#bless this show and fandom

[philtrashnumberunus]

the terror fandom is a miracle. a freak of nature. writers and actors engaging with fans regularly after EIGHT YEARS? unheard of.

[avelera]

Man, there’s all these little beats in OFMD S2 1-3 where people keep EXPECTING Stede to be upset or horrified about Ed’s actions and then he’s just. Not. In a way that reminded me of how a lot of fanon kept softening Stede into someone who doesn’t swear and is horrified at Ed for setting those ships on fire when imo to my eyes he was horrified for Ed because Ed was still so clearly distressed about it.

- Zheng Yi Sao asks Stede how he’s doing now that he knows Ed did horrible things to his crew and there’s this beat and Stede just pivots to, oh yeah, sometimes Ed is troubled. Like it didn’t occur to him to be upset on the crew’s behalf he’s worried about Ed.

- Izzy keeps trying to spare Stede’s feelings and cover up Ed’s spiral, but Stede clocked what was going on with Ed immediately and wasn’t the least bit intimidated or bothered. The knives brought the room together. Of course Ed’s trying to burn the world down or die trying. Duh. And I genuinely don’t think the STUFF in the Revenge mattered even a fraction to Stede as much as the signs of Ed’s breakdown broke his heart. It’s just STUFF, who cares.

- Lucius had to SPECIFICALLY call out Stede for not being surprised or bothered by what happened to him. What Ed did. Stede has to almost consciously remind himself to express polite concern. He just doesn’t actually care, instinctively or automatically, about what happened to Lucius. Part of it is he blames himself more than Ed. Part of it is he just doesn’t care, Ed is the priority.

They’re little blink and you’ll miss it pauses in some cases. Micro-expressions. The absence of a reaction. But honestly, I will scream it to the end of time, Stede is not some nonviolent creampuff scared or upset by Ed’s evil ways. He wants to join Ed in the atrocities. The man ran away to become a pirate. He asked if Lucius was taking notes during a murderous raid.

Stede’s at least a little on some kind of whackadoodle pirate comedy neurodivergence spectrum to the point where he actually really actually struggles to empathize with people, even people he cares about!, if their feelings conflict with his hyperfixation (piracy) and the love of his life (Ed Teach). He’s always, ALWAYS going to pick Ed over Lucius or Izzy or his crew or even his own feelings, if the option is there. He will literally throw himself overboard to get to Ed’s side. No pause. No consideration of anyone else or even his own safety.

Stede sometimes seems to have to consciously remind himself things like, oh yeah, the crew, I need to see to them. Not because he’s heartless or doesn’t care, but because it takes a bit of conscious effort for him to see beyond the laser-focused spotlight of what and who he does care most about, he has to remind himself of social niceties and other people’s feelings (just see him running away in the first place!) when he gets an idea in his head. It’s as if he had to train himself to consciously care about some things other people care about and as a neurodivergent person myself, that felt very familiar in a comedically writ large sort of way. I’d even argue that’s where all his aristocratic social niceties come from. They were his guidebook for how to do things “right” in a world that otherwise made no sense to him outside his hyperfixations. He practiced being a person through the aristocratic training because it was all so foreign to him from the start, including caring, actually caring, about the needs of others. Not because he’s consciously evil or consciously a jerk. The instinct just isn’t there unless he practices at it until it becomes reflex to ask how others are doing, because on his own his brain just doesn’t really notice or care.

I just… hope the fandom notes and has as much FUN as I do noticing all the little moments where even people inside the story of OFMD expect Stede to act in a normal way and instead he remains unhinged, laser-focused on Ed.

Stede’s not just an Ed apologist, he truly doesn’t blame Ed for any of it. He blames only himself. He doesn’t always voice this but he really really only cares about anyone else including the crew as a DISTANT second and he has to consciously REMIND himself to do so. He is able to rally to take action, to care about their physical needs like safety during the rescue, but he still struggles, deeply struggles, to remember to show empathy in a non-performative way for anyone except his special person, Ed.

Stede’s not a creampuff, not a nice guy, not some emotionally or morally perfect angel. He has to consciously practice caring about literally anything else but what he wants to do and his special person. And to me that’s a thousand times more interesting than shoving him in a box labeled “the blond, pacifist do-gooder good guy” in their relationship.

[bogbutteronmycroissant]

[kingofthedaisies]

I cannot wait to see the supernatural fans take over The Boys this coming year. I know the references and easter eggs are gonna be wild.

