#stede is just a girl with to much pressure

[thesillydoll]

Modélame así, dame ahora tu mejor,

Pose, Pose, Pose, Pose

Ed and his (not really) cursed suit!

[forpiratereasons]

meeting stede bonnet

a slow meandering through June. first day, first prompt: sunlight

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | day 8 | day 9 | day 10

-

There was a thought Stede had never thought before.

He’d suspected it was there for a long time, honestly—he’d caught it before, here and again, hovering in the corners of his eyes. He’d been very good at looking away. He’d been looking away since the divorce six months ago, or maybe for every day of the twelve-year marriage itself. Or—maybe for a lifetime. Depended on how you looked at it, he supposed.

But now it was here. The day. The day, the day he was going to finally let himself think it.

If I wake up on June the 1st and I know, I’ll really know.

He’d taken two sleeping pills around nine. Didn’t want to stay up waiting for it. Didn’t want to shatter the fragile thought under the pressure.

Stede’s alarm went off as scheduled. Freddie Mercury’s voice belted through the room, big, breaking free.

The sun was already shining. He’d left the curtains open the night before; he’d wanted the light first thing. He’d wanted to wake up already soaked in all that warm, beautiful light, and now here he was.

It was suddenly so easy.

I’m gay, Stede thought.

The next breath shuddered into Stede’s lungs, rough and unexpected, like he’d never taken a breath before in his life. He knew.

He’d always known.

As a boy, picking flowers, running from kids who’d already known there was something different in him—as a teenager, smoking his first cigarette, avoiding the gaze of the girl who’d lit it for him—as a man, holding Mary’s hand in their wedding bed and swallowing against the crush in his ribs that told him every reason he ought to love her, like he could force the logic of her into the heart hiding underneath—he’d known.

I’m gay, Stede thought again.

He had sort of thought he might feel different. Or might—be different, somehow. But no, not really: he got up on the same side of the bed he’d always slept on. Showered the way he’d always showered, dressed the way he’d always dressed. Fixed his hair the way he’d always fixed his hair. Drank the protein shake for breakfast he’d always drunk.

He was still himself. He’d always been.

June the 1st, he repeated to himself, standing in the kitchen, tapping his fingers on a little brown paper package that had come from Etsy three days ago. Bit like a birthday, maybe. The start of something new.

One manicured fingernail slipped under the tape on the package. The sun was in Stede’s eyes as he whittled along the length of the flap, undoing the tape bit by bit. Cloudless day. The sunlight stung.

The contents of the package clinked on the granite when it fell out.

Stede counted to three. Then he counted to ten. Then he counted to fifty, and finally he counted to a hundred and thought, come on, then. You’re gay. Be gay about it.

He looked down. On the worktop was a small enamel rainbow pin.

Just a pin. Gold backing. He’d spent ages looking for one that matched Gilbert Baker’s original flag, with the pink and the aqua. A progress Pride pin was coming too, but for this day, for the first day, he’d wanted the first flag.

For something so tiny, it carried so, so much.

It took a minute to undo the backing with trembling fingers. Punching the pin through the fine fabric of his shirt—white, which he never wore, but he wanted the pin to really stand out—felt like releasing something inside himself that had been building for years and years. Like lancing a wound. Like the first sharp, hot moment of healing.

“All right,” he said out loud, forcing himself to pass the mirror in the hall without stopping to look, slinging his satchel over his shoulder. His heart was pounding under the weight of the pin; his hand was sweating where it’d settled on the handle of his front door.

It was a fifteen minute walk from here to the bookshop on the wharf. Stede was going to walk it, and open the shop, and wear the pin. He was going to let people see.

Just a fifteen minute walk from here to the rest of his life.

He took a deep breath.

He stepped out into the light.

[sleepystede]

Tagged by @gentlebeardsbarngrill @soupbtch @snake-snack-stede & @edscuntyeyeshadow to put 5 songs I actually listen to then tag 10 people 💖

I love music & tagging games so you better believe i went hard on this one. these are a few that have been on repeat lately:

1. This song slaps. I got really into it when it went viral on TikTok but holy heck, this song does things to my brain. My grandma is suffering from dementia and this song has helped me through the loss of her memory and recognition. It's haunting and I know it's gonna be in my Spotify Top 5 for 2024.

2. “I heard that there's a special place/ Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day” HELLO HOW DREAMY 💖 I'll always have a special place for Chappell! She's from very near where I grew up, which is just so cool to see more queer people come from the rural Midwest.

3. I love queer country music. I mean, come on, these lyrics?! "You got a gold star, you're a lady's man, you're fluent in lesbian/ you got a tattoo for your mom above your collar" Very underrated band and def on my heavy rotation rn!

4. Pretty sure Joan Jett's cover of this song was an early sexual awakening for me. I have very early memories of thinking about how cool it was that a woman was singing "now, I don't hardly know her/ but I think I could love her" I just rewatched The Runaways with Kristen Steward bc SHE'S ALSO GOT ME ALL HOT AND BOTHERED RECENTLY. So this song is back on my frequently listened.

