#I kinda miss OFMD

[thetorturedlovergirl]

Think I’m watching the wrong OFMD but idk maybe I need glasses /j

[stedefxckingbonnet]

So this is gonna be entirely too much info but like. I've fallen into reading your reader x Izzy fics and I LOVE them! I've been going through a hard time with it getting to Christmas and having no family, and the Izzy fics just make me feel lighter. So mostly just thank you thank you thank you!

Now the cheeky bit - is there any way we could get a Male reader x Izzy with a pride and prejudice element. My friend said something about Con O'Neil as Mr Darcy and I damn near swooned. Either like a Colin Firth wet white shirt scene or like anything like the Matthew Macfayden Darcy (The hands! The sopping wet pathetic man!)

If not, that's more than okay! I still love your work so much! And again, thank you so much for it!

Hi, anon! First of all, I completely understand how rough the holidays can be, especially without family around. My heart is truly with you during these times and I hope you can still find joy, peace, and love this winter. If you ever need anything, I am always in your corner. I know I'm just a random writer on Tumblr but I truly do care for you, each and every one of you, for that matter! I'm happy I could even bring you a sliver of joy with my work. Thank you endlessly for reading, and I am sending an abundance of my love your way <3 feel free to message me if you'd like, I'd love to be your friend! My messages are always open, everyone! But if not, that's okay too. I'm just happy to share this with you!

Anyhow, I absolutely lit up at this request—I love Pride & Prejudice! OFMD and P&P intertwining is honestly heavenly, I got so excited to write this that I put a pin on another x reader I was writing (never fear! You will all get this one by the end of the week if finals don't absolutely drain me!). This one is reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice and the vibes it emits, but more so, my own spin on it, as well as twists and turns. Like, Izzy honestly exhibits more of a Lizzie in this one but it's also very clear his actions parallel Darcy. I really, truly hope you enjoy this nonetheless!

Lastly, speaking of the holidays, I'm thinking of writing some holiday headcanons for Izzy or a few x readers regarding the holidays with Izzy! So stay tuned for that! Thank you everyone for your everlasting kind words, understanding, patience, and encouragement with my slight delay with writing in the past week.

My Gem | Izzy x Male Reader

Warnings: slight angst, some strong language, slight enemies to lovers, not so in depth research of 1700's aristocracy (even though I'm a damn dramaturg, but we'll look past that for now), made up my first non-canon canon character because just referring to her as "she" felt inhumane, brief mentions of fake suicide note, kissing

Word count: 2324

Thoughts of the first mate of The Revenge were absolutely consuming you. Devouring you alive, plaguing you—you truly couldn't get him out of your head no matter how hard you tried. Oh, yes, you tried. But there was no use. Daydreams would always swirl in your mind and they would only increase tenfold throughout the course of your days.

You were grateful that you at least didn't have to carry the burden of breathing the same air as Israel Hands anymore. You would even collapse being within ten feet of him, let alone seeing him every single day. Your chest ached even at the mere thought of the man.

To say you were confused by his last actions toward you was an understatement. Confused, embarrassed, miserable, even flattered...You couldn't get Izzy Hands out of your head. You couldn't get his hands out of your head...

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

"So you really are doing this, then."

"Yes," you nodded. "I am. I don't belong here—"

"You are a damn great pirate," Izzy almost seethed. "I'll be damned if I believe you really want to go back to that...lavish lifestyle."

You looked slightly frantically behind you in hopes that no one heard Izzy's dig at what was about to be your life again. You hesitantly looked back at Izzy, almost biting your lip in disbelief. "I just need to do this."

"Really? That's all you have to say?"

"What—what else am I supposed to say?"

Silence loomed between the two of you. He nervously fidgeted with the coat that Stede had lent him to disguise himself as an aristocrat. He couldn't wait to toss it back into Bonnet's arms, but he needed this in order to see you off safely, without any suspicions of what you had been up to in your absence from the life you were born into. He knew full well that you were making a mistake, but that you couldn't be convinced of this. His chest ached upon realizing that you wouldn't change your mind, that he wouldn't be able to change your mind.

"Goodbye, Israel."

Instead of responding, Izzy carefully intertwined his fingers with yours as you were about to step up into the carriage. You froze, yet began to melt into his touch, his warmth. You finally met his eyes just as he let go of you, and before you knew it, you were riding off into the distance, Izzy becoming a small speck fading from your sight. Before he began to fade out of view, you caught a glimpse of him flexing his hand by his side as he watched you depart.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

You scoffed as the yellow carnation was pinned to your coat.

"Is something wrong, sir?" one of your dressers inquired, concern washing over his expression.

You almost laughed at such a question, thinking back to all of the late nights you spent studying flowers and their meanings, dying to tell him how this marriage was going to be doomed if you had to wear a yellow carnation. At the last minute, you decided against it, holding your tongue. "Everything is perfect. Thank you."

