#to: ofmd writers

[ofmdlovelyletters]

This is a love letter to everyone who works hard to bring joy to this fandom! Fic writers, artists, people who share meta, the gifmakers (blessed be the gifmakers) fan video creators, and everyone who cheers them on! You make this fandom the bright light that it is ❤️

To the fic writers, to the artists, to the meta writers, to the gif makers, to the fan video creators, to the cheerleaders, to everyone who brings joy to the fandom, this lovely letter is for you. 💌

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

actually can we stop talking about “deserve” when it comes to characters dying in fiction. not everything is a fable with a moral lesson to be learned. romeo and juliet didn’t “deserve” to die. bambi’s mom didn’t “deserve” to die. izzy dying in the finale doesn’t mean ofmd is saying that certain types of queer people “deserve” to die. fictional death can serve more narrative purposes than just punishment for the character doing the dying.

[europeanficwritersretreat2025]

GERMANY FIC WRITERS' RETREAT

Dear Fic Writers! (Sherlock fandom and beyond!)

In this post you can find all the info on the 2025 European Fic Writers Retreat that is now most definitely taking place in Germany from 7-10 August 2025!

Here are the details: -Arrival from 4pm on 7 August. -Checkout at noon on 10 August. -Price: 360 euros (or less if you share a room, see below). This includes accommodation and food (which we'll still have to cook ourselves, however).

Activities There will be 3 writing/fandom workshops/activities each day. The rest of the time is for writing, hanging out and making new fandom friends. Also there will be daily walks to the supermarket (10 mins) to get all the food we need. :)

Venue The accommodation has 8 bedrooms, with 2 separate beds in each. This means that there is place for 8 to 16 people, depending on how many people are willing to share a room. (There is also a garden, billiards and table tennis just for us!)

Space will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis (based on date of payment received). If you are among the first 8 people to register, you won't have to share a room if you prefer not to. (Six people have already applied as per 10 May, yay!)

N.B. If there are more than 8 applicants and you are willing to share a room with one fellow writer, the price is 130 euros lower for each of you who are sharing a room! (i.e. the costs will be 230 euros per person)

The location is in the Eifel region, in the very west of Germany. You have to arrange your own transport there, although there might be a possibility of getting a ride from Koblenz to the accommodation, if enough people travel by car and are willing to pick up others.

Organisation Be aware that this retreat isn't anything fancy or well-organised; it's just me (@shirleycarlton) having made a reservation for a large holiday house in hopes of finding enough fellow fanfic (slash) writers who would like to attend and spend some quality time together.

Originally, this concept arose from the Sherlock fandom, and I (Shirley) personally exclusively write johnlock. However, a lot of Sherlock writers have (understandably) moved on to other fandoms, so whether you're currently into Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, or RWRB, it's all fine, as John Watson would say. :)

How to register If you would like to register, all you need to do is take these two steps:

Step 1: fill in this registration form.

Step 2: After receiving your registration form, I will send you an email with the payment details. Your registration becomes final once I have received your payment of the deposit, which is 200 euros.

The registration deadline is 31 May.

Next year If you love the idea of a fic writers retreat, but are unable to attend this year, you can leave your email address in this form, so that you will automatically receive an invitation next year! (Choose the " next year" option at the end.)

Tagging a few people again below the cut. Please help signal boost!

@meetinginsamarra @seekers-who-are-lovers @pagimag @pommedepersephone @iamjohnlocked4life @the-reading-lemon @atlinmerrick @shiplocks-of-love @frodosweetstuff @lisbeth-kk @totallysilvergirl @johnlockismyreligion @atikiology @constancecream @swissmissing @miadifferent @notallthosewhowander @raina-at @vanimelda4 @khorazir @fluffbyday-smutbynight

@amindamazed @jaimebluesq @jourqet @auroranibley @ewebie @keirgreeneyes @blogstandbygo @221beloved @inevitably-johnlocked @actually-a-girls-name @johnhwatsonblog @missdaviswrites @hubblegleeflower @unreconstructedfangirl

@loveismyrevolution @may-shepard @mslanna @kimmycup @jourquet @msladysmith @catlock-holmes @loki-lock @alexaprilgarden @three-patch-problem @aziraphalianfangirl @hellonewsletter

Let me know if you would like to be added or removed!

[fans4wga]

While the SAG-AFTRA strike is great news for the future of the industry, and worth celebrating, let's not forget people's livelihoods are on the line and act accordingly.

[image ID: piles of dozens of SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE! picket signs. end ID]

Union members in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are making this sacrifice for the very survival of the industry. There's a lot of glee at the strike, which makes total sense because we hope it will ultimately lead to the studios being forced into a position to re-negotiate for a better deal.