5. There is so much to say about this song. Firstly, it's a cover from the original by The Righteous Brothers. Queer country icons Orville Peck and Paul Cauthen formed the duo The Unrighteous Brothers, and they sing love and anti-love songs and I'm so here for it. Hearing Orville crone, "Baby baby, I'd get down on my knees for you" to which Paul responds in this delicious growl, "If you would only love me like you used to do" IT DOES THINGS TO A PERSON 🥵

Whew, bet you didn't know you were reading a dissertation on Beedle's music, did you? 😂

Some no pressure tags: @sweet-little-goldfish-stede @merryfinches @lovely-letters-for-ed @saltpepperbeard @spirker @edwardteachonthebeach @lifes-a-dick @meanbihexual @neverbelessthan @ofmd-ann @pumpkinspicepirates

[penny00dreadful]

Happy Pride! 🏳‍🌈

Choose your 9 favorite canon LGBTQIA+ characters! 🏳️‍🌈 

Ellie - The Last of Us Part 1. My darling. My child. My take no prisoners BOSS of a girl. I love her. 🥰

Haruhi Fujioka - Ouran Highschool Host Club. This precious little bean told those boys 'see me as whatever gender you want, I don't care it doesn't matter to me' and I love that for them.

Amanita Caplan - Sense8. I mean. Have we EVER seen such a woman before? She found out her girlfriend was part of a hive-mind and the next second was just like 'here's all my research, I'm an expert now. Also I will still burn the world down for you. 😊'

Yukito Tsukishiro - Cardcaptor Sakura. My first love. Though the English dub worked hard to erase any of the YukitoxTouya storyline it's still THERE and I love it so much.

Just Jack! ✋😃🤚 - Will & Grace. Is he a dated stereotype by todays standards? Yes. Is he wildly entertaining to watch? Also yes. He and Karen are bestie goals, I will be taking no notes.

Stede Bonnet - Our Flag Means Death. Babygirl Stede. He's just so... I wanna pinch his cheeks! I adore how consistently soft he is and the narritive telling us how it's okay to be that way is just so fantastic.

Caleb Widogast - The Mighty Nein. The dictionary definition of disaster bisexual. An awkward, socially inept, sweetheart with a dark and mysterious past? Sign me THE FUCK up!

Xena - Xena: Warrior Princess. My other first love. Like do I even have to explain myself here. ANOTHER icon on a path to redemption? Hnnnggghh.

Mitch & Cam - Modern Family. Okay listen. I am ALLOWED to have my guilty pleasures- you know what never mind. I feel NO GUILT Modern Family makes my heart warm. Mitch and Cam are gays written for a straight audience HOWEVER they are a healthy, happy couple with a child they dote on depicted in popular media and maybe my age shows by just how much that means to me but I don't care. I'm allowed this.

So here's the thing. We're going with CANON right? Not queercoding. However IMO there's a difference in between something being coded and some just not being outright stated but definitely there. SOME of these are never explicitly stated in the text but they're THERE, I PROMISE. 😅

I got tagged for this by @augustjustice so thank you so much for allowing me to feel things, I didn't know I was gonna go so in depth with this, but I'm in my feelings so 🤷‍♀️🤣

No pressure tags! @inklessletter @outpastthebrakers @chunkyhousewife @shadowofaliar @scoops-stevie @estrellami-1

[spineless-lobster]

List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly. I was tagged by @the-20th-century-girl thank you!!!!!!

1. BBC Ghosts

2. Our Flag Means Death

3. Yonderland

4. A Kind Of Spark

5. Moomins (the 90s version)

1. Who is your favourite character in 2?

Edward Teach <3

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1?

Barclay Beg-Chetwynd

3. What's your favourite episode of 4?

Episode 9, I love Keedie so much her backstory means the world to me

4. What is your favourite season of 5?

There’s only two seasons and I love both but I guess I’ll just say season one lol

5. What's your favourite relationship in 3?

Kendall x the polishing machine no questions asked

6. Who is your anti relationship in 2?

This is tough one, does like… Stede x Mary count? Because if it does I’m going with that

7. How long have you watched 1?

I started watching after series 3 aired but before the christmas special, so whenever that was lol

8. How did you become interested in 3?

My six idiots hyperfixation <3

9. Who is your favourite actor in 4?

This doesn’t need to be said but Ben Willbond

10. Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5?

