#Hornigold Week

[dracothelizard]

I was just minding my own business when I was hit in the head with an idea for Hornigold Week, so here we are.

Pairings: Stede Bonnet/Benjamin Hornigold (I think I'm in the first to have written that?? Well done, self!)

Rating: Explicit and Dead Dove

Summary:

Captain Hornigold seems to be around his father’s age, and there’s some silver in his dark hair. He has a short-cropped, well-maintained beard, a barrel chest under a plain white shirt, and leather trousers that hug strong thighs. His leather boots come to just below his knees. “And who are you?” he demands, crossing his thick arms over his chest as he stares down at Stede, his face impassive.

“St-Stede Bonnet, Captain!” Stede aims for a salute, and his cheeks redden when he hears Izzy mutter something about how they’re pirates, not the fucking navy.

“Stede Bonnet, hm?” Captain Hornigold’s voice is curious, and he looks at the travel bags. “And you’re here to join my crew?”

“Yes, Captain!” Stede lowers his arm, not sure what to do. “I’m very keen! And capable!”

Stede Bonnet is on a trip with his father when he meets Eddie and Jack, two pirates on-board the Ranger. Eager to escape the stifling future ahead of him, Stede runs away. After all, serving under Captain Hornigold can't be worse than staying with his family, right?

HEED THE TAGS.

[arsenicflame]

i think the thing for me about edizzy is the potential of it all- we know they have history together, but we don't know what it is, how long it went on for, what it meant for them. there's endless possibilities there to explore, and any of them could be real! or not! but theres so much to explore with them and its so fun to imagine all the what-if's and could-have-beens of their relationship

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

notes of this poll made me curious:

[rockscanfly]

something something “you know me better than anyone has ever known me” something something “I loved you. best I could”, something something Familiarity breeds contempt, relationships as self-context, someone who knows your past may be in the worst spot to understand your potential for change, emotional inertia, cycles of abuse, so on—

A lot of people think Izzy is fooling himself with that line. And sure, Izzy Hands didn’t know that Ed killed his own dad. But Izzy knew Ed wasn’t actually fine, after Stede left. He wasn’t getting *better* with the depression robe and the singing. He was just running, again. From himself, his actions, his emotions. Again. And Izzy has lived through *decades* of Ed pulling that kind of shit, of deflections and obfuscation. He miscalculated, yeah. But Ed wasn’t going to get better if Izzy had just kept his mouth shut. Something was going to set him off, sooner or later. Because Ed still hasn’t grown from the guy who sets people on fire and has them skinned with oyster forks then slumps through weeks long depression cycles.

Nothing about Ed and Stede’s first relationship actually forced Ed into confronting his own self-compartmentalization (and boy can a bitch compartmentalize. The Kraken, Izzy being the one to kill him in the dream, Hornigold, who he was with Jack, Jeff the accountant, just Ed—babygirl at some point you are going to have to decide who you are if you ever stand a chance of getting what you want). They were going to run away to China because it meant NEITHER of them had to deal with being the people who have done what they’ve done. If Stede and Ed had made it off that island together then they wouldn’t have grown.

On the flip side, Izzy was never going to be able to save Ed from himself because their relationship was static before meeting Stede. They’ve been together for so long that nothing Izzy says *counts* as new input (the first genuinely surprising thing Izzy ever does in-show is surviving killing himself). Iz is an extension of Ed, which is why he’s subject to torture and derision and punishment in a way no one else was. Ed fucking HATES himself. Izzy is a part of him.

So, yeah. Ed loved Izzy the BEST that he could love himself—poorly, mercilessly, as willing to hack off parts of Izzy’s body as he was entire facets of his own personality and history. So Izzy was never going to pull Ed out of the suicidal pit he’s been in for years. Knowledge, knowing someone, that doesn’t mean insight. Izzy’s so close to Ed that their perspective is practically a perfect overlay. There’s no new angles, no way to see where the light could shine through.

That’s why Ed needed Stede. The complete and total lack of context allowed Stede to take Ed as he was, to question him and force Ed to ask questions of himself that Izzy simply was not capable of. Ed is a social chameleon—he changes himself constantly to fit the image he thinks other people have of him. Stede refuses to provide the Blackbeard scaffold. There’s no context to cling to, no familiar script to follow. Stede has his own narratives and pre-conceived notions, but they’re NEW.

Context, perspective—you need both to get a whole image of a person. Maybe Stede and Izzy working together this season will finally be enough to help Ed see himself in a light that allows him to love what he sees in the mirror.