He nodded, exiting the room as soon as he finished dressing you. You turned toward the mirror, a frown falling onto your lips upon seeing your reflection. You had never dreaded a coming day like you dreaded tomorrow. Before you could internally lament further, a rhythmic knock was heard from your door. Genevieve—future wife. How delightful. It's not like you dreaded it every time she walked into a room, let alone walked over to your side, and it's not like you could tell she dreaded you all the same.

"Yes. Come in," you sighed, plopping down onto your bed. Only, it wouldn't be your bed anymore—you would share it with her, come tomorrow. Your solitude would be interrupted and put on pause forever.

Genevieve quickly rushed in, making sure to shut and lock the door behind her. She fixed her hair a bit as she did so.

"What is it that you want?" you demanded softly, your brows furrowing.

"Hello to you too," she rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to tomorrow—"

"That makes two of us, Genevieve! Finally, something we can agree upon," you laughed, falling backwards onto the bed.

"Will you let me finish?" she crossed her arms without realizing it. Once she had in fact realized, an expression of guilt overcame her as she untwisted herself. A guilt you had never once seen her bear. You sent an apologetic look her way. "I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, nor the rest of our lives together, but I just wanted to say that you are lovely. I don't hate you. I just hate this."

"I don't hate you either," you sat up carefully, your head sort of spinning as you did so. "Far from it. This is just an...unfortunate situation we've found ourselves in."

"Yes," she agreed, carefully placing herself beside you on the edge of the bed. "You know, I would love you, if you were...there's no way to dance around this. I would love you if you were not a man."

"Oh!" you realized, looking over at her, relief crashing over you. "And I would probably love you if you were not a woman, quite honestly."

Genevieve gasped in delight, wrapping her arms around you as she laughed happily. You couldn't help but smile upon her embrace.

"Who is the lucky woman?" you playfully smiled, nudging her shoulder. You watched intently as you watched the pigment of her face turn rosy.

"Well...we've known each other since we were babies," she sighed happily. "But our families have been dear friends since before we were even conceived. It would never work out."

"Take "never" out of your vocabulary this instant!" you exclaimed, shooting up off the bed and onto your two feet.

"What are you planning?" Genevieve tilted her head.

You rushed over to your desk, filing through all that had piled atop it until you found a quill, some ink, and some parchment.

"We can't say you've run away—no, that would give hope that you're still alive and then you would be seeing wanted posters with your face plastered across trees anywhere you go," you sighed. "No. We'll fake your death instead. And you'll run away tonight."

Genevieve bit her lip concernedly. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I'm certain," you assured her. "Are you able to communicate this plan to your love before midnight?"

"Yes, she is coming to the rehearsal dinner tonight and I'm sure we'll sneak off to the gardens," she nodded.

"Wait—is that why you and Alice go there every time—"

Genevieve's hands flew up to her face, covering it as she giggled.

"My goodness!" you couldn't help but share the laughter. "Wow. I am not surprised, honestly."

"What about you?"

"Have I ever snuck off to a garden to—"

"No!" Genevieve rolled her eyes playfully. "Do you love another?"

"I..." you sighed. "Well, it's complicated."

"I've got time."

"I'm kind of upset with him at the moment. And I'm not sure how he feels about me. And I didn't realize I love him until after I left—"

"One thing at a time!" Genevieve tilted her head back to laugh. She place a hand on your shoulder. "Why does he have you upset?

"He held my hand before I left." you admitted, staring out the window as you spoke. Most days, you would have the curtains closed in order to mask the view of the ocean, as it would only bring you feelings of sorrow and regret.

"And you really question how he feels for you?!"

"Well, he's not like us," you frowned. "Believe me, I'm glad he's not. Though I just don't think he understands what a touch of the hand means to someone like me."

"You may come from different worlds with different values and rules, but holding hands is still an expression of affection wherever you come from," Genevieve pointed out.

"He did wear a fancy ensemble just to see me off safely..."

Once again, Genevieve's laughter filled the room. "You are blind!"

"It's just hard to tell with him!" you protested, laughing along with her. "He's hard to read. He's...very easily irritated."

"Is he like that when he's with you?"

"Less so, but yes," you shrugged. "He is a complicated man."

"But his feelings for you are apparent."

"My god, I need to go!"

"Yes, you do!" she encouraged you, patting you on the back.

"I can't right away. I have to get in contact with someone first, and if both you and I are found missing or dead by morning, it's going to be terribly suspicious—"

"You will find a way. I know it," she assured you. "Let's go and oversee the menu for tonight. I'm starved."

