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juniper-and-lamplight · 2 years ago

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Our Flag Means Death Fic Favorites

Updated September 28, 2023

Why yes, I am unnecessarily proud to have wrangled my OFMD fic faves into a rebloggable list! Some of these fics need no reccing, but everything is new to somebody, and all of these authors deserve some extra recognition.

(You can find these same fics in my AO3 bookmark collection if that’s more your speed, or on Pinboard along with lots of other fic bookmarks.)

Recs under the cut, because the list is NOT short.

The Lighthouse - A_Candle_For_Sherlock | @a-candle-for-sherlock - 30k, T, Ed/Stede "The recovery of Edward Teach, briefly the Kraken, always the love of Stede Bonnet's life; and how he finds every fine thing in the world can be his after all."

make your peace with weariness and let it be - anirondack - 18.7k, T, Jim/Oluwande but mostly a Jim character study "In the garden of your body, this forsaken paradise that keeps you alive, you do not know who you are. Sometimes you feel like Eve, extracted from your warm, soft home next to somebody’s heart for a purpose not your own, to be a voyeur to the pain of creation only after it has been created. Sometimes you feel like Adam, dissected by a hand that isn’t yours, parts of you pulled out and fashioned into something useful, with orders on your breath blowing dust off your dirty palms. And sometimes you feel like God, lonely and alone, grinding bone against bone like a mortar and pestle and hoping to plant something that grows."

domestic - Ark | @et-in-arkadia - 33k, E, Ed/Stede "Stede finds the house. When he comes back to their room at the inn, he won’t rest—won’t let Ed rest—until Ed’s seen it. His eyes are bright in that way that makes Ed’s guts feel scooped out with a spoon. So Ed hurries into his boots and goes with him. The once-white paint is stripped by weather and wear, a portion of the roof is caved in, and the spokes of the wraparound porch are all gnawed through by animals. Ed gazes up at the broken windows and the birds that have built nests there. At his side, Stede is waiting, rocking back and forth on his heels. 'It’s perfect,' says Ed."

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven - @auntieclimactic - 14k, E, Ed/Stede “'Here we go again,' he heard Lucius scream over Izzy’s furious cursing."

it's worth it, it's divine - beepbeep4 - 3k, E, Ed/Stede "Ed wears one of Stede's silk robes. Things escalate quickly."

in the emerald green - darcylindbergh | @forpiratereasons - 3k, E, Ed/Stede "And Stede likes Ed, here and now, with the fresh smell of the wind and the salt in his hair, stripped down to nothing but an emerald green banyan and the ink in his skin, climbing back into the bed."

Cleave the Pin - @DarkIsRising - 7k, E, Ed/Stede "It’s a sobering thought for someone facing middle age to wrestle with, this notion one might be less than appealing in bed, and while he’d always known he was no Don Juan, Stede thought himself perfectly adequate in the art of making love. But ‘perfectly adequate,’ when facing the prospect of reuniting with the man that may very well be the love of his life, feels (pathetic, mortifying, distressing) like a quandary.”

I'll follow the echoes - Dialects_and_Costumes | @unadulteratedkr - 20k, E, Ed/Stede "When the Revenge is in need of some extreme maintenance that leaves the ship and its crew stuck in Nassau for a month, Ed finds himself returning to the piano at a small bar in town far away from anyone who knows him."

So Take My Hand and Have No Fear (Love Led Us Here) - DontOffendTheBees | @dont-offend-the-bees - 6k, T, Ed/Stede "Ed attempts a glare. And it's a strong attempt! Especially with this scary new look he seems to have been experimenting with in Stede’s absence. But it's somewhat marred by the fact that his long, beautiful hair is currently hanging straight down from his upside-down scalp and making him look rather like a vengeful paintbrush. Fondness bubbles in Stede’s chest, but he wisely keeps it to himself. '...I can explain?’”

before your name became a pulsing star - foxtails | @ratchet - 8k, E, Ed/Stede "The first time he fucks Stede Bonnet, Edward Teach is sure of three things: Stede Bonnet’s mouth tastes both warm like brandy, and sweet like the flesh of an orange. Stede Bonnet’s skin smells like fresh air, and sun, and the good type of dirt. Stede Bonnet is going to be the greatest, most wonderful mistake of Ed’s life. or: Ed and Stede enter into a co-captains with benefits arrangement. It stays about as platonic as you'd expect."