[veeagainsttheday]

Two lines from OFMD s2 have been rotating around in my head for the last few weeks. 

The first is from s2e3, when Ed is speaking with Hornigold about his sandals, and Hornigold tells him that he always has to have an angle. Ed responds by saying, ‘Nah, mate, I’m actually just a very simple man’ before sharing his thoughts about opening an inn. 

The second is in s2e7, after Ed left Stede, when Stede and Izzy are in Jackie’z. Izzy says to Stede, ‘You know what he did when I told him I loved him? He shot me,’ as Stede says, ‘He shot you. I know.’ Izzy continues, ‘He’s a complicated man.’ Stede doesn’t respond; they look at each other for a moment and then the scene ends. 

First of all - that line of Izzy’s about Ed shooting him when Izzy told Ed he loved him makes me want to start ripping my hair out in frustration. Ed shot Izzy when Izzy announced in front of the crew that vibes were bad because of Ed’s feelings for Stede Bonnet. Ed responded to Izzy saying he loved Ed by making a noise of disgust and walking out of the conversation. So it’s fascinating that Izzy has reframed the event in this way (and not the first time we hear him reframe it - as he tells Lucius a shark took his leg). Stede obviously heard that Ed shot Izzy (he says, ‘shooting people’s legs off’ in the list of reasons why Ed’s in the sackcloth at the start of s2e5), but we have no idea where he heard it from or who told him why. The way he says, ‘I know,’ to Izzy in s2e7 gives me the impression that he’s heard Izzy say it a number of times - he sounds weary. I’m guessing Ed’s never told Stede what really happened, nor any of the crew who witnessed it. But if I could ask the writers about one line from s2, I really think this would be it - I just don’t know how to interpret it (and if anyone has any ideas, I’d love to hear them below!). 

Anyway. Back to those two lines. Ed says he’s ‘actually just a very simple man’ in response to being misunderstood by Hornigold (actually his own self-consciousness). For two seasons, Ed’s been attempting to communicate that he’s got a simple, reasonable desire to retire from a dangerous, violent career and be with the man he loves. Izzy’s response has been to deny Ed that, to call Ed insane, try to keep him in piracy by whatever means he can, and of course try to get Stede killed. By the time Ed’s in the gravy basket, he’s arguing even in his own head that he’s a simple man, with a simple desire for the future. 

Then we come to s2e7, and Izzy still doesn’t get it. He still thinks Ed is a complicated man, he still thinks Ed is acting in a way that doesn’t make sense or requires some convoluted explanation. It’s notable to me that Stede doesn’t agree - we know from s2e3 (and, ya know, the rest of the show) that Stede understands Ed deeply.  Then I think about Ed talking to the ‘wolf’ in s2e4 - ‘It’s a very rare thing to find someone who understands you,’ he says, tears in his eyes, obviously missing Stede but also - fuck, man, that scene with the rabbit is so funny but makes me so sad for Ed, because he really does have a pretty simple desire and he’s spent months - implied years - being told that he’s crazy for having it.

[musicallyfomentingchaos]

Season two has done such a good job of reminding us that it's not about Stede and it has never really been about Stede.

It was about Stede when Ed cried under that blanket fort. It was about Stede when he sang that song. But then it wasn't. Ed loved Stede and felt rejected by Stede, but we all have to remember that the spiral came after Izzy.

Izzy said that Ed wasn't enough. Izzy would never care about Ed, only Blackbeard, a person that Ed made up, a character that he played. And Ed, who has been told his whole that he's not enough for god, for Hornigold, for his own father, spirals. Of course he does. Even the man who has been by his side for decades, who he knows and trusts more than anyone, can't love him. It's not Izzy's fault. There was always going to be a straw to break the camel's back.

So Edward Teach decides to kill himself. The Kraken is so much more than a bad breakup, it's a suicide. But wherever you go, there you are, so Ed tries again. Maybe beheading someone will kill Edward Teach. Maybe slaughtering everyone at a wedding. Maybe if he raids every single day, there won't be enough time for Edward Teach to get back up.

His death wish in episode 2 is his realization: the only way to kill Edward Teach is to go all the way with it. Edward Teach will be a part of his life, so he has to end it. And that realization changes him. He's calm, sober, even happy. Of course he is, the plan he's been working on for months is finally coming to fruition. Edward Teach is going to die.