It’s gotta be Ghosts

11. Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

Ghosts currently has 27 episodes and Yonderland has 25, so Ghosts technically (if I counted right lol)

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

I absolutely adore Keedie she’s so cool and I wanna be her

13. How would you kill off your favourite character in 5?

I would never want to kill of Snufkin but if I did I suppose I’d have him not return from his autumn migration one year, and the next, and the next…

14. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Maybe? I mean they’re both fantastical worlds and I think Debbie would MUCH rather go to Moominvalley than Yonderland

15. Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

I feel like Julian x Fanny could work in some strange way, like yeah they’d bicker pretty often but like otherwise as a couple I think they’d actually get along quite well? At least if they get just a smidge more character development lol

16. Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

I mean I’m kinda biased since I love the six idiots and I know nothing about the cast of Moomins but yeah I’ll go with Yonderland for this one lol

I’ll tag @blackbeardsblanketfort @unmotivated-badger @willbonds @eccentricthornback and anyone else who wants to join! (No pressure! Sorry if you’ve been tagged already)

[highlyexplosivecontent]

Rules: post the first lines of your 10 most recently published AO3 stories. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

Tagged by the awesome @dirty-droid

1. This morning marked the beginning of Connor’s new life, and the end of his old. Just like most things in this world, things had escalated quickly since last day.

Connor had been stunned by the sudden turn of events that had led him to where he was now - dressed to the nines in the most exquisite material, a suit worthy of a soon-to-be prince, getting ready to marry the girl of his dreams.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS GOOD ENOUGH

2. Meg drummed her painted nails against the window of the carriage. Waiting. On the other side of the carriage curtains lay the hustle and bustle of central Athens. The sun was scorching hot this afternoon, the shadow of their transport barely helping with the heat accumulating inside.

It'd been years since she'd stepped foot in this town, and boy had it expanded since last time. They’d already passed two giant agoras - two! - and they weren’t even halfway through town.

AS IF NO TIME PASSED

3.The whole shit circus starts during an investigation. It's a slow and grueling one that began in May, and just keeps going and going and fucking going.

It’s the kind of case that demands a task force and so much funding that Jeffrey Fowler keeps giving them shit (Hank’s words) about their lack of progress. Which, Connor thinks, isn’t so much a reflection of Fowler’s character - he is pressured from upstairs on his part, too. But that still doesn’t make this case less of a headache.

THE ROSE HOTEL

4. Group Chat: Big DPD Energy

Benny Boy (duck emoji): Gears at 8???

Hank: Fuck can't. Have to run one by the electrician.

Benny Boy (duck emoji): Still working hard, I see. Good luck, come over if you feel like it after!!

Jeffrey Killjoy: Where did you keep this work ethic all these years?

Hank: Ha ha. I'll bring Sumo along if we don't run overtime.

Hank: And Gavin, if he behaves.

Benny Boy (duck emoji): (Pig emoji)

Jeffrey Killjoy: Just kidding, Hank. I'm glad you're doing better.

Hank: I know.

CAMP DETROIT

5. Rescuing your crew from a tiny island is harder work than one might think. In hindsight, perhaps Stede should have thought of buying a bigger boat before heading out on his adventures. As it is, he's forced to cajole his poor crew into his dinghy, counting them and realizing that at least two people are missing.

THE SONG OF CAPTAIN EDWARDS

6.Stede ran as fast as his little feet could carry him, his legs aching in a way that he wasn’t used to. Fear clogged his throat like tar smeared all over his lungs, his heart beating painfully against his chest and pulsing through his fingers as he hurried down the pavement. He could hear the taunts right behind him, could hear them come closer.

This wasn't how Nigel and the others usually mocked and bullied him- tonight, they were out for blood.

NEW GHOSTS

7. Really? This is what Ben dragged his ass out of the house for - A fucking Halloween party for kids in their twenties?

The club is smack full of drunk people bumping and grinding against each other on the dance floor. Hank’s eyes are too old and tired to see through the smoke and UV lights but he's been to this scene before. It's the gay holiday, and Halloween at a gay club is even hornier than usual.

Fuck, he hates this night already.

DRAGON ULTRA SENSATION

8. 2019

Golden year of no social distancing

Wealthy lawyer Stede Bonnet decides to leave his old life behind to become a scout leader.

Things don't go as planned…

ON MY HONOR I WILL DO MY BEST

9. Edward and Stede were both in foul moods this morning - as if this was a culmination of the past weeks.

The night prior had been fairly peaceful, especially considering the weeks leading up to it, which had been anything but.

THE TIFF ON THE REVENGE

10."What the fuck happened to you?" Gavin bellows from the other side of the bullpen, loud enough to turn every officer's head in Connor's direction. The poor android's LED blinks yellow for a breath, then resumes its regular calm blue.

"Dangers of the job," he replies coolly, shrugging out of his jacket. The glitches in his synthskin where his neck meets his jaw is very clearly visible, and he has no intention of covering it up. "Got into a fight yesterday. "

FLUTTER

Phew!!

I'm tagging the lovely @raziella for this one 👀

[pearwaldorf]

10 lines tagging game

Thanks to @ripeteeth for the tag!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway!

waiting to finally be caught (OFMD, Ed/Stede, nsfw)

As much as they all love the pirates' life (at least as it is on the Revenge), too much time in close quarters means civility becomes strained, no matter how hard they try to remain amiable. It’s been weeks out at sea, and when Stede announces they’re going to dock in Nassau for a bit, a weary cheer goes up from the crew. As they scatter to their various duties, he overhears snatches of conversation about the things they’re going to do when they reach land.