But in the midst of all this, please don't forget that there are real people forgoing paychecks and income for the big picture of this strike. And the studios are going to squeeze them as hard as they can, leading to real human suffering.

What can we, as fans and audiences, do to stand in solidarity?

-Be excited about the right things—halting studio production and forcing the studios into a better deal!—and not the wrong things (show cancellations, workers losing jobs—i.e. things that hurt the workers.) The important thing to remember is that the enemy here is the top studio executives, NOT the people who actually labor on your favorite media.

-Correct misinformation and disinformation whenever possible. Don't let anti-WGA propaganda go unanswered. Get your information directly from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA's official channels if possible, or their negotiation committee members. We're always happy to fact check!

-Support financially if at all possible (and if not, boost donations and fundraisers!) Picketers are choosing to participate in a work stoppage that will have immediate and devastating impacts on the most vulnerable low-income TV/film workers. If you see a fundraiser, boost it or donate if you can. Good places to start are the Entertainment Community Fund and the Green Envelope Grocery Aid fund.

-Get involved in fandom-specific action. The biggest fandom impacts we've seen are when fandoms unite together to fundraise or visibly show support. Follow the example of the Star Trek Snack Squad and Our Flag Means Strike to organize YOUR fandom today! Want tips and spreadsheet templates? Message us, we'd be glad to help you organize your fandom!

[poison-into-positivity]

“David Jenkins reposted” what if I played in traffic.

[booktowerofficial]

We created Booktower for readers to organize all of their fanfics, books, webcomics, and more!

Hello! We are the creators of Booktower. One of the biggest reasons we made Booktower was because we wanted a way to neatly organize fanfics--including seeing your own reading stats! Key Features:

📝Add Fanfics 📚Add Books - Add the ISBN! 💭Add Webcomics 💥Comics ✨Manga 💻Webnovels 📖 Track your stats 🎖️Leaderboards - see how your fave fandoms compete! 🎨Tower customization 🪙Earn Booktower coins

Use your coins in the shop to unlock backgrounds (including animated backgrounds) for your bookshelves, and even different realms for your tower. You can share you tower with your friends or opt to keep your shelves private. 🔒🌶️

You can join our waitlist here. All you need to do is let us know why you'd like to use Booktower and see if you receive an invite! LET'S GET THOSE STATS!! 🎉🎉🎉🥇 Click here to check out our Tumblr masterlist Q & A with frequently asked questions and concerns regarding Booktower.

[obsidianbit]

I love this gay ass show with its literally life ending injuries that heal immediately, but only when convenient to the plot, and its ridiculous use of modern phrases, and its laughing in the face of historical accuracy, and its kissing the face of the fans instead of trying to outwit them, and the way everyone involved in the show seem to go 'I KNOW RIGHT! I'M EXCITED TOO!' instead of mocking the fans

[hexcrystals]

i’m just going to pop this here for anyone who might find it relevant (x)

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

#Marriage Foreshadowing

[dragons-and-pandas]

[saltpepperbeard]

why would david be suddenly ramping up his activity on social media...

why would so much of it be related to the show...

why would he not be stopping the clown train from leaving the station...

why would it be happening so close to october...

why would the cast and crew also seemingly be in on it...

why would it be intensifying and getting more and more suspicious with every passing post...

...if there was NOTHING behind it.

[ofmdlovelyletters]

This letter goes out to everyone who worries they don't write/draw well enough. Whether you didn't start doing art/ creative writing until recently, you're writing in a second language, you're still trying to figure out your style, or any other reason you may be insecure, I want you to know that you are doing great and there are always people out there who will find your work and fall in love with it. Never give up on your passions <3

Hello writers and artists of the OFMD fandom! This lovely letter is for all of you. 💌

[europeanficwritersretreat2025]

Writers' Retreat without tumblr??

Hopefully this isn't necessary at all, but I've been seeing some rumors about tumblr possibly not being around forever, and started to panic think about what this would mean for the future of the European Fic Writers' Retreat. (I honestly shudder to think what it would mean for fandom in general...)

There have been quite a lot of people who have replied in the notes of the Retreat announcement that although they can't make it this year, they would love to come another time. But how will I be able to reach you if tumblr is no longer around by then?

Again, I desperately hope this will never be necessary, but just in case: feel free to fill in this form in order to share your contact details with me, so I can approach you via email next year! (Just choose the "next year" option at the end.)

Then again, if you want to attend this year's Retreat in Germany, see this post!

I really hope to start a new tradition that will continue many years. :) (Just like the original Canadian retreat that has been going since 2016 already!)

Also, I *really* hope tumblr doesn't die any time soon!! Please...

Tagging some people again below the cut.

Feel free to signal boost!