And when you think about how much he hates Edward Teach, you understand why he shows no mercy. Edward Teach shows mercy. You understand why he can't be sober. Edward Teach is sober. You understand why he can't love Stede. Edward Teach loves Stede.

He lashes out at the mention of Stede's name because the second he hears it, he's pulled back into those weeks where he was Edward Teach. Full time. No Blackbeard, no masks, Edward Teach. Stede got him to spend so much time with Edward Teach. It's not about Stede anymore.

You realize that their reunion can't be a happy one. Stede may have pulled Ed off the brink, but that doesn't resolve any of the trauma and self hate. Ed has to figure that out, because Edward Teach loves Stede, and he can't love Stede until he can figure out how to stop trying to kill Edward Teach.

[jellybeanium124]

when was the first time you think ed really felt safe? he never felt safe as a child. he never felt safe on hornigold's crew. how many years after earning the blackbeard legend do you think it took? or did he never really feel safe until the revenge? there's the more literal question of physical safety; at some point was ed assured enough in his role as captain/blackbeard he no longer had to fear physical threats. but how many years on the planet did he live without even that? 25ish? and how long did it take him to really believe and internalize no one was going to physically threaten him/torture him ever again? another year? 2? 5?

and as for emotional safety, I think we can pretty safely assume it's not till, at the earliest, 1x05 during "you wear fine things well", and the latest, 1x07, after izzy left and the plan to kill stede was off his conscience. ed's barely spent a few weeks in his entire life feeling completely and utterly safe, physically and emotionally. when you put that in perspective, how little time ed's had on earth to be just ed without fear, it puts his reaction to izzy's speech into perspective. this feeling you barely got to taste? this assurance of safety? you don't get to have it. I am making sure of that personally. you won't ever get to have it ever again. you will life in fear for the rest of your life. that physical safety you think you finally earned isn't real, and certainly not the emotional safety you barely got to hold.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

tiny prompt for you: Ed and Stede have a “pamper yourself” kind of spa day

"You know," Ed said, pushing his sunglasses down his nose so he could actually look at Stede (the plastic sunglasses from Claire's were cute, but not great for actually seeing out of), "this is fun. This is really fun."

He'd thought Stede might be falling asleep at the other end of the bathtub, but at that he wrinkled his nose, reaching up to slowly remove the cucumber slices from his eyes. "This is fun," he agreed. "I think I heard a but coming on, though."

They'd just properly moved in together, and it had been a long fucking week. Ed had been living out of a drawer at Stede's place for a while, and when their leases were both up, they'd decided to go in together on a bigger apartment, one with room for an at-home painting studio for Ed and a big kitchen for Stede.

It had been a long week, full of moving boxes and painting and assembling new furniture, but now it was the weekend, and Ed woke up with a sore knee and Stede had a sore back, so they just...hadn't done any of that stuff today. A spa day, Stede suggested, and they quickly discovered they'd neither of them ever really had something like that before.

It had been pretty amazing, honestly. They'd gotten dressed in fun, comfy clothes, Stede choosing to just wear his favorite golden robe and Ed deciding to try out a soft, fun rainbow pastel skirt he'd been a bit too nervous to take outside the house yet. They'd made DIY face scrubs, did each other's hair up with fun hair clips, painted each other's nails, and now they were finally getting to chill in the bathtub they'd picked specifically because it was big enough for the both of them.

"It's a very silly but," Ed hedged, scooping up a handful of bubbles from their bath and arranging them carefully along Stede's chin.

"I love all your buts," Stede said, far too earnestly for a guy with a bubble beard. "Well - maybe one butt more than others -"

"I knew it," Ed pretended to groan, tossing his head back in faux dispair. "I knew you were just in this relationship for my ass."

"I mean, your ass is great," Stede laughed, "but right now I'm waiting to hear about that but."

"Alright, alright." Ed pulled his knees up, rubbing his pruned thumbs over the soap-slippery skin, looking down at the iridescent water. "This is really fun. But. It kinda feels like...I dunno, that I'm not supposed to get this. Y'know what I mean?"

"Mm, yeah," Stede hummed thoughtfully. "Like...like someone's gonna come in here and start yelling at us."

"Yeah," Ed mumbled, resting his chin on his knees. "That's it, that's the feeling exactly."

"Well." Stede got himself a handful of bubbles, and he put his right on the tip of Ed's nose. "That's not gonna happen. Because - because fuck anyone who says we don't deserve this."

