#'homosexual relationships' as also a massive red flag

[interpolationz]

clicked into a blog to check it out and their pinned post is part justifying that consuming secular media isn't inherently sinful and then a list that looks something like "against astrology, tarot cards, homosexual relationships, and murder"

murder?? also thanks for the warning right into the block list omg

[biceratops7]

Why Calico Jack is even worse than we thought:

I am in no way saying Jack is a badly written character. As a matter of fact, this man is a fucking diabolical master class of story telling.

I think one of the writers’ greatest strengths is laying exactly the correct amount of cards on the table. The only information we’re ever verbally given about Ed and Jack’s past is that they had a sexual relationship. Everything else we must glean from historical context (yes ofmd actually does stick to some), what we know about Ed, and how we see Jack treat people.

Let’s kick off with how Jack treats people cause that’s the key idea, mainly the fact that he sees them as objects. He treats the crew as mere accessories to his games, whether they’re on board or not has absolutely no effect on whether or not he’ll involve them. Ed is not an exception to this mindset. He’s a pretty hyper person so he’s mostly down for Jack’s antics, but as soon as Ed very visibly expresses discomfort at breakfast when Jack will not shut tf up about his past, it’s clear he couldn’t give two shits.

There’s also, of course, the way he uses Stede as a punching bag to both drive Ed away from him and just for his own amusement. This is made even worse by the fact that Stede has trouble expressing his needs and Ed has pretty significant trouble reading “between the lines” in social situations. What really breaks my heart and puts up massive red flags for me is that Ed cannot seem to tell the difference between Stede’s genuine love and care for him vs Jack being ✨passive aggressive✨ and manipulative. When Jack is uncomfortablely homophobic to Stede and uncaring of the crew’s feelings or safety, unless it is extremely obvious the vibe has been killed beyond repair, Ed seems to think it’s all in good fun.

(And in case anyone’s gonna say this is insulting Ed’s intelligence or infantilizing him, no. Droves of incredibly smart and capable people have issues with social cues that cause tangible problems. I am one of these people. So don’t insult my intelligence.)

Right now let’s take a detour out of universe, bare with me here. If you’re gonna be trying to gain an understanding of homophobia throughout history, there are two very important things to know.

1. It often wasn’t an all or nothing thing

2. Homophobia is deeply rooted in, if not a direct descendant of sexism.

Society’s relationship with sex in general was pretty shit until recent history (and honestly we’re still not quite there yet). If you were really lucky then yes, it was a fun activity you did with someone you love. But just as marriage for Stede had to mean a transaction, sex for a lot of people meant achievement in conquest, winning the commodity of women. Remember when I said homophobia was deeply rooted in sexism? Well basically gay sex was not exempt from these constructs. Mixed with the generations old irrational fear that society will fall if men and women “forget their places”, there were worse social consequences for those who, well, did “the woman’s” part. In some times and places there were even legal consequences specifically for them but not the other person.

(This is part of the reason why I get so frustrated when people say “ofmd doesn’t have homophobia, it just has people hating effeminacy” because y’all it’s the same damn thing. You wanna know where the hell discrimination against gay men even comes from?? It’s most likely the damn belief that the “natural order” will be upset by men taking on an effeminate role! Ofmd doesn’t just showcase homophobia, it does so in its purest form.)

Alright then, back to Jack (fuck this is long-)

Jack clearly isn't ashamed of his homosexuality, in fact he's boasting about it. Because to him and clearly most people at the time (gay or straight), sex isn't about love, it's about conquest. And if that handy dandy sword fight allegory tells us anything, then the way Jack sees it he's more than earned bragging rights. Yet another way Jack and Stede obviously contrast. Stede sees Ed as a person he loves and respects, Jack sees him as not only Blackbeard but a spoil he's won.

So he isn’t just trying to make Stede jealous by revealing he’s Ed’s ex. He’s made an educated guess and inferred that Stede probably… well to put it bluntly “buggered” Ed. (As in topped with Ed’s consent, I realized my prudishness accidentally makes it look like I’m talking about non-con. I’m not talking about non-con during any of this.) Jack’s assuming Stede may be using this fact to boost his ego and wants to knock him down a peg.

But of course Stede is not a piece of shit and therefore Jack’s attempt to drag him into this bullshit falls on its face, so he does the next best thing and pees on his boots. You know, as you do /s. If Stede refuses to participate in a literal pissing contest that objectifies and degrades his friend, then Jack will adjust in no time flat and throw his wait around some other way.

I’m willing to bet real money that Jack blabs of his “exploits” with the king of Pirates the exact same way he’d brag about any other feat of manhood to everyone and their mother. The only reason he’s not doing it in front of the crew is because be know’s Ed would hate it and feel cheated/ violated. And I don’t think getting his ass handed to him by Blackbeard was on his itinerary for the day.

[mnemememory]

they are SO GAY you guys

“No, you don’t understand,” she says. “They’re really gay.”

“They can be very homosexually active in your comic,” Mr. Sharpe says. “But in this television series there will be less of an emphasis on the…romantic aspects of their relationship, and more of a – let’s call it a ‘very strong friendship’.”

“Let’s not,” Jester says.

(set in the same universe as this)

.

“Beau! They’re going animate my comic!”