I took no time with the fall (Glass Onion, Blanc/Phillip)

It’s a really fucking boring party. Phillip is here purely for lack of anything better to do, including sitting on his couch and binging Parks and Recreation, which he’s done three times this year already.

don't look in the mirror, look into my eyes (Critical Role/TLoVM, Percy/OMC, Percy/Orthax, nsfw)

Percy sets down the hammer. The piece of metal he's been shaping is finally starting to look like what he wants. The voice in his head, Orthax, it calls itself, rumbles in what Percy thinks might be approval.

both have sharp teeth (IWTV AMC, Grace and Lestat)

Grace keeps an eye out for her brother, but he does not show up to the wake. It is not something she concerns herself with at the moment, given Mamá’s condition and fulfilling her role as dutiful sister and daughter. But when Louis does not show up for breakfast the next morning, it becomes more important.

our bodies fear that this war won't end (can't live without the ache) (Malevolent, Arthur/John, nsfw)

"Why do humans derive such pleasure from getting dirty?" Sometimes John will just blurt out questions, when there’s nothing to do but wait. Arthur finds it charming, although he'd never let John know. (They share so much—too much, sometimes; he clings to what he can keep private.)

take me to the limit, hold me down there (OFMD, Ed/Stede, nsfw)

Edward is gazing out one of the windows in the captain’s quarters when he hears the door unlock. He has the only key, and his heart jumps into his throat. Should he try and hide? Fight back? Certainly he was aware of the possibility of piracy when he booked this voyage, but they're so close to their destination he didn’t think it would actually happen.

until I saw you in my thunderstorm (Oxventure Blades in the Dark, Alice/Peter)

The last thing Alice remembers is standing at the desk. The new girl, Zara? Zillah? stood behind her, putting her arm around Alice's neck and tightened. Alice tried to resist, but she was extremely strong. Spots danced in front of her eyes until black overtook everything.

all the variations you could do with me (OFMD, Ed/Stede, nsfw)

Ed’s been a sailor long enough that he can tell when a squall’s coming, even without the accompanying ache in his knee. There’s something extremely strange about whatever’s gathering right now though: no clouds, just an ominous, low pressure that feels like it’s going to crush anybody still on deck when it arrives.

when the lights come on I'll be ready for this (Shang-Chi, Katy-centric)

Katy does what she can, in the aftermath of the battle. There’s so much else to sort through nobody asks her to go near the bodies, for which she is grateful. She’s not sure it’s her place anyways. The dead should be taken care of by the ones they loved, who loved them.

we've not yet lost all our graces (Good Omens/Hannibal, Aziraphale, Will)

There is a quiet about the morning in Florence right after dawn, one Will relishes greatly on his walks. It’s a good sort, created from the natural cessation of activity required by humanity, as opposed to the kind encountered around the grave.

He gathers and collects it obsessively like it’s become his, proprietary through the repeated action of observing its existence. It’s not that he’s unwilling to share it with others; but he has come to know the other people who do. There is an irrational, strange jealousy of people he doesn’t know partaking in it, like they somehow need his approval to enjoy the ambiance of a city that hasn’t quite woken up.

Please feel free to do this if you are so moved.

[incomprehensiblelentils]

1, 2, 8, 15

Favorite fictional characters this year

oh this is so much lower pressure than the fictional true love question thank goodness lol. Just in the other in which they come into my brain:

Battinson

Morpheus (Sandman)

Valkyrie (MCU)

Kamala Khan (MCU)

Sundry Syndey (A Starstruck Odyssey)

Lord Squak Airavis (A Court of Fey and Flowers)

Nona (Nona the Ninth)

Queen Míriel (Rings of Power)

Em Haywood (Nope)

Waymond Wang (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

Mei Lee (Turning Red)

Margot Mills (The Menu)

Jack Russell (Werewolf by Night)

Elsa Bloodstone (Werewolf by Night)

Layla El-Faouly (Moon Knight)

Boba Fett (Star Wars)

2. Favorite ships this year

Again as they come into my brain lol, and also some repeats:

BatCat (The Batman)

Thor/Jane (MCU)

Hardwon/Moonshine (NADDpod)

Ed/Stede (Our Flag Means Death)

Oluwande/Jim (Our Flag Means Death)

Obi-Wan/Padme (Star Wars) (I went insane while watching Obi-Wan idk man!!!)

Griddlehark (Locked Tomb)

Mac/KJ (Paper Girls)

Andhera/Binx (A Court of Fey and Flowers)

Jack/Elsa (Werewolf by Night)

Nightheart/Sunbeam (Warriors) (lmfao. they're cute shut up!!!!!)

Sunny/Izzy (My Little Pony) (...what the fuck else was I supposed to take from this movie huh)

oh and a special honorable mention for Galadriel/Halbrand, which I wasn't into up when I thought he was just Some Guy, until he was revealed as Sauron and then it became HILARIOUS to me because it made so many people mad, and everyone who did ship it was having so much fun and memeing a lot, I was so happy for them!