It still sounded like Stede was trying to convince himself, too.

"Yeah," Ed whispered, and then - "fuck you, dad!"

"Whoo!" Stede cheered, accidentally flinging bubbles when he tossed a hand in the air. "Fuck your dad, and my dad - fuck you, Nigel!"

"Yeah, fuck 'im!" Ed whooped. "Fuck you, Hornigold! We're taking a bubble bath and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"

"We're not getting out of this tub until we please," Stede announced. "Just try and make us! We're relaxing!"

"We're unwinding!"

Stede rested his hand on the rim of the tub, smiling when Ed reached out to lace their fingers together. "And no one can tell us we don't get to do things like this. Ever again."

Still hard to believe that, maybe. But even once they got out of their bath, they'd trade shoulder massages, and feed each other pieces of cake, and Ed would pout until Stede carried him to bed. And, as it turned out, Stede was quite right - no one would ever get to tell them they didn't deserve soft, sweet days like this, ever again.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Ok so apparently there's a new Ed is abusive argument cropping up that's like taking us arguing that Ed's not a domestic abuser in a vacuum and arguing "but he abused his crew" as if that was the take that people were arguing with but I do actually want to address that take because it's also straight up not true either.

Like we have been repeatedly told you what business as usual for a pirate ship looks like, and it's not what Ed is doing. Stede opens the show with floggings and keelhaulings mentioned as standard practice. His crew doesn't take him seriously at least partially because he doesn't do those things. In 1.08 we get the first mention of captain Hornigold as having stabbed and beaten down Jack and Ed and having treated them worse than dogs. Episode 9 we get captain Izzy and what's the first thing he does? Threatened to withhold food for a whole week. Then we meet Hornigold who reveals that a punishment on his ship was a crab clawing through your stomach and that a standard threat was skinning a person and feeding it back to them.

And what does Ed do? Cuts off his abuser's toes. Shoots him in the leg for having the most gaslighting audacity I've ever seen. But aside from Izzy, in regards to whom I have cell block tango cued up for Ed, what did he actually do?

The first time someone expresses discontent is after the wedding raid which I think is probably towards the end of the 89 raids given that Izzy has his breakdown immediately after Ed throws them a cake party, in fact I would guess that it's raid number 88, they do raid 89 in between Izzy getting shot and Ed telling Frenchie they're never going back to land, and then Ed decides to kill himself that night. So anyway, raid 88, they've been doing this for 3 months, and Jim says "Is it just me or was the wedding thing a bit over the line?" to which Archie responds "IDK I've never really been to a wedding before so I have nothing to compare it to." as if she's just happy to be there, and then Fang says "I've never seen Blackbeard like this before," Which establishes that what we're going through right now, the 88 soon to be 89 raids are atypical of Ed's behavior, and then follows it up with "He didn't bat an eye when Ivan got killed" which establishes both why Ivan isn't around and why Fang is so sad, but also might establish that Ed would be upset with crewmembers dying, which is consistent with episode 4 when he yells at Stede that the crew dying is going to be his fault to show him what it's like being Blackbeard.

Then we have the scene where the crew defy Ed. Ed orders them to dump the treasure overboard, because it's fucking treasure. What's Ed's response? To take another one of Izzy's toes so that he looks like he cares about enforcing rules on his ship while not punishing the people actually going against him but instead punishing the guy who low key ruined his life. Then Izzy does his "you can cut off my toes but I need to know that this is a sexual thing for you too" bit and Ed doesn't take the bait until he says a Stedeism. And then he goes out to threaten everyone with a gun, which, you know. Not great but he ends it like this so

you know. something to consider.

and then he doesn't really do anything to the crew until the murder-suicide.

so his list of crimes currently is:

not really giving a fuck about Ivan dying where Fang can see it

Dismembering his abuser where people who don't have the full context can see it (not a crime just a based action that has side effects for the people who have to see it)

waving a gun around in a way that makes you wonder if he's about to shoot himself in the head

trying so so so so so so hard to get people to kill him because he's addicted to outsourcing the big job

Demanding the crew dump treasure overboard (standard practice if Zheng Yi Sao is to be believed)

Overworking the crew a little bit.

When we measure this against the stick of every non Stede pirate captain we've seen so far I think what these crimes amount to is hurting your friends in the process of hurting yourself. And that using the term abuse which calls to mind a very specific phenomenon is one of two things: Melodramatic moralizing (which is the internet's fav thing to do so you know what sure) or demonizing the brown guy in the midst of a mental health crisis.