The lump on top of Beau’s bed doesn’t even twitch as the apartment door slams open. Jester pouts for a moment, and then launches herself across the room to jump onto the mattress. Beau lets out a squawk of indignation and rolls out of bed, taking half of the blankets with her.

“What?” Beau says, sitting up on the ground and rubbing her head. Her hair is in complete disarray, coming out of its sloppy updo, and her makeup has smudged itself into the pillow. Jester is too excited to care; she’s practically bouncing up and down on the bed, unable to contain her excitement.

“Beau! Beau!” Jester says, rolling out of Beau’s bed so she can land next to her. Beau subtly leans away, rubbing at her eyes and checking her sweatpants for her phone. Nineteen missed calls. Thirty-seven texts. “They’re going to animate Tusk Love!”

Beau blinks a few times, and then seems to actually wake up. She looks up at Jester, a massive smile forming on her face.

“That’s incredible,” she says, grabbing onto Jester’s muscled forearm and pulling her into a hug. Jester laughs into her chest, feeling warm and bubbly. “I’m so proud of you, Jessie.”

“Thank you,” Jester says, snuggling closer. She can’t stop smiling. Her Mama had been so proud of her when she had called right after the initial contact – and the checkout lady at the supermarket had seemed really sweet about it, and the stranger on the corner-side who was trying to peddle support for the Moonweaver, and also that nice man at the flower store –

There’s a loud thump on the wall, and a muffled voice comes through:

“We’ve discussed this!” Mollymauk yells. “If you’re going to have sex, keep it down!”

Jester is having such a good day.

.

Today sucks.

“I’m sorry,” Jester says. She doesn’t stop smiling. “I don’t think I understand what you’re saying.”

The man in front of her has a rather pained look on his face, which would be amusing under pretty much any other circumstance. He was a tall man, with a receding hairline and a creepy-looking moustache that Jester wanted to lean over and poke to see if it was real.  His hair was very obviously dyed – far too dark to be natural, especially paired with the sallowness of his skin and the wrinkles around his eyes that Botox just wasn’t hiding anymore.

“As stated in your contract,” he says, and pauses.

“They’re gay,” Jester says blankly.

“Yes, I understand, but –”

“They’re in a very sexually active relationship.”

“Yes, but –”

“Their dicks have touched. Quite a few times.”

Mr. Sharpe. “That’s not what – Ms. Lavorre, the validity of your characters sexualities isn’t in question. However, the contract you signed stipulates that we can change certain aspects of the narrative that could be – damaging –”

“Being gay isn’t damaging anyone!”

Mr. Sharpe ploughs through. “Damaging to our reputation. We’re adapting out their relationship.”

Jester sighs. “No, you don’t understand,” she says. “They’re really gay.”

“They can be very homosexually active in your comic,” Mr. Sharpe says. “But in this television series there will be less of an emphasis on the…romantic aspects of their relationship, and more of a – let’s call it a ‘very strong friendship’.”

“Let’s not,” Jester says, crossing her arms over her chest and sliding petulantly down in her chair.

The meeting had been setting off all of Jester’s red flags from minute one. Mr. Sharpe had introduced himself and urged her to sit down, and then commented on how he was a “fan of her mother’s work”. While this wouldn’t usually be too much of a cause for concern – Jester was very proud of her Mama, after all – coming from a fifty-something man with a bad moustache, it hadn’t been exactly welcome.

Things had only gone downhill from there.

“We started the brainstorming sessions for the script last week,” he says, ignoring the awkward silence that has fallen between them upon the revelation that he and his company are going to ruin her baby. Oskar could never be straight! “We’ve got a very accomplished scriptwriter for the job – you might know her from The Scent of the Sea and Rosed Embrace –”

Jester squints at him suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Mr. Sharpe smiles condescendingly at her. “She’s won a lot of awards for us,” he says. “I’m not heading this project – I’ll introduce you to the director later – but I’m going to be your main go-between for it. They’ve very excited to be working on this.”

“Even if you’re erasing my main love story,” she says.

“My company bought the rights to your work because it had an intriguing plot – two best friends –”

“Boyfriends,” Jester insists, smile turning slightly strained.

“Trying to be together while their families go to war. It’s a very compelling read. Or so I’ve been told. I haven’t actually read it, of course – we’re managing a lot of projects. The projected ad revenue alone from your website certainly says good things, though.”

“Thank you,” Jester says stiffly.

Mr. Sharpe clears his throat and checks the time on his computer. “I trust that you’ll be working with us to make our adaptation of Tusk Love as popular as the comic is,” he says.

Jester flexes her fingers. This whole time, she hasn’t stopped smiling.

“Oh, yes,” she says. “This whole thing is going to be very fun.”

.

Greetings of the Traveller!

Welcome to the patreon of The Court Jester – otherwise known as Jester Lavorre – creator of the widely acclaimed VERY GAY comic-book series Tusk Love. It is a story of revenge, murder, political intrigue, more murder, sex (well, the NSFW stuff is hidden over here :P), and most of all – VERY GAY romance. It’s so gay you guys. Very homosexual. Oskar and Guin are in a relationship and their dicks touch. All the time. There are a lot of dicks in my comic book series. Pledge information to the side!

[last edited: yesterday]

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