[cinnabon0]

oh yeeeeah the new art style is amazing😎

And I also exchanged drawings with my friend, I drew Hua Cheng for her and she drew for me... OH GOD- AHEHAH I LOVE THIS💥

[lady-corrine]

In light of several flop Batman writers that can't stop being absolute losers about Starfire 😘

[1nk-ling]

Tumblr please don't destroy me yes I did draw MD fanart once. In a moment of weakness.

N was just... it was like someone studied me personally and brewed up a "Ya Boi" potion. Everything other than N was just extra.

[sconesfortea]

Happy birthday OFMD!

I'm so so glad this show exists. OFMD is a show I needed that I never knew I needed. The queer joy contained in and emanating from this show is so special and we deserved so much more of it.

The story of older people, discovering themselves and finding the love they never thought they were worthy of (and crucially realising they're totally worthy of it) is a comfort I truly didn't know I needed but my god I did.

The way OFMD has every flavour of queer, celebrates each of them even, without over explaining or diluting it for straight audience members is so fucking refreshing.

OFMD is made with joy, of joy, & results in joy and you can't get better than that really.

[starleska]

Popping in for a Doctor Who-related ramble from the perspective of someone who knows only a few things BUT am incredibly tempted to start watching it thanks to some friends of mine and the Mr Ring-A-Ding Tumblr craze... wait, who said that:

I don't know how many folks noticed this, but - as I'm a bit of an animation nerd - I noticed something in this video of Lux/Mr Ring-A-Ding clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St6HSXeaB1E

In the timestamps 1:22-1:23, 1:33-1:38 and 2:37-2:39, I could be overthinking things but I swear he pulled a "Milt Kahl head shake/swaggle" (or at least some version of it).

If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, Milt Kahl was a very renowned animator who worked on a lot of Disney movies and was known for animating characters doing this pretty expressive gesture (yes, there is also an entire compilation of those specific scenes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDyaZvQQaNo

2. Although I have a very surface-level understanding of the Pantheon of Discord (I have to quickly thank you for your posts explaining that bit of DW lore), I do adore the concept of it.

So much so (also thanks for my ongoing obsession over Lux/Mr Ring-A-Ding) that I've pondered over the idea of two extra gods (fan OCs?):

Arcoíris, the God of Art

Seimei, the God of (biological) Life 

Details are still nebulous, but I'm liking how they look in my head - as well as their potential dynamics with the other Pantheon members.

first of all: a huge welcome to the Doctor Who fandom!!! 🥳 we always love getting new fans, and entering because a handsome villain caught your eye is very common indeed 😉 second: oh you absolute genius, you're so right!!! i'm familiar with the Milt Kahl head swaggle but the only one i caught was the bit where Mr. Ring-A-Ding is adjusting his bow-tie: subtle yet absolutely there!! that little satisfied smile is key, and it's giving me flashbacks to both The Jungle Book and Robin Hood 👀 amazing catch!! with your fab animation knowledge, perhaps you can help solve another mystery:

do you have any idea what that animation reference is at 2:03, on the word 'sounds', where Mr. Ring-A-Ding's eyes move back and forth in a very sinister way? it looks so familiar and i know it's referencing something, just can't place what 🙈💖 third: i am absolutely adoring both of these OC concepts, oh my goodness!!! excellent names too—Arcoíris would be a marvellous complement to the God of Light 😉💖 i'm sure lots of people (myself included) would love to see your OC concepts if you chose to sketch them! very curious as to what forms they'd have...👀 and oh my goodness, don't worry at all about not knowing some of the Doctor Who lore, that's part and parcel of being a fan 😂 the great news is that there will always be someone who knows more lore than you, so you can just kick back and relax, vibing with whatever stories/concepts/characters you like the most!! :3c

[ingravinoveritas]

So completely here for Alan Cumming sharing this photo of David in a story on his Instagram today...

[rainbownyancat1234]

TGCF AU!

(It’s pretty much a fanfic idea I can’t write bc I don’t have the time, information, or motivation. So it’s going here instead. Enjoy :) )

Now I have never actually read the books— which makes me feel under qualified to actually write anything bc I have a very small grasp on the timeline of events. But I plan to! And I have seen the show— so I at least know who I’m talking abt.