@alexaprilgarden @the-reading-lemon @atlinmerrick @shiplocks-of-love @frodosweetstuff @lisbeth-kk @totallysilvergirl @johnlockismyreligion @atikiology @constancecream @swissmissing @miadifferent @notallthosewhowander @raina-at @vanimelda4 @khorazir @fluffbyday-smutbynight

@amindamazed @jaimebluesq @dduane @jourqet @auroranibley @ewebie @keirgreeneyes @blogstandbygo @221beloved @inevitably-johnlocked @actually-a-girls-name @johnhwatsonblog @missdaviswrites @hubblegleeflower @unreconstructedfangirl

@loveismyrevolution @may-shepard @mslanna @kimmycup @jourquet @msladysmith @catlock-holmes @loki-lock @alexaprilgarden @three-patch-problem @aziraphalianfangirl @hellonewsletter

[mastercherry]

The overwhelming urge to write combined with the inability to focus on writing is a real killer for me.

[spenglernot]

STORIES TELLING: NED LOWE AND THE DEATH OF POOR REPRESENTATION IN OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH

In history, Ned Lowe was one of the most sadistic and violent pirates in the early 18th century, so he’s an obvious choice for a villain for season 2, episode 6 – Calypso’s Birthday.  What is interesting is what the OFMD writers chose to do with him.

Lowe announces himself to the crew of the Revenge with great fanfare (cannon ball attack) and gets right to the point.

Ed is thoroughly unimpressed.

Cut to Ed and Stede tied up while Ned attempts to set the mood so he can monologue about why he wants to kill Ed.

Ed knows what’s coming. He is going to suffer but he still can’t be arsed to meet Ned with anything but vaguely bored dismissiveness (and Stede is happy to play along).

Up on the deck, Ned prepares the crew for his big, dramatic moment of symphonic torture.

Note that the Revenge crew is tied down, braced by vices and generally unable to protect themselves from imminent torture and possible death, but their spirits are up. They don’t seem terribly fussed.

Then Stede uses his people positive management style to happily orchestrate a worker uprising in Ned’s crew.

Ned’s crew responds instantly; severing their allegiance to Lowe and telling him off.

The crew sails away and talks profit sharing while Ned dully threatens to hunt them down.

Ned is now a prisoner of the Revenge crew and seems entirely disinterested in his own survival.

And Ned sinks to the depths, without struggling at all.

There is a lot going on in this episode: pay and labor equity direct action, gay love engagement bliss, kink humor, Stede being a hero and saving his crew by playing to his strengths, then having to decide whether to kill in cold blood and feel the consequences of that choice. Ed having one more reason to be done with piracy (while being so impressed with and fond of Stede), and then watching his man make a fraught choice and having to deal with the fallout from that. (And, damn, I haven’t even mentioned the passionate sex bit.) Anyway, back to the point.

Now for the the meta part

The Ned Lowe sequences are perfectly in keeping with OFMD’s signature blend of madcap violence, humor, and big emotional gut punches. But something about Ned Lowe just strikes me as off for this show.

Ned is seriously threatening the crews’ lives, so why don’t they take him seriously?

Why does Ned have such a boring, throwaway backstory?

Why is Ned so nonchalant about his own death; like it’s a foregone conclusion?

Why does Ned have a silver violin and silver spurs on his slip-on dress shoes?

Why is Ned sartorially monochromatic?

And then I realized who Ned reminds me of.

This guy,

Earnst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever (1971)

And this guy,

Scar in Disney's The Lion King (1994).

And this guy,

Xerxes, 300 (2006).

And it sure seems like Ned Lowe isn’t just an episodic villain. He is an archetype of the one-dimensional, stereotypical queer-coded villain that has been endemic in film and television throughout history. The OFMD writers have a lot to say about what to do with this kind of character:

Don’t respect him.

Feel free to openly mock him.

Don’t let him take your joy, even though he will hurt you.

He won’t disappear on his own. You have to throw something at him (take action) to make him go away.

Once he’s in the water, he’s content to drown. He’s not into what he’s doing any more than you are.

Oh and, just to be clear,

The LGBTQIA+ community has a very long history of turning shit media into better stories. So, hey, big media, prepare to have your crap characters wrecked (improved).

Now, back to our transformative pirate show with rich, complex queer characters and a multi-layered plot that surprises me every week and makes me feel big feelings - most of all, joy.

Final thought: I do wonder if Ned Lowe is monochromatically silver as a tribute to/poke at, Hollywood and the silver screen.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

[zombee]

every so often i want to remind us, the rotted, that normies do not care about izzy. they think he's a fun part of a good show. through word of mouth i have gotten dozens of people into the pirate show and their reactions after two ranged from "oh yeah that was sad" to "he had a great arc" to "no real opinion." he is a normal guy to them. a funny guy who is now dead. that's it.