8. First fandom of the year

lmfao I had to go look at my blog archive and I think the answer is The Book of Boba Fett specifically! I'm....bad at being a Star Wars fan because I only care about like, 30% of Star Wars probably. but I looooooooooooved the Boba Fett show so much. I don't know what happened bc I never cared about Boba Fett before but everything about it worked for me! I love that there was an entire episode about him being a horse girl, I love that he spends most of it awkwardly trying to be a human and only sort of succeeding. I loved his and Fennic's weird friendship. I loved the dumb Power Ranger team so much. This is the only Star Wars show I need tbh, all others have been fine but I adored this one.

15. Favorite f/f ship of the year

I JUST remembered that I wanted Fennic and Drash to fuck, lmao, so I'll say them. B and I are gonna cosplay these guys too.

[wheeloffortune-design]

Alright, lemme explain you a thing about heteronormativity and gender norms but quick my sleeping pills are making me drowzy

You were in your mother’s belly, and there was infinite potential to what you could be. (I mean, despite race and religion and genetics and capitalism-- but we’re not talking about these righ now.)

First, you were infinite potential. 

And then, the doctor said what would shape your life forever.

‘It’s a boy!’ or ‘It’s a girl!’

And sometimes the doctor doesn’t even have the decency to wait for your birth. They just annouce it, that life sentence, like it’s a good thing. 

But what it is, actually, is the death of that infinite potential, and the start of getting fit in the box.

From that point on, the words said by the doctor will dictate your name, how you are raised to interact with the world, the hobbies they want you to have, the colors they want you to wear, the sports and arts and activities that you should partake in, the friends you should make, how you interact with said friends, how you should deal with emotion, what emotions are acceptable to have and to show, it will dictate how people interact with you, from the doctors to teachers to mechanics, it will give you the chance to succeed at school or simply make it more difficult, it will give you different diagnostics for the same ilnesses, different treatments. it will give you different money for the same work, different chances, different work environments. it will dictate how you should stand, sit, eat, what you should eat, wash, how you should wash. it will dictates the smells that you should like, the textures, the concepts. it will dictate the virtues and sins you’re supposed to have. 

There are two boxes. They will put you in one of them, and then your life is all traced in front of you. ‘Oh honey, I was thinking a light pink for the nursery!’

The thing is, people reading this already know gender is not as simple as those two boxes. We know there’s more than penises and vaginas, testes and ovaries, XX and XY, testosterone versus oestrogene. Science has proven again and again that there are exceptions to every simplified belief we hold over gender and sex. Every single of these elements that are part of us, are also all on a spectrum, an infinity of choices that can mix and match between themselves. There are as many combinations as there are humans. 

It’s just that a lot of people could pretty much fit in a loose definition of man, and a lot of others could fit as woman. Outliers don’t count. Except, only by existing, a single intersex person just throws apart their basic understanding gender. ‘Men have penises and women have vaginas ans nothing else exists!’ Oh yeah, and what about Steve over there? Steve has both. Steve doesn’t fit your world. Are you saying Steve doesn’t exist? Oh, how many more Stedes will you need to stop denying their existence?

Anyway, you’re readind this, we’re past Gender 101: People can be trans, you know, and even Gender 102: Hey did you notice all those rules were made by us?, and we’re getting straight into Gender 103: wow this is all bullshit I want out.

So, heteronormativity. 

In general, people take it to mean that the norm in a society would be that people are supposed to be heterosexual an form men/women pairs. 

But it’s more insidious than that. If the goal of heteronormativity is to ultimately form men/women pairs, the tools of heteronormativity is all that gender bullshit we’ve just enumerated. 

Because all the things that society pressures you to perforn are in fact to attain the ultimate goal-- pair with a person with the opposite gender.

Girls, you all know how we’re supposed to be soft and kind and submissive and ditzy, and desirable, and graceful, etc. They will teach us social skill and empathy at the youngest age so we can be ready to be the emotional crutch of whatever emotionally stunted dude who walks our way. 

Because boys, you don’t have it perfect either. You got toxic masculinity stunting your emotional growth and stopping you from forming healthy attachment with your friends. You’ve heard it often, how to be a man? A real man? People have so many opinions on what makes you a man, some are as dumb as saying that that specific soap makes you unmanly, because it doesn’t have the typical manly men smells that are Courage, Valor, or Gun.

So, anyway, gender norms that are imposed on us are all bullshit. Not only are they all MADE UP, they’re also STUPID AS FUCK.

But the system is there, it’s in place, it’s everywhere and fueled by capitalism because fuck, they make so much money out of convincing us of this bullshit. 

Alright, we’re on Gender 104: Why are the queers... you know... like that?

There is something very specific that happens in the life of pretty much every queer person, confronted to the machine that is heteronormativity. That’s the realization, often early in life, that they don’t fit what is expected of them. They like green instead of pink. They want to be a ballerina insteand of a soccer player. They want clothes they’re not allowed to wear, their hair to be at leanghts that are not acceptable. 