Anyways, the idea is as follows:

Permanent Calamity Xie Lian. No ‘one person was enough’ moment. When Wu Ming dies, he loses whatever humanity he has left.

He is still partially divine— or at least, not fully a ghost since his body is still in-tact and he hasn’t really died. But his power is certainly up in ranks with the other calamities.

While he isn’t the strongest among them, he is still considered the most powerful due to his intuition, intelligence, and overall ruthlessness for any obstacle that decides to get in his way. He is considered the equivalent of a one man army— the kingdom of Yong��an would attest if there was anyone left.

Xie Lian also ran into Qi Rong somewhere along the way and took him in like a stray dog who bites ankles. He keeps his younger cousin more contained than in the original, but even he can’t quell the menace that is Qi Rong. Their relationship is somewhat co-dependent due to their individual trauma, but certainly not healthy by any means. They get on eachother’s nerves often, going as far to exchange blows (on the rare occasion Qi Rong gets to land a hit of his own).

But despite this twisted cohabitation, both choose to stay within arms length of each other. They each have their own reasons, but Qi Rong claims his is only due to the fact that Xie Lian has ahold of his ashes and refuses to return them. He often calls himself a prisoner despite being allowed to cause ruckus and hide behind Xie Lian for protection. It’s… an odd dynamic.

As for Hua Cheng, he still meets his end as Wu Ming and follows the path to becoming the Crimson Rain Sought Flower. The only difference is that he never really loses track of Xie Lian. It’s hard not to hear of a notorious calamity causing destruction. But unfortunately, Hua Cheng never found a good spot to re-insert himself into Xie Lian’s life— and when a calamity does not wish to be found, it is certainly hard to find them. So he decided on a different method: Gain power and bolster his reputation until Xie Lian decided to come to /him/— whether out of threat or simple curiosity. The only one who would have a chance at meeting with a calamity was one of his kind. How hard could that be to achieve?

It’s basically like an enemy/rivals to lovers with Qi Rong as the child from the first marriage kinda situation. Fighting for the affection of a man who doesn’t even remember— nor care to remember— how to receive it. Totally dependent on the ‘Wu Ming was Xie Lian’s first love’ headcanon I’ve seen a time or two (which might be canon— again, I /need/ to read the books.)

Of course the heavenly realm is chill with none of this. And all of our other friendly characters show up as adversaries with mixed feelings about the new white clothed calamity. And their concern only worsens as Hua Cheng and Xie Lian’s start to become friendly, since it’s seen as two calamities colluding for who knows why.

And ofc the original white clothed calamity has plans of his own… but let’s just say his successor isn’t the most eager to listen to them.

That’s the basic idea. I have other little intricate headcanons and stuff I might post as well, but that’s the main gist of it.

The main thing that stands in my way is the fact that the timeline will obv be changed with Xie Lian staying as a calamity (and not going on his other side quests), and I don’t exactly know where the regular timeline stands. So maybe I’ll circle back.

[cuddlytogas]

there was some Twitter madness recently where someone left a comment on someone's art to the effect of, "Ed shouldn't wear a dress, he's a man!" which I do disagree with on principle, but unfortunately, it brought out one of my least favourite trends in the fandom

so, naturally, I had to write a twitter essay about it. and I already largely argued this in a post here, but the thread is clearer and better structured, so I thought I'd cross-post for those not on the Hellsite (derogatory). edited for formatting/structure's sake, since I no longer have to keep to tweet lengths, and incorporating a couple of points other people brought up in the replies

so

I want to point out that the wedding cake toppers in OFMD s2 aren't evidence that Ed wants to wear dresses. Gender is fake, men can wear skirts, play with these dolls how you like, but it's not canon, and that scene especially Doesn't Mean That.

People cite it often: 'He put himself in a dress by painting the bride as himself! It's what he wants!' But that fundamentally misunderstands the scene, and the series' framing of weddings as a whole. I'd argue that Ed paints the figure not from desire, but from self-hatred; it's not what he wants, but what he thinks he should, and has failed to, be.

(Yes, I am slightly biased by my rampant anti-marriage opinions, but bear with me here, because it is relevant to the interpretation of the scene, and season two as a whole.)