You laughed as she jokingly linked arms with you, leading you out into what you were about to leave behind once again.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

All had gone according to plan—you saw Genevieve and Alice off safely, and falsely mourned your fiancée the next day, and for only a few days after before Stede caught wind of your message. As soon as he had, you scurried to the beach, only bothering to bring a few possessions with you. You hadn't even bothered to leave a note—nothing attached you to the aristocratic life anymore. For good this time.

"Captain!" you exclaimed, almost out of breath. "Thank you. I'm so, so sorry."

"No need to apologize to me," Stede assured you warmly. "Believe me, I get it."

"I wish you warned me—"

"Oh, you wouldn't have listened," he teased. "I do regret having done the same thing you had, but if I hadn't, I never would have gotten closure with Mary and bade farewell to that side of me fully. You had to do the same."

"And you and Blackbeard—he forgave you?"

"We're working on it," Stede laughed. "He has, mostly."

"Do you think Izzy will ever forgive me? How is he?"

"Go see for yourself," Stede suggested kindly. "He's on watch tonight. I'll be in my quarters should you need anything at all."

Before you could thank him again, he vanished into the darkness. You smiled, though you could have swore your heart stopped upon the sight of Izzy Hands. You almost choked on the breath you had taken before gaining the courage to waltz over to him. Before you knew it, you were beside him once again. Izzy jumped upon sensing your presence.

"Jesus fuck," Izzy mumbled.

"Hello to you too."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Oh, Izzy, I'm happy to see you too!"

"I'm serious—what the fuck? You just up and leave and then you're back. Is this some sort of pattern? How long will your stay be this time, perhaps only a day, maybe two—"

Without much thought, you found your fingers laced between his once again. Izzy's train of thought stopped in its tracks and all he could focus on now was the feeling of warmth that had been yanked away from him ever since you left, and that now, it had been restored. A warmth he thought he would never get to experience again, nor experience at all. Whenever he spent countless days and hours reminiscing upon it, he scolded himself, convincing himself that he should be grateful he got to feel that at least once in his life. It was one more time than he ever expected he would feel it. It should have been enough, but it wasn't even close. His heart began beating out of his chest—what was this feeling he couldn't quite place? He knew it all too well and he was tired of pushing it down to drown. Eventually, you softly removed your hand, and you noticed Izzy's hand flex by his side once again.

"Did it mean something to you? When you held my hand before I left."

"I was giving you a boost onto your ride," he shrugged it off, turning away in hopes that the darkness would hide his smile.

"Right," you laughed. "Izzy, seriously. I have been going crazy. Every single day, wondering if you ever understood what such a gesture meant to me or if it meant absolutely nothing to you."

"Of course it meant something to me, dammit," Izzy sighed. "You are such a fool if you thought for a second that it didn't."

You laughed breathlessly, relief overcoming you instantly as you pressed your forehead against his. The way the moonlight shone upon his face made him even more breathtaking, even more earth-shatteringly beautiful. You couldn't believe what your eyes were allowing you to see, and you couldn't believe how warm you'd felt. You almost swore you'd never shiver once again. Your lips softly grazed his forehead before you pressed another kiss upon his cheek, before resting your forehead against his once again, your eyes fluttering shut, butterflies flying around in your stomach as you reached for his hands once again.

"Mark my words. I will never, ever leave again—"

"Shh," Izzy gently whispered against your lips. "We can talk about it later."

"Later," you nodded gently as finally, your lips collided. Your heart did pirouettes as your lips danced against one another's. In the darkness of your vision, you caught a glimpse of your future aboard The Revenge, with Izzy. You had never seen so clearly, until now, that you had finally found the place you were meant to be after denying it for so long. You had found your family and your lover, and they were all gathered in the same place. This was a luxury that would always beat the fancy balls you attended, the gold-laced coats you wore upon your back, the gems you were gifted often. Izzy was your gem, and he made your life shine brighter than it ever had.

[theofficialpresidentoftheusa]

Rrrrrahhh another WIP! I have had a ton of time to draw lately. So it’s wedding kiss time >:3 nyehehe

[totheverybestoftimes]

Was thinking about what we might deduce about season 2 based on the trailer for season 1.

Season 1's trailer is very heavy on clips from episodes 1-3. There's a lot less from eps 4-8, and almost nothing from 9 or 10 (save the shots of Ed putting on his Blackbeard armour, and Stede falling out of bed, both of which are entirely divorced from context.) It also doesn't even hint at romance - the only clue is the song choice, "Crazy on You."

Of course, with Season 2's trailer, they're not obscuring the romance anymore, so we can't use this as a 1-to-1 blueprint. But I think it's a pretty safe bet that they're showing us a lot of content from the first half of the season - they're not gonna give everything away that easily, obvs.

And both with the trailers and the show itself, the songs are so carefully selected and play a huge role in tone. So the choice of "Because the Night" is important information. It means pathos, it means romance and lust front and center, and I think, just as the song flips between minor and major keys, it means both tragedy and joy.