And before the straights jump at this with their me toos-- what a baby queer often realizes is that the ultimate goal of heteronormativity is not for them, thank you very much. Maybe they don’t like the idea of marrying a person of the ‘opposite gender’. Maybe they don’t want to feel romance at all. Maybe they’d like to have a girlfriend and a boyfriend. Or maybe they’d rather be the bride instead of the groom.

This disconnect from heteronormativity happens to people all over the lgbtquia+ spectrum. We don’t fit the boxes, so there must be something out of the boxes. 

People don’t like it when you leave the boxes. We all know how furious, how violent they can become when you don’t do the things you should be doing. Like men wearing lipstick. Women not desiring men. People asking them to be addressed by new names and pronouns. 

But, there is something wonderful to this rejection of the heteronormative mold. By leaving the boxes, we are free to explore further, with culture, music, fashion, sex, philosophy, relationships, families. Art inside of a rigid structure tends to decome dull and repetitive. How many portraits of pretty girls made by men have you seen in your life? But the same portrait of a pretty girl, seen by the eye of a woman, was taboo, and by existing, becomes a subversive act that redefines boundaries. Also think of fashion, one of the most gender regulated industries, and how incredibly creative it can get when you throw gender norms out of the window. 

Leaving the boxes behind and redefining yourself as a being of infinite potential is hard and constant work. But the good news is that, the more of us do it, the easier it’ll become.

[koshercosplay]

FUCK okay I'm making a jewish headcanons post for our flag means death because it actually WORKS PERFECTLY

at this point jews had. JUST been allowed back into england like what 50 years prior to the start of the show? stede's family had converted generations back and had mostly lost touch with judaism but each generation knew they were jewish, but hid it for fear of social repercussions. stede spends his life hiding his jewish background, pretending to be christian like the rest of his family before him.

he marries a nice christian girl. he has kids. he is miserable. he doesn't realize that he's gay yet, but he certainly doesn't love her. he wants to reconnect with his jewish heritage, but that would make Everyone Talk, and god knows how much more awful that would make his life. the pressure of hiding so many aspects of himself takes a toll and he starts romanticizing a life of freedom on the seas where he can be himself.

he commissions a ship to be built and pays off a crew and sets sail on his new ship, abandoning his old way of life. and what is one of the most important things he brings with him?

BOOKS.

the man wants to reconnect with his heritage and be more himself and so he brings shelves and shelves and shelves worth of books. if that isn't top tier nonsensical Jew™ behavior I don't know what is.

Now we get to ED.

Edward Teach, brought up poor, pining after the finer things in life, and what does his mother tell him?

that finery is meant for other people. that they will never be able to achieve that, and that he should be happy with what they have.

I wonder WHY his mother was so convinced that the family would never rise in social status???

OH YEAH. CUZ THEY WERE JEWS.

Second class status, persecuted beyond belief, forced to live practically undercover and never allowed into the upper echelons of society. no wonder Ed flees that for a life on the seas. at least there, everyone's an outcast.

and then he meets Stede.

Stede, who is now openly exploring his heritage on the high seas while failing terrifically at pirating. Stede, who brought books upon books with him, probably including some gemara, who openly institutes a day of rest on board his ship by giving his crew a day off (which at first they don't know what to do with, but soon come to appreciate. much like crafting.) Stede, who clearly came from money, who has nice things, who wears nice clothes, who is an aristocrat. and Jewish.

and Ed is FASCINATED.

anyway everyone on this show is a jew and nobody can tell me otherwise everyone go watch this show if you haven't already it's amazing

[montygreen]

ofmd tag meme

i was tagged by the lovely @blackbeardz thank you so much, vici!!

no pressure tags: @izzyxhands, @ripkarl, @rainbowbonnet, @transtlanticism and anyone else who wants to do this!

your name:  leila

how many sugars: in my tea? zero

characters you relate to most: i’ve honestly never thought about it?? maybe oluwande or frenchie

otp? — stede and ed (but jim and oluwande are VERY close second)

notp? — any ships involving calico jack are a big, big no for me

if you were a pirate captain, what would you call your ship? — i do not have even a single clue?? my brain is failing me on clever and creative ideas today

what position would you have on a pirate ship (bosun, captain, powder monkey, master gunner, surgeon etc.) — given i’m a physiology major, i guess that defaults me to surgeon, doesn’t it?

favourite ofmd fics or arts? — god this fandom is so full of just... the most insanely talented people, but some of my favourite ofmd fics are hiring a mouse management officer (aka the fic where the crew of the revenge get a cat), weather the storm (a REALLY fucking good time loop fic), and perfect pretenders (it’s fake dating? how else can i sell this one to you, i mean COME ON)

biggest wish for season 2? — obviously for stede and ed to eventually talk things through, oh and i think established jim and oluwande would be ADORABLE

favourite quote: stealing vici’s choice of quote here because also my favourite, it’s so fucking funny (especially to me a person in science) “science tells us all the useful organs are on the right part of the body, so i cleverly took the sword on the left” / “is that right? i mean, the--the liver.” / “the liver? we don’t even know what that thing does.”

