dimplyowl

[dimplyowl]

Goddess save me from people who think j that having a different opinion and voicing it is “hateful” and “bullying”.

[dimplyowl]

How is this bullying? Whoooo am I bullying?? This wasn’t directed at anyone specific, this was me stating an opinion, based on knowledge I have from being in vocal lessons for about 20 years, having a degree (though only a minor, not a major) in music with voice as my primary instrument, having played piano and flute, having been a part of the Milwaukee symphony choir… like do you have any idea how many people I’ve listened to who think they can sing. Or who can hold a tune, but the timbre of their voice is awful? Who think that they’re incredible?

People who don’t deserve them win awards all the fucking time. I’m not saying that Con doesn’t deserve this one, as I’m not familiar with this performance, and maybe he is genuinely very good. It was also 40 years ago, and people’s voices change.

People can also sound great singing different types of music. I personally really like Hugh Jackman, and I loved his performances in the Greatest Showman, but in Les Mis? Hit or miss for me. Similarly Russell Crowe is apparently great at pop-style music (I personally can’t say, I haven’t listened to any, this is just what I’ve heard) but he was just. Atrocious in Les Mis.

But based on the performance of Con I’ve seen, it’s my opinion that either this style of music was *wildly* not suited to his voice and skills, or he just is a mediocre singer. Not everyone who can hold a tune should be singing professionally. And I wanted to vent a little bit about it. Because people tend to heap praise on actors/writers/whatever they love for everything they do, tend to be biased in a positive spin for them, and believe that everyone should have the same opinion. And overexaggerate how good it is. Personally, his performance makes me cringe.

It’s not “hateful” to have a different opinion about a singer. What *is* hateful is coming onto a post that you didn’t need to interact with and calling the poster hateful and a bully just for having a different opinion. Like that would be like someone making a post about why they didn’t like a movie you loved and replying to them that they’re a bully because they had a different opinion. Like sometimes you need to vent about something that annoys you and you can just pass on by. You don’t need to interact. You *can* of course, but that’s just being a dick, honestly. I don’t need your opinion on how shitty my opinion is.

Okay I’m breaking my silence. Con’s voice is not good. His rendition of La Vie en Rose is bad. And grating. And his French pronunciation sucks. Sure he can hold a tune, but there’s so much more to singing than that that he doesn’t have, or isn’t trained in. Timbre. Intonation. Expression. Resonance. Breath control. Source: I’m a classically trained vocalist.

There. I said it. If I see one more fic talking about how beautiful/gorgeous/amazing/whatever Izzy’s singing is, I’m going to throw something. Surprising is fine. Because it was surprising (and out of left field) for Izzy to sing. But beautiful, it ain’t.

[dimplyowl]

OFMD is not an ensemble show and if you say it is you are objectively incorrect.

That’s not an interpretation. You’re just wrong.

[dimplyowl]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[dimplyowl]

Ed…! Stede….! ED! … STEDE!

I’d make a rubbish screenwriter.

If I’d written this scene, I’d have had Ed call out to Stede first to alert him to the fact he’d returned. ‘I’m back! And I’m over here’ sort of thing.

But it’s Stede that spots Ed and calls out to him. And it’s these bits of detail that make this show so precious to me.

The last time Stede saw Ed he was walking away having said their intimacy was a mistake, that ‘fishermen and pirates’ are nothing alike. And Stede lets him go because he knows Ed better than he knows himself. Knows he’s panicking, yet respects his agency.

And then Stede spots Ed across the battlefield. Blinks in slight disbelief. Possibly notices Ed’s back in his leathers. And he shouts to him. Shouts to his friend. Shouts to his lover. Shouts because he wants him desperately. Shouts to show Stede’s a constant in his life. All wrapped up in a single cry - ‘Ed!’

Ed has his back turned in combat when he hears his name in Stede’s voice. Until that moment, he doesn’t know whether Stede is alive. And Ed turns and just roars Stede’s name in return. And I always think the second, deeper ‘Stede!’ is like the bellow of a bull stud. It’s so visceral. So full of love and yearning and heat and wanting and promise. It comes from Ed’s core, from his bloody boots. There’s something of ‘Act of Grace!’ about it. A primal scream.

Stede tells Ed twice there’s nothing to forgive as they kiss; but he also does so by calling to Ed across that beach first. Stede doesn’t hesitate. He trusts Ed has returned for him, and Ed is fighting in the name of his love for Stede. And there is nothing Ed could do that would mean Stede didn’t want him to return.