[stiffyck]

OFMD AU! HEAR ME OUT! HEAR ME OUT!

SCAR IS STEDE

MUMBO IS BLACKBEARD

GRIAN IS IZZY

PLEASE TELL ME YOU GUYS SEE IT

[actual-changeling]

no cause just thinking about the fact that ten is going to die alone??? i'm not even there yet but it's already tearing me apart.

he tried, god, he tried so hard to be happy, to keep everyone safe, to have a FAMILY, to love. and in the end he is the only one who ends up utterly alone.

most doctors had a companion with them when they regenerated, nine had rose, eleven had clara, but ten? twelve?

alone. empty tardis. lonely.

but at least twelve found peace at the end, meanwhile ten was breaking down and breaking down more because he did not want to go. is it smart to watch that and then jodie's final season back to back? no. no it's not. will i do it anyway? yes. yes i will.

[bsotted]

ok well. unfortunate news: sometimes ur niche is so niche u've already niched the niche. this is exactly the same as the feeling of hitting the end of ur ship tag in ao3 🥲

[arsenicflame]

adding onto this with developed thoughts

I do largely think the processing he has done is about the leg, and not his relationship with Ed, and that he's conflating one with the other, acting like because he's 'fine' now with having lost his leg, that also means he's fine with it being Ed who did it to him.

I don't think his relationship with Ed is in any way fixed because of this (I think the fact that they have very specifically not had a single conversation, not been in a single shot together since is a huge signifier of that) its more that this one (very large) aspect is something Izzy has managed to put into the past with the help of the crew.

I think Izzy's known Ed long enough to not be expecting any further apologies (past his non specific non apology to the crew) and knows from here on out he needs to deal with his feelings on his own, needs to learn to move on and move past if he wants to stay here (and oh, he wants to stay here now)

Izzy's been cleaning up Ed's messes for so long, its a hard habit to kick- what's one more? what's one more when its him?

i think the reason izzy can be so blasé about his relationship with ed is not because hes taken to blaming a shark instead, but because hes actually already done a lot of the processing in the previous episode.

hes mourned his leg, hes had his drunk crying rants. hes gone through the five stages of grief. and then? the crew reaches out to him, offers him their support. they make him a new leg, they nominate him their new figurehead. when he stands there on the prow of the ship, leg on, letter in hand, thats his acceptance, thats his moving on.

[kawaiianimeredhead]

Lmao

[googoogojob]

well the whole thing kinda looks like i constructed it from different pieces.. guess why.. it's bc i had no idea where i am going to with this one.. 😅😅😅 so angles are all different for different things.. i kinda just blindly searched.. so here's the timelapse of the drawing for @ofmdmatelotagezine

[teeny-tiny-revenge]

I'm unsure how well it would have helped, given all the things op correctly pointed out are being ignored by the canyon, but one of the things I am kinda disappointed Season 2 didn't do was give us a scene where another character learns about what happens between Ed and Izzy.

The overwhelming majority of Izzy's abusive, manipulative and threatening behaviour towards Ed happens when they are alone, or isn't picked up on by the surrounding characters at all or correctly. We as the audience are giving all the very clear clues op lined out, and the show assumes we'll understand them and sympathise with Ed (after all he's one of the protagonists).

The other characters on the show however are really out of the loop on everything that happens with Ed and Izzy. (This is something that's often common for abusive relationships, people outside don't notice things are wrong until it's really late, so, realistic.) But this creates the effect, narratively, that Ed's position doesn't get any support. Other characters only pick up on the fact that something is wrong in Ed and Izzy's dynamic by the time Ed has reached the end of his rope and started fighting back. None of the crew understand why Ed goes from singing sad songs to Kraken, and it is never cleared up for them. Jim assumes Izzy was Ed's friend. I yelled at my screen about that line, because it's clearly a completely wrong assumption on Jim's part. Nothing we see of Ed and Izzy up to this point is friendship. Not at all. But Jim, and they stand in for the entire crew, doesn't know that, and they cannot know that. All they see is the façade, not the stuff that's going on behind cloesed doors or away from the crew. So the crew never see Izzy as the cause for the Kraken turn that he is, or how he keeps goarding and threatening Ed into a return to piracy, when all Ed himself wanted to do was a chill retirement. What the crew end up seeing and reacting to is Ed giving Izzy exactly what Izzy wanted, and then they feel bad for Izzy, because they don't (can't) understand cause and effect.

This misunderstanding is never cleared up on, even towards the end of season two when everyone is pretty much friends again. Not even Stede ever learns how Izzy actually treated Ed and what role Izzy played in Ed's suicidal depression. To Stede, Izzy is mostly this annoying asshole he keeps forgetting about, and then he's short a leg and harmless, and Stede doesn't worry about him much, plus the crew like him now, so Stede plays nice as well.