favourite minor character: frenchie, if he counts as minor, but if he doesn’t, probably spanish jackie

favourite episode: the best revenge is dressing well

has ofmd caused you to re-evaluate your gender: nope

favourite cast/creator quote or interview: that david jenkin’s quote about stede and ed knowing of each other and then meeting and just having chemistry where he goes on to discuss queerbaiting and feeling scene in a story... yeah... yeah that one

do cats have knives in their feet? — oh, absolutely, but i adore them with my entire heart

song that makes you think of stede bonnet: i don’t have a serious answer for this, but i saw an edit someone made of stede to “i have friends” from cxg and it was SO FUNNY, it lives in my head rent free, so that

song that makes you think of ed teach: doomsday by lizzy mcalpine

song that makes you think of izzy hands: .....i’m just a girl in love from crazy ex girlfriend

[thesillydoll]

Stede is one nervous breakdown away from sending them to God, u know, she's just a girl, we can't judge!

Our flag means death • 2x01 • Stede's hysteria!

[ladykatibeth]

So… still thinking about this pirate show. Specifically about the age of the characters and how they conflict with some of the stories time-line.

Historically Stede Bonnet started working as a pirate at 30, and when they met (the same year) Blackbeard is 38.

Obviously the creators aren’t looking for perfect historical accuracy. Blackbeard is burnt out and has established a name for himself, instead of just getting started like his historical namesake would have been, Stede is a co-captain instead of a hostage/guest, how they met has been changed….e.t.c so changing the ages wouldn’t be out of left field.

However, if we stick to the actors ages….issues arise. Rhys is 48 and Taika is 47. So late 40s. My main concern is the arranged marriage. (Not in the marriage is problematic way, in a timeline is weird way.)

So based on the actresses age I’m putting Mary and Stedes daughter at 11. So based on her age if Stede is the same age as his actor he would have been 37 when he got married.

Maybe 33-37 if it took a while for Mary to get pregnant. Though with the kind of controlling parents these two have I wouldn’t be surprised if they were pressured about having kids.

Not weird for the period, exactly, except that this marriage is arranged.

Why does Stedes dad still have so much control over Stede in his early-late 30s that he has the ability to arrange a marriage his son clearly doesn’t want? With no discussion of his opinion on the mater?

Sure arranged marriages are common around this time, for young people, by 33-37 who you get married to becomes more up to you, or at least if your parents are trying to matchmaker with other parents over your head you have a say in it. (Especially if your a man.)

And if Stedes dad does have this kind of control over him, why not hitch him up earlier? I mean Mary is definitely not the only available woman around with acreage. And I can’t imagine a guy who is at least 57 waiting around for the perfect deal when his time to benefit from it is dwindling.

The only two explanations I can think for it don’t make sense: 1. He did do it earlier, Mary is Stedes second wife or 2.Stede was busy doing something like military service or building a career

1.Stede and Mary give off first marriage vibes, and Stede doesn’t strike me as a Widdower

2.Stede doesn’t seem like he’s been in the military, or honestly doing much at all that would make him struggle with getting married (his issue is feeling constrained, and bored, like he hasn’t been able to experience much.) And his wealth is inherited.

So….it makes no sense why Stede would end up married so late. It would benefit Stedes dad the most to marry him off to a girl with acreage when he’s in his 20s, in order to get the advantage from it for as long as time as possible, and based on the show he probably would have agreed (and the younger you are the more your parents have influence over you.)

And if he had time in between being an adult and getting arranged why didn’t he adventure some then?

So for the sake of my own sanity, to make this time line make a little more sense, I’ve been imagining Stede and Blackbeard as younger than there actors. Not like in there early 30s but about 37-40. Still middle aged, but it fixes the things in the timeline that have been irking me.

So based on the ages I imagine:

1.Stedes daughter is born when Stede is about 26-29.

2.Stede and Mary are married when Stede is anywhere from 23-26 based on how long it takes for Mary to get pregnant.

With this shift, Stede’s dad didn’t wait for a weird amount of time to make his son get married, Stede doesn’t have a large portion of time between adulthood and marriage to explore himself or the world, making his feelings of being trapped make sense, and 11-14 years of marriage is long enough to grow disillusion and depressed, even if you aren’t 48.

This also gives enough time for Blackbeard to become bored especially if he started pirating early. And it would still constitute a mid-life crisis if your putting the ending point at 80.

[octoberobserver]

Hello! :3

I am fine, but in need of a good book to read :D

You seem very busy between your job and the fics (i have read both! very good, tell you more later), so i hope you are having a blast and a bit of rest from time to time :)

I know, the sun makes everything better ;)

I am actually rewatching OFMD bc the first time it didn't have subtitles and i understood like half of it. But it is still very good and i like the symbolism of the kraken and the lighthouse. Just using The chain in the soundtrack means this series is wonderful ;D

I thinki too they did the whole cast justice, everyone is recognizable and has a specific quirk/story even when they haven't a proper storyline. And they really give off the we live together and know each other (not like the avengers who are strangers to each other when they don't openly hate everyone else).