I honestly think that outside of the murder suicide the only reason anyone had a problem with any of it was because Stede showed them what piracy could be like, that's the whole narrative point right. Stede's doing things differently, in a way that doesn't hurt everyone involved, and nobody wants to go back to the old way, because they're healing from that and Ed stopped healing because Someone told him that if he didn't there would be a fucking problem(wonder who it could have been). Like he's not even flogging anyone be serious.

[collinrobinsonsglasses]

The Blanket Fort

Edward Teach/Blackbeard x Reader (GN)

Word Count: 1,224 words

Summary: Blackbeard noticed you were having a hard week, so he builds you a blanket fort to cheer you up. <3 Some fluff, and some kissing.

Masterlist

The Blanket Fort 

You were enduring a particularly grueling day aboard the ship. Blackbeard had recently enlisted a handful of fresh faces into the crew, thrusting the seasoned sailors into the role of mentors while simultaneously picking up the additional workload. The past few weeks had taken a toll, leaving you utterly drained. In moments like these, you found yourself lost in daydreams, yearning for a life outside of piracy. 

Your journey on The Queen Anne’s Revenge began from its beginning. Edward had enlisted you during your shared time sailing under Hornigold’s command. Over the years, a strong bond had formed between you, Edward, and Izzy. Anyone who was observing your dynamic today would probably assume you weren’t close with anyone on the ship. 

You chose to keep a low profile, focusing on your tasks without engaging in conversation. Your interactions with the crew were minimal, limited to responding to the first mate only when directly questioned. Despite Edward’s presence on deck for a while, you made no attempt to initiate a conversation with him. The day had left you drained, devoid of the energy required for social interactions. 

As the afternoon wore on, you couldn’t help but observe the absence of Izzy and Blackbeard from the bustling deck. A sense of relief washed over you as the weight of Izzy’s watchful presence was momentarily lifted, granting you the freedom to focus on your tasks without him breathing down your neck. It wasn’t until the evening that both Izzy and Edward reappeared on deck, Izzy promptly dismissed the crew, granting them the freedom to go about their own personal business. 

As you started your descent below deck, a pair of hands gently nudged your shoulders from behind, and Edward’s voice whispered softly into your ear. 

“Come on,” he said with a cheerful tone, “there’s something I want to show you.” 

Guiding you to the entrance of your cabin, Edward came to an abrupt halt. As one of the most seasoned members aboard The Queen Anne’s Revenge, you enjoyed the privilege of having your own room- a luxury that you had been particularly grateful for in recent weeks. 

“You brought me here to show me my cabin?” you asked with a touch of grumpiness. 

“No,” Blackbeard huffed. “Well, technically, yes,” he corrected swiftly before slowly swinging open the door to the cabin. “I wanted to show you this.” 

As the door creaked open, your eyes were met with the sight of the most elaborate blanket fort you had ever seen. A myriad of blankets hung gracefully against the cabin walls, creating a cozy tent-like haven. The ceiling, adorned with cascading layers of fabric, completed the intricate structure. Pillows were strategically placed, inviting you inside to sink into their plush comfort. It was a whimsical refuge, a surprising and thoughtful gesture from Ed that left you momentarily speechless. 

You bit your bottom lip, a smile spreading across your face, and turned to Edward. “You built me a blanket fort?” you whispered in awe. 

“No,” he replied, before returning your smile back to you. “I built us a blanket fort,” he shared quickly, giving you a gentle nudge into the cabin. 

Before long, you found yourself reclining on the plush pillows scattered across the floor. Edward rested his head on one, while your own head nestled against his chest. His arm encircled you, pulling you in close for an embrace that radiated warmth. 

“Did you build all of this yourself?” you asked curiously, your eyes roaming over the blankets draped across the room. 

“Nah. I made Iz help,” Blackbeard replied with a chuckle. “He’s fucking pissed about it.” 

“Why go through all this trouble?” you inquired. 

“You’ve been a dick lately, and I knew that meant you’re stressed out,” Edward replied, pulling you even closer to him. 

“You’re not wrong,” you sighed. “It’s been one of those weeks where I find myself wishing I wasn’t a pirate,” you confessed quietly, knowing Edward would understand. 

“If you weren’t a pirate, what would you be?” Edward asked, his tone playful. It was a familiar game, one of Edward’s favorites when the two of you found yourselves alone. 

“Today, I’m seeing myself as a librarian,” you replied with a smile.