There is never a moment where the crew learn what Izzy did and can go "What? That's fucked up." Not even as an excuse for Ed's throwing Lucius overboard or anything, but for context. And where is my moment of Stede Bonnet learning about "I should have let the English kill you" and "namby pamby in a silk gown"? That man gleefully set a whole ship of aristocrats on fire because they were mean to Ed when Stede and Ed where just starting to be friends. Stede would be more than happy to tell Izzy that if Stede had been there it would have been both legs gone. Stede "you forgot your fiddle" Bonnet would not accept this sort of treatment of the love of his life. It would have been delicious.

And any scene like this, where another character learns the details of Ed and Izzy's relationship in season one and beginning of season two would add confirmation to the narrative. Maybe it would be clear enough for the idiots to see. (If not it would have at least been satisfying to watch for those of us who did pick up on all the narrative clues...)

The show spends a lot of time in season two on trying to make us like Izzy. They assumed, understandably, that the writing they did in season one and the first episode of season two would be completely sufficient to make the audience not like Izzy, and they decided they wanted to do a redemption before killing Izzy in season two, and we were supposed to be sad about his death, so they thought, understandably, that they would have to put in the work to make us like him. So they put a lot of focus on showing Izzy being liked by other characters now (the crew, Stede). Characters we like liking another character is a good narrative choice to make us as the audience also like this character (more). They did this because they thought we'd all go into season two remembering all of Izzy's season one actions and being mad at him for them. This, again, is a reasonable assumption to make. The redemption arc is overall a good idea, because it flows with the show's theme that everyone can get a second chance and everyone can become a better person. They used an antagonist to illustrate this point, and it works! It's well executed!

The problem is just that they spend a lot less time on focusing on communicating that Ed is also being forgiven by the crew (it's implied by how everyone interacts episode six onwards, but it's not as explicit as everyone forgiving Izzy), and that Ed did things that hurt others because he himself was hurting very badly, while Izzy did things that hurt others because he was selfish and power-hungry. The writers (understandably!) assumed we would all understand that, but I think the narrative weight afforded to making Izzy likable misfires in so far that it makes some people even more inclined to side with him, even in all the cases where he's doing villain stuff. Yes, the canyon interpretation on Izzy existed before season two, but having other characters side with Izzy (on wrong assumptions!) and putting so much effort into making Izzy forgivable while not putting in this same effort with Ed and giving Ed someone who's clearly in his corner about the Izzy stuff might have been pouring oil into a fire.

So, TL;DR: maybe give Ed someone else who confirms his position in the conflict with Izzy, rather than just giving Izzy support and assuming the audience will figure out that Izzy is a dick and full of shit and that the other characters don't know half the truth and make wrong assumptions based on their limited evidence. Yes, none of this should be necessary, but here we are. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

I'm a professional screenwriter. I know nobody reading this has any reason to believe that, and I work pretty hard to keep my fandom activity separate from my professional identity, so I'm not going to offer any proof that would doxx me here, believe me or don't. But it's true and I don't just mean I'm trying to get hired as a screenwriter, I mean I am pretty well established in the industry and I've worked on some stuff big enough you've probably heard of it. I've also been active in OFMD fandom for about two years now, since nearly the beginning.

The canyon really freaks me out because seeing it up close makes me worried I've drastically underestimated audiences' empathy gap around characters of color and tendency to sympathize with and excuse the actions of white characters. I've always tried to be conscious about that sort of thing in my work but now that I'm seeing the whole process up close it's so much worse than I always thought.

I think a lot about what I would have done during season 1 of OFMD, if I were in the writers' room and I'd wanted to make sure it would be clear to the audience that Izzy was Ed's abuser and wasn't acting out of secretly sympathetic motives and we're supposed to be genuinely horrified by his actions. I'm in writers' rooms workshopping issues like this all the time. I know the kinds of suggestions I'd make.

Like, if we were worried that the audience would think Izzy's hostility toward Stede was about class instead of homophobia, I might have suggested we make sure Izzy's dialogue never has any reference to Stede's class at all, and that we might do a subplot in one episode where Izzy is equally hostile toward Lucius, since Lucius clearly isn't rich but is extremely gay. But that already happened, and it didn't help.

If I wanted to make sure the audience understood that Izzy is bossing the crew around and screaming at everyone to work harder because he's a petty little bully on a power trip and not because the work actually needs to get done, I might have suggested a scene where Izzy deliberately makes a mess on purpose just so he can order the crew to clean it up. But that already happened, and it didn't help.