I really called the Mary storyline! I am so happy for her, she has her personality, her future and her passion (and her Doug too!). Very very happy with it.

I cal it blackbonnet bc it's cute but i have seen others with your same doubt.

Oh, you know more about the past of Peacemaker than I! XD I watched the Harley Quinn movie (a lot of fun, Sionis and Victor best villains ever) and the batman (not a fan of the character in general, nice but too long). You will love Vigilante, he is the best.<3

I laughed hard when they clapped the hands together while csi the girl's room! :) but yes, they totally cleaned it like that.

I really don't know what to expect from the next season of the Gemstones, it is always so bonkers that i just go with the flow!

I was a bit sad that they didn't show how Jesse and his wife reconcilated but probably a mix of pressure and true love (i don't really know how she can stay with him).

Yeah, the thing with Keeley seemed a bit random? Even more bc i didn't see the chat with the teacher as flirting (not in a real way, you don't have to say everything to everyone) and Jamie apologized and practically told that it was a funeral thing.

I really like Ted and Rebecca together, they are a good time and good friends, i will bet the show is heading that way, but i love trent and Ted dynamic and i want more of it, even just in fanfiction ;D

I usually fi on a character and then explore their relationships with others, so multishipping is very easy for me! ;D

Wolfstar is a classic, albeit i don't think i ever read anything about them at all.

I had a classmate who watched SPN but here it wasn't a big phenomenon. On Tumblr it's everyhere, even just bc of the gifs.

I read the mandalorian fics bc the characters are interesting but i don't watch it. I tried the book of boba fett bc it seemed cool but it was a mess, without an heart and really i could use my time better watching the paint dry. Usually SW isn't in my radar, i don't have a big interest in it but Grogu is very very cute and the possibilities are endless.

Now, about your fics... first of all, thank you so much for your writing and for sharing them with us! I hope you are receiving lots of lovely comments :)

LCC is very realistic, i can see Kelvin eventually coming around about his sexuality but for now he isnt't ready and he is honest about it with Keefe. Love that Joe Jones wants a piece of Keefe too and i really hope Levi and his friend will find their happy ending too :)

I read TFMM just this afternoon and i loved the misunderstanding about the new pirate friend, i think Izzy was so happy to stir shit! Very cute the part about Stede changing his surname <3

I would love to keep writing but for now i am so tired, i really need my bed :(

Have a wonderful day :)

💫

Hi 💫Anon!

Ah good, I’m glad to hear you’re well. I sadly don’t have any book recommendations at the moment as I haven’t had much time to read and when I do, it’s a quick fic here and there lol. But if I think of any, I’ll let you know 😊

Aw, thanks so much, I’m really glad you liked my fics. They were fun to write! I adored OFMD, re-watched it too and it’s just so much fun. I cannot wait for (hopefully) s2! Mary’s storyline was really cool too, I’m glad that they both got to be happy and that conversation between her and Stede, where they talk about love is just 😍 Blackbonnet is a sweet ship name, I use both that and Blackstede. Maybe Taika and Rhys will pick one?!

Oooh cool yeah I’ll definitely add Peacemaker to my to-watch list so. It looks like a rollercoaster lol.

Yeah I agree, I’m not sure where they’re gonna go in s3 for The Righteous Gemstones. I half expected them to be swindled out of their money and have a “going broke” story before building themselves back up? But that might be too much. All I know is, that whatever they do, it’ll be hilarious. I haven’t laughed as hard as I have at some of the Gemstone antics in a long time 🤣 And yeah, I agree. I felt the Jesse and Amber conflict was kind of brushed under the rug a bit? I think their issues are going to continue to fester. I think they do love each other, but are in need of the marriage counseling that they give other people 😅

What storyline do you think they’ll go with for Keefe and Kelvin in s3? The youth squad is a fun idea, but I wonder what personal stuff they’ll deal with? I’d love to see Keefe’s life before Kelvin and then now, with Kelvin. I wonder what his family is like? Does he have any other friends or siblings, etc.? Do you think we’ll get closer to a confirmed pining from both sides kinda deal?

OMG I love Trent ‘Independent’ from Ted Lasso 😊 I’ve watched the actor in a few British shows before, and he’s great. His and Ted’s dynamic is hilarious and I’m hoping maybe he’ll become more involved with the Club now that he’s out of a job. Maybe their press official or something? And yeah, I agree. I was thrown off a bit by the confession from Jamie. I don’t think they’re going to revisit that with him and Keeley, I think Jamie needs to find someone who helps ground him. I didn’t see the Irish teacher and Roy convo like that really either. I do love the actress and hope we see more of her - maybe as a new love interest for Beard? God knows he needs somebody a bit less intense 😅

Aw, thanks so much for your kind words about my fics. I agree, I do think Kelvin is very much not ready to admit anything yet. I think he’ll have to go on that journey himself at some point. And I really liked writing Blackbonnet fic and hope to write more in the future. I just want to fix our (and Ed’s) broken hearts! 😢

Hope you’re having a good week!😊