“You don’t even know how to read,” Edward snorted in response. 

“Do you think that’s a dealbreaker?” you teased back. “Blackbeard, legendary captain on the seven seas, what would you be if you weren’t a pirate?” 

“Jeff an accountant,” Blackbeard replied resolutely. 

This prompted you to sit up and shoot him a look. “You’ve chosen an accountant the last few times.” you whined. 

“That’s because It sounds pretty fucking cool,” Blackbeard replied, raising his eyebrows. 

“Choose something different,” you huffed, rolling your eyes at Edward. 

“Fine… Jeff the Innkeeper,” Edward replied. “I could run an inn,” Blackbeard said confidently, pondering the idea. 

You gracefully propped yourself up on your knees, carefully avoiding the blankets above your head, and theatrically surveyed the room with your hands on your hips. “Well, Jeff, this is a truly beautiful room you’ve got here.” 

Blackbeard mirrored your stance, kneeling on his knees and adopting a custom services persona. “Best room in the house,” he replied, putting on a voice. “I hope it will suit all your needs. It has a lot of amenities. Plenty of fresh linens.” 

“What about mints or some of those little chocolates?” you asked, briefly breaking character. “Inns always have a little treat for guests to enjoy when they go to their room.” 

Edward surveyed the surroundings, contemplating what he could offer. “No chocolates or mints,” he whispered. An idea flashed across his face, and a mischievous grin played on his lips. 

“You just want something you can enjoy?” he clarified once more. 

In response, you playfully nodded your head, a teasing glint in your eyes. 

His hands reached toward the side of your face, gently pulling you closer as he pressed his lips against yours, the kiss deliberate and unhurried. You reciprocated, savoring the moment, and felt him slowly withdraw. The warmth of the kiss lingered, and you couldn’t help but feel a pleasant heat spreading across your cheeks. “I did enjoy that,” you whispered, meeting Edward’s gaze. His eyes reflected admiration as he gazed back at you. 

“Does Jeff kiss all of his guests?” you asked with a laugh. 

“Only the ones he fancies,” Edward replied, a sweet smile gracing his face. 

“Got any more of those?” you asked quietly, looking up at him as he cupped your face. 

“I’ve got tons,” he whispered back, leaning in for another tender kiss. This time, neither of you pulled away, and soon you found yourselves reclining on the pillows, with Edward on top of you. His lips continued their journey, tracing a path down your neck, leaving a trail of tender kisses that sent shivers down your spine. The sensation of his long beard tickled your skin. Finally, his lips found yours again, the connection deepening as time passed. 

For a moment, he paused and simply gazed at you, his thumb lightly stroking your face. “Feeling less stressed?” he asked with a warm smile. 

You responded with a gentle nod, a small smile gracing your face. The blanket fort had worked its magic, and you found comfort not only surrounded by the soft blankets, but also in the company of Edward.

[blakbonnet]

Happy meow day!!! 🎉💕💐

I have a question for you which I would dearly love to know the answer to:

What was your favorite part of MMC to write?

(also, to anyone who hasn't read MMC - please do! It's magic!!! ✨✨✨)

Omg wings, you've been evil ganging these past few weeks without my knowing!!! 😭😭😭

My favourite part to write was absolutely fem!Hornigold. When the fic started, I didn't know there would be a Hornigold and then, I found out they'd cast someone for the character but I genuinely didn't think he'd get a whole ass episode and a personality lmao. (also my badass lesbian Hornigold had already been written and I'd fallen in love with her so it was too late to change but boy am I glad I didn't)

Ed in MMC - like in the show - seriously lacked any adults in his life who were good and kind and cared for him. And I needed someone like Hornigold who could be that for him, to ground him and shape him into the mage he was, but who was also someone he was absolutely inspired by. He got his all leather look from her, he learnt most of his tricks from her, half his jokes are her jokes. And to have her also be Māori was important because we all need someone who shares our history to look up to ❤️

