoted—first to first mate, then to his own command—and they'd stopped sleeping in the same cot at all.

He'd been surprised, after Hornigold's corpse went overboard, when Ed pulled him aside and asked him to be his first mate. He'd been sure Ed would ask Jack—and that Jack would agree, for all the noise he made about wanting his own ship while the mutiny was being planned. But Ed had asked him. He'd said that he had plans, and that Izzy was the only one he trusted to make them happen.

"Iz." Ed cups Izzy's jaw, a move that startles Izzy into stepping back, but Ed just follows him, huffing out a laugh. He rubs his thumb over Izzy's lower lip, then says, "I've got something for you," and a shiny bit flashes in his other hand.

It's a ring. Gold with some kind of green stone—probably agate or jade, although it's impossible to tell in the cabin's flickering candlelight. It's old; the inside of the band is worn from years and years on a finger.

"I took it in our last raid with the old goat," Ed says, when Izzy just stares at him. "Cut it off some dead twat's finger. I had to keep it in my mouth when we turned in the loot so Sebastian wouldn't find it." After a pause, he puts it in Izzy's gloved hand and curls his fingers around it. "I want you to have it. I want us to—"

"Ed," Izzy cuts in. His heart is beating in his throat. He'd had a matelot once, during his time in the Navy, but James went overboard in a storm, and a year later, Izzy had been sailing on his own hook. He's never considered anchoring himself to someone else—least of all Ed, who is brilliant, and addictive, and too beautiful by half. "You don't have to."

"I know that," Ed replies. He squeezes Izzy's hand, still closed over the ring. "I want to. I want you."

"I'm not… I won't leave you," Izzy insists. "Even without this. I wouldn't—"

"I know that too." Ed frowns at Izzy for a moment, then says, "Not why I'm asking," and pulls Izzy in for a kiss.

It's soft and chaste—just a brush of lips and Ed's hand sliding to the back of Izzy's neck, but Izzy finds himself gasping and grabbing at Ed's arms.

As Ed pulls back, he asks, "You get it now?"

Izzy does. And he shouldn't—there are financial implications for Ed, and it could undermine his authority if they aren't careful—but it's Ed. Izzy can't say no.

"Yeah."

Ed smiles at him. "We're going to be the greatest pirates in history."

"You might."

"Nah, mate. Both of us."

[chocolatepot]

Finale!!!

I forgot to start writing my thoughts :(

Ed being a terrible fisherman is pretty funny. He's so earnest ... they're so fed up ...

Very uncomfortable watching the British at Jackie's. Thank goodness we know(?) they'll get theirs by the end of the episode.

Okay, the question of Ed's literacy is laid to rest now, right? He's reading the letter very fluently, no hitches or hesitations, it's done.

This parallel to the dream would be better without the explicit flashbacks. But MORE KISSING! HEARTFELT LOOKS!

Lucius in his union suit ...

Auntie's alive! (I knew she was but good to see her anyway.) The Olufication of Auntie ...

LMAO THE PROMISED ASS!!!!!!

Everyone looks very good in these uniforms, which is a bit :/ but blue is just such a good color that it's no surprise

Mixed feelings about Izzy's dying speech. Glad he acknowledged that he fed Ed's darkness! But saying Ed's ready is weirdly paternal for their whole deal, and Ed calling him his only family is, frankly, the dumbest bullshit. I'm going to have to pretend it didn't happen.

"He was a fucking nightmare ... What a guy." Okay, that's a bit better.

I like that Lucius and Pete's matelotage vows have nothing about fidelity, I was slightly worried about it ruling out their "we don't own each other" arrangement.

Haha, Vico in the rigging as is their preference. Interesting cover of The Times, They Are A-Changin'.

So we're leaving Prince Ricky alive for an s3 villain, I assume.

Happy to leave on a Frenchie-focused note. Look at those hips!

[doks-aux]

If you're still looking for fic ideas, I've always loved fake dating. Maybe a fic where young Ed and Izzy are trying to get a loan from Spanish Jackie to buy a ship but she only lends to matelotaged couples? Or a fic subverting the trope of Sam being Izzy's long-lost husband, where Izzy tells people he was married to Sam to get them off his back and then Sam shows back up, alive. (Sorry if this isn't what you were looking for, I saw "fic ideas" and my brain just started churning these out lol)

Oooh, I love fake relationships!

And yeah, this is fine, I just need ingredients for the idea soup. Hmm. I do like the idea of Izzy intercepting Sam before he can talk to any of the crew and being like "Before anyone says anything, you're my husband." And Sam, being a simp, is just "OKAY 😳"