If I wanted to make it clear that Izzy has always been awful toward everyone around him -- especially his colleagues of color -- since long before the show started, I might have suggested we repeatedly emphasize throughout the season that while Fang is willing to work with him, he doesn't like or respect Izzy and this is because Izzy has always treated Fang very badly. Have him pull on Fang's beard for no reason and have Fang explicitly say he hates that but knows it wouldn't help to complain. Have Fang tell strangers jokes about times Izzy humiliated himself in public. Have a scene where everybody unanimously VOTES TO MURDER IZZY and someone explicitly stops to ask Fang if he's cool with this and Fang explicitly says yes this is absolutely fine with me and then he actively participates in the murder plan while smiling. But all of that happened and I still see the canyon insisting that Izzy was a much nicer person before the events of s2 when he wasn't under so much stress and has always been liked and respected by the PoC around him, including specifically Fang!

If I were worried that the audience might take seriously the idea that Izzy is motivated by "loyalty to your captain" -- well, honestly I don't think it ever would have occurred to me to worry about that, since he says that in a scene where he's in the middle betraying his captain and I'd probably assume people are capable of picking that up and understanding that when someone says they're abusing you for your own good you should not believe them. But if someone else insisted we address the concern, suggestions I'd make would include: make sure some of the first interactions we see between Ed and Izzy involve Izzy complaining about how he doesn't want to do the job Ed just gave him, then half-assing the mission and lying to Ed's face about it. Show Izzy deliberately undermining Ed to the crew by telling them he's half-insane, then insist to Ed that he's the only one keeping the crew loyal when they're worried about his judgment. But they did that stuff and we still have people thinking Izzy's central motivation throughout season 1 is selfless devotion to Ed.

The show did every single thing I would have suggested, and none of it worked. So what does it say about all the stuff I've already worked on, whenever I've written a scene where a white guy was being a dick to characters of color? Have I just been embarrassingly naive this whole time? Have I undermined my own work by not getting this?

You can't control audience reactions, I know that, that's part of what's great about art, you have to let go and accept that people will interpret things in ways you never intended, I get it. But if it's THIS impossible to choose words that will create the kind of feelings you meant to, what's the point? Is it even possible to write about the kind of abusive relationship Ed and Izzy have, where the white guy thinks he's entitled to control a brown man's life "for his own good" and that the brown guy is obligated to be grateful and reciprocate his "love" and not have a huge group of people creating elaborate justifications for the white guy? What else could they have done? What else can I do, when I'm writing about characters of color? I'm seriously asking. If anybody reading this has advice I want to hear it. What could I do?

#408.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I want more than anything to see what the original cut of Mermen was like. Just before the cancellation, DJenks was joking on Twitter about how it was originally 40 minutes long, and I don't know if that was just a joke but truly I have no doubt it was. The s1 finale was also longer and I can't even imagine what it would've been like if it had needed to be cut down to under 30 minutes.

Mermen is one of my absolute favorite episodes. The lovely letter scene and the scene were Stede and Ed fight to each other across the beach are both so good, they're some of my favorite moments in the entire show. It's one of my favorite episodes but on a technical level I think it's easily the worst in the entire show. The pacing is so fucked up. It's such an Izzy-heavy episode in a way that's kinda jarring, the cuts are all over the place, you can see people change positions in the backgrounds of shots, it's just kind of sloppy in a way OFMD usually isn't. I will say the pacing feels better on rewatch, but on first watch it feels kinda breakneck and weird.

Genuinely, I think they did the best they could with what they had! And I still think it's better than 99% of other shows out there! But there is just so much obviously missing from this episode. Imagine what s1e10 would've been like if they'd had to cut it down to under 30 minutes - Mermen needed time to breathe. There are things so obviously missing - the plan to escape pretty obviously should've been more involved than "dress up and run to the boat" based on character reactions, Ricky got like nothing to do other than get monologued at, I mourn a conversation where Ed and Stede actually got to talk about retiring together.

It feels extra insulting, after the cancellation, that s2 was hobbled the way it was with the shorter episode times, and this episode is just so representative of that. I would give anything to see this epiode the way it was intended.

[ofmdrecaps]

11/03-04/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Gizmo Darby; Taika Waititi; Samson Kayo; Samba Schutte; Kristian Nairn; Cast & Crew Getting out to Vote; Fan Spotlight; Calendar Fundraisers; OFMD Fluffvember; PA: In Person Event Reminder: Calypso's Birthday! Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

Hey lovelies, this is once again gonna be kinda weird because major events have happened since I started these drafts.. trying to keep things vague enough for archival purposes, but also respect that things have changed since the 3rd and 4th. Sending all the hugs and love your way.

= David Jenkins =

David and Kinga <3

Source: David's Instagram

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys shared a new trailer for 'That Christmas!'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby)

Source: Rhys Instagram

Darby Daily Doodles on Substack!

Source: Rhys Darby's Substack

Part 7 of the Brooklyn show is up on Rhys' paid substack!