the young and the menace - foxtails - 8.5k, E, Lucius/Stede, AU "Really, the fact that he’s written a pros and cons list should be the biggest clue that yes, actually, Lucius really does want to fuck that old man."

seven point three miles - foxtails - 19k, T, Ed/Stede, AU "Stede takes a job as a remote forest fire lookout in the summer following his divorce, with a plan to find out who he is, and what he wants his life to be. With the help of the enigmatic lookout on the other side of the forest, he ends up getting more out of the experience than he could ever have hoped."

Fancy - Fyre | @amuseoffyre w/ @aivelin -7k, E, Ed/Stede "When a Spanish prize yields a treasure trove of exquisite clothing, Stede can't resist the urge to indulge Ed's fondness for a fine fabric."

Rough Winds Do Shake - HeckinaHandbasket | @heck-in-a-handbasket - 4k, E, Ed/Stede "He returned with the book, tapping it on Ed’s leg as he reclaimed his seat in the chair. ‘I’ve always been rather partial to a sonnet, myself. Though they’ve often left me feeling somewhat melancholy.’ They’d often left him filled with longing, left him feeling empty, and strange, as if he were missing something vital to the human experience. He loved them, still. Pain was the price of beauty, after all. Stede glanced up at Ed, smiling at the effortlessly lovely picture he made, backlit by a dozen candles. ‘Although, I wonder, now, if it might be different.’ Ed shifted on the arm of the chair, throwing his own arm over Stede’s shoulders to peer at the book. ‘Different, how?’ Without thinking, Stede bumped his forehead against Ed’s shoulder, joyful honesty bubbling out of him like seafoam. ‘Well, with you, of course. Everything is different with you.’ A deep, thoughtful line appeared between Ed’s brows as he examined Stede’s face. ‘Is it?’”

we're finding new forms - Hymn | @thelionshoarde - 6k, E, Ed/Stede “Against Ed’s gasping mouth, Stede murmurs, 'My dear. You’re shaking, ' before sucking in Ed’s bottom lip. Groaning, Ed doesn’t try to fight it—the tide of panic, of love, of fear that lingers. He hadn’t expected that part, to be honest. All his life and Ed had shown fear the middle finger every time it came knocking. He’s had to, hasn’t he? But then wham, love stomps him to the ground, sets up a home inside his chest, and Ed hasn’t known peace since. Stede’s fingers trying their damnedest to wiggle under his leather, squeezing at Ed’s ass sure as shit isn’t helping keep him sane. "

one good thing - illimerence - 2k, E, Ed/Stede "Everything’s different with Stede. He can see everything, every part of Ed that Ed hasn’t shown anyone before."

Wayfaring - Justkeeptrekkin | @justkeeptrekkin - 34k, E, Ed/Stede "The downside to being stuck on a desert island is that Stede's not awfully good at adapting. The upside is that he and Ed can finally have some peace and quiet– that is, if Ed ever wakes up from the gunshot wound in his stomach. Stranded in the middle of who-knows-where, Stede learns the art of reflection and how to embrace the man who looks back."

Renewal - katonline - 3k, E, Ed/Stede "The fire is blazing cheerfully in the fancy as fuck fireplace in their cabin. It’s a ridiculous folly, it shouldn’t be there, but it is and it’s wonderful. It’s wet and dreary outside and it’s cozy and snug and perfect in here. The cabin is like a friend. The rain is indifferent, blind to their happiness. That’s - whatsit, fuck - ah. Right. That’s pathetic fallacy.Stede taught him about pathetic fallacy.”

on a homeward path we go series - @kirkaut - 25k, T, Ed/Stede "Ed’s made up his mind: if he ever lays eyes on Stede fucking Bonnet again, he’s a dead man. Ed’s had six months of Stede-lessness, and six months of thinking about all the terrible things he’d do to him when they saw each other again. Somehow, it never occurred to him to think that they’d never have the chance."