Stede’s call continues to cast their love-story in the best light. It really is a true example of unconditional positive regard and the prizing of all aspects of the individual. There is always grace, and forever a way back to each other for these two. It’s the fullest meaning of Never Left.

[dimplyowl]

I live here now

[dimplyowl]

As LGBTQ+ representation continues to disappear from our screens, it’s important for us to be loud and advocate for queer stories in media.

Angel Wilson from The Geekiary shares their thoughts on what we as fans can do to make our voices heard

[dimplyowl]

OFMD is not an ensemble show and if you say it is you are objectively incorrect.

That’s not an interpretation. You’re just wrong.

[dimplyowl]

stede, wrapped around ed like a dumpling, in a tentatively cheerful whisper: …hey,

ed, still sniffly but mostly cried out: mm?

stede: …i’ve got one for you.

ed, perking up a little bit: oh—yeah? alright, go ahead

stede: what would you do…

ed: mhm?

stede: …if we lived on a cloud?

ed: ….if we lived on a cloud?

stede: mhm. if we lived, let’s say, on a landscape of clouds and our house was on a cloud. made of clouds, maybe.

ed: oh. what do they feel like? are they soft?

stede: of course! they’re, mmm…something like rabbit fur? but not as smooth.

ed: hmm

stede: puffy. cottony.

ed: and it’s everywhere, right? all over the place?

stede: it’s everywhere. we’re living in cloudland.

ed: ok. umm. well first thing i’d do i think is… play with the clouds?

stede, rubbing ed’s back encouragingly: oh yeah?

ed: like maybe… maybe we go outside and pick up some cloud and it’s soft and. it’s dry, but kind of… squidgy, almost. and. so maybe you can. you can make it into shapes

stede: ooh, what kind of shapes?

ed: i think i’d try to make a kite. d’you think—

stede: that’s a fun choice, i like that

ed: because—well, ok, does air pass through it? the clouds—cloudstuff?

stede: this stuff? not all the air, i don’t think so

ed: because clouds sail, y’know, they sort of…sail across the sky, that’s the wind. and these clouds are even more solid, cause we’re standing on them

stede: so you could make a kite. i could see that

ed: yeah and weave some—and spin some string for it

stede: i’ll make the tail

ed: ok. make it a really fancy one though

stede: oh, i will, i promise

ed: maybe it—

stede: fancy.

ed: maybe it’s got a swirl to it. a little swirl

stede: like a spiral?

ed: mhm. yeahp. like a—or a, a, it’s got lace trim, or a—ruffly, maybe.

stede: i could do that. i think i could

ed: ruffly lace

stede: maybe a fringe? maybe ribbons

ed: im putting fringe on the kite too

stede: oh, all round the edges?

ed: yeah i think so

stede: now, what shape is this? standard diamond?

ed: well yeah that’s what i was…or…we could do more of—it could be something cool, i guess, like a dragon

stede: ahhhh that would look neat, wouldn’t it. with a ruffly tail

ed: yeayeayea a fancy kind of tail, right, and scales. lacy scales

stede: oh, that’s brilliant

ed: it’s not too complicated, though?

stede: no, i’m picturing it right now. i think it looks fantastic

[dimplyowl]

Thinking about what a ball of stress and anxiety and yet also relief Stede must have been on that first night having Ed back. He was probably in and out of bed all night worrying about Ed being okay, making sure he was really still there alive and breathing. But also relief that Ed wasn’t actually dead, all mixed with the feeling knowing he almost lost him. All he probably wanted to do was snuggle up to Ed and listen to his heartbeat but they just weren’t at that point yet so all Stede could do was toss and turn and walk around the ship and periodically check in on Ed (who he gave the bed in the captain’s cabin to of course)

[dimplyowl]

idk if this is just me but rabies is exactly like if something was made up specifically to fuck with people with OCD. you're telling me there's a disease endemic to large portions of the world that can live in my body with no symptoms for years? once symptoms start it is 100% You Die Disease? and one of its major vectors where i live is an extremely common animal with teeth so small it's possible not to even notice it bit you? surely i can get vaccinated though--ah, no, you need a "reason" or they don't give you the shot. the standard of prevention is Vigilance, Checking, and Avoiding Certain Behaviors, things that my brain is very good at doing in a healthy way, for sure. eat my ass.