Source: Rhys Darby's Paid Substack

= Gizmo Darby =

Oh just Gizmo being THE MOST ADORABLE. He missed his Rhys.

Source: Rhys Instagram

= Taika Waititi =

Sounds like Taika is in talks to join David Williams family movie, Fing!

Source: Kidscreen.com

= Samson Kayo =

Samson being adorable.

Source: Samson's Instagram Stories

= Samba Schutte =

More of Samba's Stand up!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samba Schutte (@sambaschutte)

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian has designed some awesome jewelry! Check it out below!

Source: Kristian's Instagram

OH and in case you missed it- Kristian's got limited edition guitar picks and cool stuff up in his shop!

Source: Kristian's Instagram

= The Crew Got Out to Vote! =

A bunch of our cast & crew were out doing their civic duty! In order of appearance: Adam Stein- Writer, Lindsey Cantrell -Set Director, Christopher Corbin -"We Could Have Made Magic" Actor, and Vico! CW: Partial Vico Nudity!

Source: / Adam Steins Instagram / Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram / / Christopher Corbin's Instagram / Vico's Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Fundraiser Calendars =

= 2025 Gentlebeard Calendar =

A new 2025 Gentlebeard Calendar is available! Preorders are open from Nov 4-15! Check out this gorgeous work by some of your favorite artists, and make a positive impact as well! Check out @poorlyformed's Shop for more info!

Source: FidisArt Twitter

= All Fired Up =

Another awesome Charity Calendar Preorder is up as well! All Fired up Firefighter calendars are available for preorder over on Ko-Fi!

Source: Ko-fi / Orphaned Nebula's Twitter

== OFMD Fluffvember! ==

Perfect timing -- it's Fluffvember! I'm a little late with sharing this-- but there's some awesome fluff prompts going on over at ofmdfluffvember on twitter!

You can follow along on twitter or AO3!

Source: OFMD Fluffvember on Twitter

== PA: Calypso's Birthday ==

Reminder for all you PA folks! There's a Calypso's Birthday Event going on at Hardo's Haunt in Pittsburgh on Nov 9 at 6pm ET! More info on their instagram!

Source: Harold's Haunt Instagram

== Love Notes ==

It's weird sometimes writing love notes for past days. Today (the 6th) is so much different than the 3rd/4th and so I feel strange writing things when we all can change in a day. So tonight I'm going to mention something I'm seeing all week.... all the time even. I have watched you all from so many platforms this past week, and I continue to be in awe of you. I see people sending each other love notes from across the planet. I see artists who are drawing things JUST to help reduce people's anxiety and give them some distractions. I see people stepping out of their comfort zones and sharing WIPS because they want to make people smile in these hard times. No matter what happens in this world, you are the good in it.

Please remember to tell yourself that. So much kindness, to strangers, to moots, to acquaintances -- people you've met in person, to people you've never met but talk to online. You are the change this world needs. You are the kindness this world needs. They can't take that from you, only you have that power. You are strong, and you are brilliant, and kindness is your strength. Keep shining lovelies. You're doing all you can, and it makes such a huge difference in so many lives.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Just these two being the goofy dudes they are. Gifs courtesy of our dear @celluloidbroomcloset and @meluli <3

[blakbonnet]

Hey I love your takes on ofmd, it's so clear that you really understand the value and nuance of a thriving queer community and the joy in celebrating how vibrant that community is and how far we've come as a community and a society that we can have things like that. (If only for two seasons, fuck you MAX) And this is no way an attack on you, but when I saw your post about how I wish we could remember Nazis are bad right after you re blogged a gifset of Madeline from iwtv, I was actually really upset. I was wondering if you noticed that Madeline's whole thing is she sleeps with a Nazi, for no real reason, and the narrative of the show portrays this as a good thing. It felt like some very subtle pro-nazi propaganda. Remember that saying about "if you have one Nazi and nine regular people at a table you have ten Nazis?" And as this whole thing isn't in the books and was added for the show, It kinda got me wondering WHY. The narrative the showrunner (a person fond of disparaging trigger warnings) seems to be selling is "young boys who fall into the alt right and begin perpetuating neonazi values aren't REALLY Nazis, they're scared boys, and their girlfriends who of course don't AGREE with them aren't bad either", sort of a "forgive your alt right boyfriends and the people complicit with them" message. It was just very disgusting to see a character who collaborated with Nazis (and honestly reflected Nazi ableist values in the way she talked about her sister) portrayed as a good guy. Definitely one of those "hey didn't we used to think Nazis were bad?" Moments. I don't know if you read the book but the thematic update from "A community of hurt people who aren't allowed back in society occasionally hurt eachother but the COMMUNITY is still important" to "This is a community of monsters doing monstrous things" coming at the same time as making a lot of them brown and EXPLICITLY queer just seems .... suspicious. Anyway, I just wanted to point it out because your analysis on ofmd is usually so good, and clearly you're anti-nazi, and I feel like a lot of people didn't see what I saw because it's easy to get distracted by the sexy fun gay vampires and miss the unfortunately conservative implications that the showrunner keeps slipping into this narrative, the worst of which is, to me, the whole-ass Nazi!