[arsenicflame]

i just. want it to end. i want to be able to go about my day without thinking about futures wherr you kidnap me

i want to not worry if you were serious about sending our old messages to family. like i wasn't a kid and it was illegal. i want to not worry if this is the thing that disapoints my mum for good

i want ro not spend every waking moment looking over my shoulder expecting, worrying, hoping, youll be there fo finally do whsteber it is you want from me

i wantto understand what you want from me

i want if to end. pleaw

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

calico jack sympathy is a very rich vein for emotional ed whump btw. not saying anyone needs to sympathize with jack at all bc he DOES suck and personally idc enough abt jack to sympathize with him for his own sake, but there is actually textual support for a sympathetic cj read. canonically he has the same traumatic pirate background as ed and the two of them went through a rlly rough time together. we have direct support from the show that jack’s rejection of anything “soft” or “weak” comes from hornigold—the very first mention of hornigold in the entire show is when jack sees the breakfast table set for ed and stede and starts teasing ed for it with “just the two of you? hornigold would shit himself.” plus ed tells stede “jack’s always been emotional” and “he can come on a bit strong but he’s insecure” which strongly implies that ed has seen a side of jack that we don’t get to see in the one episode where he shows up. it’s a side that very well might be completely gone now that jack’s a grown adult man but to me it runs counter to the text to claim that ed’s assessment of jack is completely wrong and this vulnerable side of jack never existed in the first place.

so anyway one possible angle here for sympathizing with jack as a vessel for whumping poor ed’s heart is the tragedy of two kids going through something awful together and not being able to count on each other during the whole experience. being trapped in a physically and emotionally abusive environment together and empathizing when the captain singles one of them out bc they know firsthand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of hornigold’s ire, but at the same time they’re not able to ask each other for support bc what if they use that vulnerability, that plea for comfort, as a weapon against you? what if you try to offer them support and comfort and they push you away? what if, when you DO rely on each other for support, your captain sees that bond and uses it to torture you both even further?

and what do you do if you both comfort each other, you both take care of each other, and then one of you fucking dies? because that’s how it goes—most of the pirates ed knows are dead, a pirate’s life is short but nice, the only retirement they get is death, you’re not likely to avoid near-death experiences in their line of work, heading towards a raid with the one hope being that a certain death ain’t slow. and it’s not just raids, either: your captain might have you keelhauled for a minor offense, might starve you for a week if you laugh at him during a speech, might feed you a live crab for nicking some rations, or maybe a disagreement with another crew member could turn into bloodshed. maybe someone will push you overboard for shits and giggles. what do you if you’ve found comfort with a crewmate, and then that crewmate dies? how do you cope? you’re probably better off not letting yourself care for anyone, rejecting people’s pleas for support or intimacy or friendship, because it’ll hurt less when they inevitably end up dying horrifically just like everyone else you’ve ever cared about.

and then the other big ed whump angle here is watching someone you know experience horrific trauma with not only fail to process the trauma in a healthy way but also become a worse person as a result of it. like ed knowing firsthand just how awful everything jack experienced was and remembering exactly what it looked like every time hornigold beat the spirit out of jack when he was ultimately just a vulnerable kid. ed hearing jack say some toxic macho bullshit and knowing exactly where jack learned that and how much it hurt for 20-something-year-old jack to absorb that lesson—and more than that, ed remembering when he used to believe that exact sort of toxic shit. and ed feeling like he can’t hold it against jack if he doesn’t grow bc he sees so many similarities between him and jack, and the only reason he was able to heal and become a better person is bc he met stede—and it’s not like stede was the only person in the whole world ed could’ve connected with, he had an entire ship full of kindhearted doofuses ready to offer him emotional support and he betrayed all of them because the recent back-to-back backstabbing compounded on a lifetime of trauma and made it impossible for ed to trust them. how can ed blame jack for rejecting opportunities to heal when ed did the same thing? when he can remember watching firsthand as years of abuse caused jack to gradually close himself off, the worst part of it being that it was like watching his own reflection as he also hardened under the pressure of just trying to survive another fucking day? how can ed judge jack, when jack is who he might’ve been if he’d never met stede?

[yaz113]

Into the Izzyverse

So remember like two weeks ago when I made a random post about an Izzyverse fic featuring Izzys belonging to: Benjamin Hornigold, Ned Lowe, Calico Jack, Ricky Banes, and Stede Bonnet?

Well...

It's now complete!

Summary:

Izzy Hands dies and gets a glimpse of what his life could have been like if things were different.

Excerpt:

"Buttons, men like me don't get second chances. You know that." He wants to snap at the man, scold him for wasting his time, humbly request to see his mother just once before he's condemned for eternity, but the words don't come.

"Ack." Buttons says in response, but he looks like a man with a secret. Izzy wants to grab him by the front of his shirt and shake him, demand he tell him the truth, but he's rooted to the spot, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "But what if ye did, Mr. Hands?" Izzy stares. Buttons blinks back. "What if ye had one last chance to change things?"