Such as They May Be - @livelydiver - 6k, E, Ed/Stede "'That's enough,' a voice rings out, and Ed feels the world turn sideways. He lifts his eyes and sees a spirit, a sea nymph aglow in the swaying lamplight, clad in billowing white, with golden hair pushed back roguishly and a voice that sounds just like Stede's. 'You,' Izzy spits furiously, letting Pete drop to the deck. 'Hello darling,' the spirit says, and his smile shines on Ed like the sun through clouds. 'Is your face all right?' 'Oh fuck,' Ed breathes.”

Half agony, half hope - lyricl | @connachta - 35k, E, Ed/Stede "The first letter appeared only a few weeks after Stede left him alone on that beach. Ed burnt the first, and the second, and the third. But they kept coming. Or: how Edward Teach got a pen pal, reunited with an old friend, lost a first mate, gained a new one, learned something about seagulls, asked for some fashion advice, found Stede Bonnet, found himself."

My Body, Poured Out for You - MassiveAggression | @revmassiveaggression - 6k, E, Ed/Stede "’I'm not your God, Stede,’ Ed said stiffly, feeling deeply uncomfortable both with the subject matter at hand and with the sudden tightness of his trousers. ‘No, you're not,’ Stede said, head slightly bowed, eyes cast upward, meeting Ed's gaze from beneath his lashes. Ed forgot to breathe for a moment, enchanted by the dance of candle flame over Stede's skin and the heat radiating from his gaze. ‘But there is a connection there. You see, my God is love.’ He raised his hands to rest on Ed's thighs, fingers firm atop the leather. ‘And expressing that love’-- Stede's voice pitched even lower, his hands raking slowly up and down Ed's legs--’is holy.’" (Full disclosure: this brilliant author is my actual wife)

As Long As You're Beside Me Along the Way - MassiveAggression - 2k, E, Ed/Stede "In which Ed and Stede have been out of the pirate life for a while, but are still fascinated with each other in simultaneously wholesome and sexy ways. Also, they have a cat."

your name like a boat - mia_ugly | @mia-ugly and soft_october | @soft-october-night - 39k, E, AU, Ed/Stede "Sailors call them watermarks. A gift from the sea, a name or symbol written on your chest, meant to guide you to your own true love. But Stede Bonnet's mark doesn't look like anything at all. Not really. And it certainly doesn't look like 'Edward' or 'Teach' or 'Blackbeard' or a black beard and that's fine. Completely fine. Ed's absolutely fine with it."

Transformative Work - mia_ugly and @pinehutch - 41k, E, Frenchie/Jim, Frenchie/Oluwande "Captain Blackbeard has heard about Frenchie’s ‘bit of fanfiction.’ He asks him to write a better ending for his and Stede’s story. Frenchie tries his best but soon other people want to tell the story the way it should have gone, including Fang, Lucius, Ivan, Jim, and ultimately Ed. In the act of surviving and telling stories together, relationships are considered, examined, and developed. Meanwhile, a ship trailing seagulls grows closer and closer on the horizon."

we were warnings - mia_ugly | @mia-ugly - 13k, E, Ed/Stede "Stede comes back. Ed does too. It just takes a little longer."

Salt, Sweet - mia_ugly - 18k, E, Ed/Stede (femslash) "'You look –' Stede steps forward, and if she says 'pretty, ' Ed thinks she might tear her own face off. She doesn’t mind that sometimes, but tonight she wants to be something different. 'Astonishing, ' Stede says, moving closer, close enough to touch. Her fingers land on the lapel of Ed’s velvet coat, smoothing the grain of it. 'The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. ' 'Beautiful. ' Ed's voice is unfamiliar to her, a low rasp. 'Handsome, ' Stede says quietly, and the word catches in Ed’s throat like a diamond. "

Buttercup - mia_ugly - 13k, E, Ed/Stede "The thing is, when you’re Blackbeard you’ve got kind of a reputation to uphold. When you captain a ship, when you lead a crew, when people look up to you, tell stories, build a legend – parts of that legend are always more accurate than others. And maybe you just let it slide, some of the things people say. Some of the things they assume. Maybe you swagger around and wear black leather and are a handsy bastard and let the stories tell themselves. Maybe you don't want to talk about it."

i who have died am alive again today - @middyblue - 8k, T, Ed/Stede "Blackbeard stands atop the quarterdeck of the merchant vessel the Virginia, his wild hair wafting in the breeze that carries the scent of blood and gunpowder and terror, thick over the brine of the sea. He surveys the main deck below as the chaos of the raid winds down; the Virginia’s men had even put up something of a fight, to their credit, but he and Izzy have reminded their crew what the name Blackbeard means. What it will always mean, unending and relentless and dark like the pull of the ocean floor: death; the skeleton piercing the heart; the black flag haunting every seafarer’s nightmares; the malevolent ghost on every merchant’s horizon. This is the truth of him; there is no other."