[dimplyowl]

i think the best genre of image is "creatures trapped in starbucks cups with receipts reading [cup of water (no water, no ice, creature)]"

[dimplyowl]

See, y'know, I don't think "ruthless" is really an appropriate word to describe Ed. I mean, yeah, there's the pirate of it all, but OFMD doesn't operate with irl standards towards this stuff. If anything, Ed's got the opposite of ruthlessness going on (he is full of ruths?). There are certainly times when you could make the argument he's behaving cruelly, but that's not his base state and it's always informed by extreme emotional turmoil where he's feeling forced to behave that way. If anything, Ed is extremely prone to just rolling over, not getting his way, and letting people treat him like shit.

Stede, though. STEDE. I adore my guy Stede, but he's where I think we run into some real potential for unchecked anger issues and ruthlessness. Stede is the kind of guy who feels like he has a lot to prove, and even when he's perfectly capable of resolving things with his own style, we see him resort to violence purely out of seeking social approval or just because he wants to. We're talking about a guy who easily manipulated a boat full of assholes into setting themselves on fire (not just because Ed was hurt, either, but clearly also because he's getting personal satisfaction out of it). I think killing Ned Low is the perfect example - Stede has already won, and in the real world I'm sure it would be dangerous to let Ned live, but if that was a genuine concern in this world, someone would've mentioned it (not least of all Ed, who is the one to directly say to Stede that he doesn't have to kill Ned). Stede kills Ned not because he has to but because he wants to, because Ned hurt Ed and the crew and (not least of all) because Ned insulted Stede by calling him a pet, someone who can't take care of himself or hold his own as a man.

Basically. We need more fics where Stede is allowed to be angry and violent in response to shit, where Ed gets captured and Stede burns cities to the ground to save him, where they get through the bad shit and Stede's still struggling with feeling like he has to bite people in the throat for being rude to Ed.

[dimplyowl]

Stede Bonnet and his every amazing colour Auxiliary Wardrobe! I contributed four pieces to this beautiful zine but I actually drew a lot more. My original concept was to do a piece for every colour of the progress pride flag, and that proved ambitious but I am still cooking with that idea 👀

In the meantime please enjoy Stede trying on a fabulous corset and a red velvet bolero. This was actually an outfit prompt from @apex-nadir - thank you for sending me a gorgeous mood board for inspiration and I hope you like this fancy little Stede!

The devil is really in the details with this one, I had so much fun.

Please check out the Auxiliary Wardrobe Zine on Kofi!

[dimplyowl]

Okay I’m breaking my silence. Con’s voice is not good. His rendition of La Vie en Rose is bad. And grating. And his French pronunciation sucks. Sure he can hold a tune, but there’s so much more to singing than that that he doesn’t have, or isn’t trained in. Timbre. Intonation. Expression. Resonance. Breath control. Source: I’m a classically trained vocalist.

There. I said it. If I see one more fic talking about how beautiful/gorgeous/amazing/whatever Izzy’s singing is, I’m going to throw something. Surprising is fine. Because it was surprising (and out of left field) for Izzy to sing. But beautiful, it ain’t.

[dimplyowl]

Behold the testprint!

I need to work on some tiny details and get the printing cleaner but overall this is it!

The Revenge in Stede's slutty hand!

[dimplyowl]

on rewatch with a little distance from the season drop i actively like izzy's redemption arc for the first four episodes; there's a few tweaks i'd make to get some stuff to read more clearly if i had a magic wand but the overall arc of it is great. ep 5 & ep 6 izzy is suddenly surprisingly boring, but like, whatever, kind of a dull direction they took him in but it's fine?

and then in episode 7 it suddenly hits a hard wall of He Would Not Fucking Say That. i understand how he responded to the crew and to stede in the earlier episodes and i think that stuff is great and i could see that shifting his attitudes toward ed and ed's relationship with stede, but not this completely this fast, and furthermore even if it HAD shifted this fast i still would not buy him actually saying all that stuff OUT LOUD perfectly comfortably and walking around SMILING like he is a guy who doesn't even MIND talking about feelings and stuff now. ep 7's izzy specifically is the one i just don't find credible, and i don't think it's the fault of jes tom and natalie torres, it's a truncated season and the way the storybreaking went there were izzy beats they had to get into this episode and i'm not sure there's any possible way for those beats to be written that would have sold them. but it's so abrupt it makes me feel just unable to emotionally engage with this guy as having anything to do with the character i knew before this point, and when you get to his death the only part i can really summon any reaction at all to is the catharsis ed gets out of izzy apologizing, because the guy who's dying really feels like an entirely new character i only just met and did not find interesting.