Check it out!

[sarucane]

OFMD Spiral Narrative 42: Sandy Beards and Self-Hatred

Intro: What I love most about how season 2 builds on season 1 of OFMD is the spiral narrative structure. Ground is repeatedly and explicitly re-trod from season 1 to season 2, but in season 2 everything goes deeper than season 1. Meanings are shuffled, emotions are stronger and truer, and transformation is showcased above everything. The first season plucks certain notes, then the second season plucks the same ones--but louder, and then it weaves them together to create a symphony.

---

Ed wakes up with a beardful of sand twice, once each season. Why is he lying on a beach? For the same reason, both times: self-hatred mixed with fatalism.

The first time Ed wakes up on a beach, it's because he left Stede the night before. Why? Well, partly out of obligation to an old pirate friend who invoked a once-non-toxic (presumably) relationship. But mostly because he thinks he's a Bad Person, and therefore that he is doomed to rejection (and that he can't trust Stede, or himself), so might as well get it over with.

The second time Ed wakes up on a beach, it's because he provoked his crew to mutiny and murder. Why? Well, because he spent weeks/months proving himself a bad person (partly out of obligation to an old pirate friend who invoked a once-non-toxic (sort of) relationship), and therefore he is doomed to destruction one way or another, and life hurts right now, so might as well get it over with.

The first time Ed wakes up, he ends up talking to Calico Jack. Jack fails to get food for breakfast, and instead pressures Ed into drinking for breakfast. It's all an enactment of emptiness, the internal hollowness of "I've lost something important" translated onscreen into an empty stomach and a crappy friend.

The second time Ed wakes up, he thinks he's talking to Captain Hornigold--but really he's talking to himself. And even though Hornigold represents Ed's self-hatred, he's the one who pulls Ed off the beach and makes him eat something (like how Jack made him drink something) that'll actually help him. He's punishing Ed by forcing him to go on, but at the same time he's saving Ed.

The whole thing is an external manifestation of Ed's conflicted internal state: only going on because he's forcing himself to, but not wanting to actually commit suicide; longing for someone to help him, but not believing that anyone who'd care to help him would be trustworthy.

Each time Ed wakes up, he's trapped in a prison of his own devising with a reflection of his own self-hatred. The first time, Ed can just reject that reflection and dive into the water. And it's easy, because he's doing it to help Stede. He doesn't have to deal with why he left, with the self-hatred or the fatalism, he just has to have hope for someone else.

The second time, Ed's trap is stronger and deeper in his mind. He's not really on an island or in the water: this is all him. Once again, the escape is the water--but while in the first episode that was just swimming, running away to delay his reckoning with his own dark self, in the second episode he's drowning because it's the only way he can see to reckon with his own dark self, to quiet the internal conflict. There's only him, and hopelessness.

The first time Ed was cut adrift to wash up on the shores of his own darkness, Stede just stood and watched, consumed by his own hurt.

The second time, he brings light with him, and makes the dark not so dark after all.

[kazoo-world]

The scenes with Ed talking to Hornigold (himself) gave us so much insight and context into Ed as a character and how he sees himself, and it says so much about how he sees Stede, too, that I am falling at David Jenkins feet and kissing his boots for how much easier he’s made my job as a writer and as a viewer trying to understand Ed.

He told himself that no one knows the fact he killed his dad because he’s never told anyone. He knew Stede for…let’s see. A few weeks? And then told him a secret he’s told anyone else ever. That’s insane. That recontextualizes so much about their relationship. Ed wasn’t just being vulnerable with Stede, not even just being vulnerable with himself and others in new ways, he was openly starting to process trauma he’s never told anyone, not even his mother. He trusts Stede so implicitly its kind of scary actually and maybe a bad thing.

Not only that, but its a secret that he sees himself as carrying with him in his hair and his leather and his tattoos. Its written on his body and everyone can see it. Ed sees his trauma as obvious and glaring faults, even before processing it, and it’s something that Hornigold says, so that means its something he hates about himself. He seems himself as obviously vulnerable and broken. It’s proof to him that he’s unlovable.

And that makes all of those moments where Stede looks at him, where Stede sees him but really sees him: the red silk under the moonlight, Ed in the bath crying over a flashback, it makes those moments just that much more intimate and kind. Ed feels like he can be seen and loved. That is love to Ed: being seen. He just wants to be seen as lovable.