Hell or High Water - @mottlemoth - 298k, E, Ed/Stede, Izzy/OMC "For a year now, Stede Bonnet has pursued the legendary pirate Blackbeard across the sea. Desperate for a chance to put things right, Stede will stop at nothing to catch up with the Revenge and its new captain. But who will he encounter on Ocracoke Island: the man he loves, or a monster?"

The Importance of Being Edward - MrsNoggin | @katnoggin - 6k, E, Ed/Stede "He snaps. ‘Ed’s long gone now.’ Stede has always been good at pushing his luck. Especially with this man. ‘I don’t know, I think I see him, lurking around under all that dirt.’ Because they can't get away, start over, reset."

weather the storm - one_more_page | @one-more-page - 10k, E, Ed/Stede "Ed runs, Stede follows. Ed stabs Stede, Stede comes back. They duel, they fight, they talk, no matter the encounter Ed wakes the next day with Stede's ship just on the horizon. He’s being haunted by Stede Bonnet."

If You Were Mine to Keep - Pamplemousse | @mysterybees - WIP, AU, E, Ed/Stede "Caught between the gallows and the end of an English sword, Ed accepts the Act of Grace: marry into the aristocracy, leave the English ships alone, and live to sail another day. But who in their right mind would ever agree to marry the mad devil pirate Blackbeard?"

Aftercare - @perkynurples - 214.5k, E, Ed/Stede "In the aftermath of some life-altering decisions on both sides, Edward and Stede navigate reuniting, learning what it is that they really want and how to ask for it, as well as surviving in a world that is nowhere near ready to just let them rest. Or, finding their way back to each other is only the very beginning."

Liquid Gold - perkynurples - SMAU, M, Ed/Stede (complete on Twitter) "Stede Bonnet, recently divorced, returns to the town he once knew with a plan. He's got the house (older and more derelict than he remembers), he's got the bees (and the theoretical skill to keep them), and he's going to be(e) happy if it's the last thing he does. (Stede is, as it turns out, a bit miserable no matter how hard he tries.) Ed Teach has been keeping all of his various demos at bay more or less successfully for years now. He's known as THE beekeeper in town, always meticulous, always gentle, never too bothered with rules, expectations, or protective gear for that matter. (Ed is also, no matter how hard he tries, a bit bored at this point.)"

No One Would Riot For Less - @sacrificethemtothesquid - 51k, M, Ed/Stede "He doesn’t know that a buffoon with blond curls and a nervous smile will end him as surely as a bullet to the temple. He will lose everything from his boat to his beard and his name along with it, and the worst part is that he will be glad for the loss. Edward Teach will fall in love and Blackbeard will die, and neither fraction of himself sees it coming.”

you can almost see st. augustine from here - @shortcrust - 7k, T, Ed/Stede, Ed & Izzy "Israel Hands is on the run, and he has nowhere else to go."

guardians of a rare thing - ShowMeAHero | @andillwriteyouatragedy - 10k, E, Ed/Stede "Five times stede did things for ed, and one time ed did something for stede."

quand il me prend dans ses bras, qu’il me parle tout bas (je vois la vie en rose) - SilkAndLeather w/ juniper_and_lamplight (that’s me!) - 7k, E, Ed/Stede "Ed appreciates his new morning routine, as well as Stede's more intimate finery.”

Index - Siria | @siriaeve - 1k, G, Ed/Stede "Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate: Matelotage, Masculinity, and Maritime Community Building in the Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy (Newtown: Atlantic University Press, 2022) draws on extensive archival research to provide the most comprehensive reconstruction yet of Teach and Bonnet’s careers and travels."

Labyrinth Skin - @skrifores - 18k, E, Ed/Stede, AU "Ed's tattoos have stories to tell."