hey. so to start off, this is an excellent question and i'm much more of a casual viewer of the show so please take this with a grain of salt (i have not read the books and im not sure when i'll have the time to do so).

i believe Madeleine sleeping with the german soldier was for "cigarettes and food" and they included that particular bit in the show especially to tell us that she's a survivor. she made decisions during the war that she felt were right for her and we may not agree with them (or wholly condemn them but those are the decisions she made), especially after her neighbors starved to death and died in front of her eyes. they also showed the public flagellation and shaving of the head scenes (which i believe were historically accurate?) and at no point does she think of herself as having been dealt an unjust punishment in that regard. what the writers wanted to contrast this with was that after everything - she survived, that's what draws claudia to her and for us - the viewer - shows that there are horrors and horrific things all these people have done and madeleine is no stranger to being morally fucked up like the vampires.

it also invites the question - once people get deradicalised, don't they deserve to get reintegrated into society? for her neighbours, they saw the graffiti painted on her shop window and most likely felt a keen sense of betrayal from her and their reactions to turning a blind eye again - morally weird tho it is - makes sense - did she deserve to be sexually assaulted as recompense for her past crimes? or had she suffered enough?

from a future vampire perspective, madeleine's history made her the perfect candidate to be a mostly successful vampire because she has made bad bad decisions in her life (no matter how/how not sympathetic) and she would've had her entire life to contemplate the effect of her actions. so for me - the show runner including these bits of backstory adds further grayness to an already very grey show regarding all the characters and it's a very good commentary on all types of people in this universe and the kind of stories they have.

madeleine betrayed her community for food or to just stave away loneliness but she also brought one of our lead and most suffering characters (claudia god i love her) back to life, showed her love and kindness as much as she deserves - stood by her till the end.

i would def like to see more characters like her.

[norskheks]

When I started typing the tags I didn't realize I was gonna write an essay in them, but now I can't be arsed to retype them up here, so... see several words on Ed's childhood trauma below.

i don't understand the "izzy is just as much to blame if not more as stede for ed becoming the kraken" thing. like stede is the one who flayed ed open, izzy just threw salt in the wound. sometimes i'm like "do y'all even like gentlebeard" because i don't understand why people minimize the impact that stede had on ed. david jenkins has said multiple times that ed's never been hurt like this before and that this profound rejection is deranging him. like how are y'all not lapping that shit up because stede making ed go crazy is one of my fave parts of the ship 😭

[squirreljc2]

I’ve been thinking about why I have mixed feelings on OFMD season 2, and I think I’ve partially figured it out?

In this season, they’ve introduced some really strong new characters like Zheng and Archie, and I love both of them. But it kinda feels like the writers don’t know how to keep new characters around with some kind of romance? I do really like Jim and Archie’s relationship, and I think they’re very adorable, but I also don’t think they needed to be a couple, at least, not yet? Jim and Oluwande were one of the best relationships in season 1. Their relationship was full of pining and missing each other and now they’re just… different. They’ve had one conversation this season that wasn’t about Zheng, and there has been no conclusion to the relationship they established in season 1 (which was explicitly mentioned by Zheng when she asks about the status of their boatmance, and there’s never a clear answer given). Archie and Jim being in a relationship is weird to me with how quickly this happened. It sorta feels like denkins heard people wanted lesbians and just sacrificed a major established relationship for a brand new nblw couple. Archie doesn’t really strike me as the relationship type from what we know about her, so her coupling just feels like a way for them to keep her around rather than a genuine move the characters would make. (She gives me the biggest aro vibes). And Zheng and Olu is just. Strange. Olu is canonically oblivious to all of her advances until right before they leave her ship, but they treat it as though he’s been pining for her this whole season. Which. Is not the case. Again, it feels like the show is pushing him towards Zheng to clear a path for Jim/Archie, and so they have a reason to keep Zheng around. The women in this show are all very strongly written, but they’re all being shoved into romances with the central crew of the ship, which is just unnecessary. They even gave Spanish Jackie a crew member husband (which again, IS A RELATIONSHIP I ENJOY). It feels as though the writers don’t feel like they can come up with a better reason for a woman to stick around besides coupling her up.

Also, I do think this season having fewer episodes is detrimental because we can’t focus as much on the non-captain part of the crew. Season one did a great job of fleshing out the crew and their backstories, but season 2 has had such a heavy focus on stede and Ed that everybody else has fallen to the wayside.

I am enjoying the season, but I do miss the ensemble-y vibe from season 1