Can't Stand Me Now - Skrifores - 6.6k, E, Ed/Stede "Ed and Stede are back together on the Revenge, but they haven't made up yet. The crew have the bright idea to handcuff them together, to make them get along. Sitcom trope shenanigans ensue."

Weird - Skrifores - 5k, E, Ed/Stede "In which Ed muses on all the things which are just fucking weird about being on the Revenge, especially the cute, strange, lunatic captain."

As I Drowned series - Skrifores - 24k, E, Ed/Stede "Ed’s aware that from the outside that might seem faintly ridiculous. Stede’s a posh boy with no real idea of what he’s doing, afterall, but he really doesn’t give a fuck. It’s been a very, very long time since he felt anything new and this is fun as fuck… So he’s gonna see where this goes. He’s gonna lean the fuck in.”

Bones Adrift - Skrifores - 42k, E, Ed/Stede "The Revenge spots a drifting, seemingly abandoned ship. Is it haunted, overrun by demons, or full of vampire-mermaids? Probably none of the above, Ed and Stede think, though some of the crew have different ideas. There does seem to be something wrong about that ship though. It warrants some investigation."

turn on the light - smallestchurch, read by Kninjaknitter - 55k, 6hrs, E, Ed/Stede, AU "Lighthouse Bookshop had been there seemingly since time immemorial. Over forty years at that spot, sitting proud, a beacon at the heart of the community, and when the old owner decides to sell, it's the perfect vessel for Stede's odd restlessness. And the building is connected to a famous cocktail bar run by a mad genius behind the stick. One problem: Stede's still married." Podfic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41920626/chapters/105213216

the last night i lie - smallestchurch - 10k, E, Ed/Stede "Stede keeps giving Ed *the look* and Ed tries to figure out what it means for once and for all. ‘And what about you, Stede Bonnet? Proclivities and all that?’”

Waiting on the Lightning - smallestchurch - 8k, AU, E, Ed/Stede “They're co-captains now, sure, that's great and good, but... why is it making Stede so nervous?”

not pickles - smallestchurch - WIP, E, Ed/Stede, AU "Ed's minding his business when the new neighbor's kid comes around holding a human puppet. It's creepy as hell, but as soon as the kid's father rounds the corner, Ed doesn't mind. "

Benediction - Springandastorm | @spr1ngandastorm - 2k, T, Ed/Stede "There'd be the drag of a lace cuff, the soft pliancy of Stede's fingertips on his hand or in his hair. He could feel it through his clothes, sometimes, a phantom press against his arm or shoulder or heart long after Stede had lowered his hand. He didn't know what to do with so much sensation, a tide of its own, one that made him afraid to open his mouth and let the water in, almost certain he'd drown.”

did my heart love till now? - stedesboyfriend - 8k, E, AU, Ed/Stede (femslash) "They do a lot of kissing, yes, and it’s been great. It’s been leagues more than great. But it’s also been just that. Just kissing. Which is fine, really. Ed will do whatever the hell Stella wants her to do whenever the hell she wants her to do it, and that includes kissing. Just that, if Stel doesn’t want anything more. And that would be perfectly okay. But. The thing is, Stella sends some very fucking confusing mixed signals."

Message in a Marmalade Jar - stitchy | @stitchyarts - 11k, T, Ed/Stede "'I don’t know who will find this, if anybody. Who would even understand it, as Captain Bonnet is long gone?' The crew of the Revenge find a message in a marmalade jar."

The World That Borders the Sea - @thereluctantrose - 7.7k, T, Ed/Stede “I’m not made for cold,” he grumbled. “But you are made for me,” Stede grinned, leaning into Ed’s shoulder, “And I reckon I’m more than enough to keep you snug in the depths of December.” What can a man say to that, exactly? When the sun tells you it can provide, who are you to doubt its capacity for warmth? Thoughts on The Last Raid and all that comes after."

50 Ways to Kill Your Lover - @trinityofone - 2k, M, Ed/Stede "In his quest to get himself free, Ed begins a list of ways to do away with Stede: 1. Stabbing 2. Harder stabbing It gets much worse, and then much better, from there."

#our flag means death #ofmd #gentlebeard #ofmd fic #fic recs #my recs #blackbonnet #ed/stede

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