The show is not subtle. It keeps telling us that the institution of marriage is a prison that suffocates everyone involved. Ed's parents' cycle of abuse is passed to their son in both the violence he witnesses then enacts on his father, and the self-repression his mother teaches, despite her good intentions ("It's not up to us, is it? It's up to God. ... We're just not those kind of people. We never will be."). Stede and Mary are both oppressed by their arranged marriage, with 1x04 blunty titled Discomfort in a Married State. The Barbados widows revel in their freedom ("We're alive. They're dead. Now is your time").

But even without this context, the particular wedding crashed in 2x01 is COMICALLY evil. The scene is introduced with this speech from the priest:

"The natural condition of humanity is base and vile. It is the obligation of people of standing ... to elevate the common human rabble through the sacred transaction of matrimony."

It's upper class, all-white, and religiously sanctioned. "Vile natural conditions" include queerness, sexual freedom, and family structures outside the cisheteropatriarchal capitalist unit. "The obligation of people of standing" invokes ideas like the white man's burden, innate class hierarchy, religious missions, and conversion therapy. Matrimony is presented as both "sacred" (endorsed by the ruling religious body), and a "transaction" (business performed to transfer property and people-as-property, regardless of their desires), a tool of the oppressive society that pirates escape and destroy. That is where the figurines come from.

When Ed, in a drunk, depressive spiral, paints himself onto the bride, he's not yearning for a pretty dress. He's sort of yearning for a wedding, but that's not framed as positive. What he's doing is projecting himself into an 'ideal' image of marriage because he believes that: a) that's what Stede (and everyone) wants; b) he can never live up to that ideal because he's unlovable and broken (brown, queer, lower-class, violent, abused, etc); c) that's why Stede left. He tries to make himself fit into the social ideal by painting himself onto the closest match - long-haired, partner to Stede/groom, but a demure, white woman, a frozen, porcelain miniature - because, if he could just shrink himself down and squeeze into that box, maybe Stede would love him and he'd live happily ever after. But he can't. So he won't.

The fantasy fails: Ed is morose, turns away from the figurines, then tips them into the sea, a lost cause. He knows he won't ever fulfil that bride's role, but he sees that as a failure in himself, not the role. It's not just that "Stede left, so Ed will never have a dream wedding and might as well die." Stede left when Ed was honest and vulnerable, "proving" what his trauma and depression tell him: there's one image of love (of personhood), and he'll never live up to it because he's fundamentally deficient. So he might as well die.

This hit me from my very first viewing. The scene is devastating, because Ed is wrong, and we know it! He doesn't need to change or reduce himself to fit an image and be accepted (as, eg, Izzy demanded). Stede knows and loves him exactly as he is; it's the main thread and theme of season two!

(@/everyonegetcake suggested that Ed's yearning in these scenes includes his broader desire for the vulnerability and safety Stede offered, literalised through unattainable "fine" things like the status of gentleman in s1, or the figurine's blue dress. I'd argue, though, that these scenes don't incorporate this beyond a general knowledge of Ed's character. Ed is always pining for both literal and emotional softness, but the significance of the figurines specifically, to both Ed and the audience, is poisoned by their origin and context: there is no positive fantasy in the bride figure, only Ed's perceived deficiency.

Further, assuming that a desire for vulnerability necessarily corresponds with an explicit desire for femininity, dresses, etc, kind of contradicts the major themes of the show. OFMD asserts that there is nothing wrong with men assuming femininity (through drag, self-care, nurturing, emotional vulnerability, etc), but also that many of these traits are, in fact, genderless, and should be available to men without affecting their perceived or actual masculinity. It thematically invokes the potential for cross-gender expression in Ed's desires, especially through the transgender echoes in his relieved disposal, then comfortable reincorporation, of the Blackbeard leathers/identity. It's a rich, valuable area of analysis and exploration. But it remains a suggestion, not a canon or on-screen trait.)

Importantly, the groom figure doesn't fit Stede, either. Not just in dress: it's stiff and formal, and marriage nearly killed him. He's shabbier now, yes, but also shedding his privilege and property, embracing his queerness, and trying to take responsibility for his community. In a s1 flashback, Stede hesitantly says, "I thought that, when I did marry, it could be for love," but he would never find love in marriage. Not just because he's gay, but because marriage in OFMD is an oppressive, transactional institution that precludes love altogether. All formal marriages in OFMD are loveless.

So, he becomes a pirate, where they reject society altogether and have matelotages instead. Lucius and Pete's "mateys" ceremony is shot and framed not like a wedding, but as an honest, personal bond, willingly conducted in community (in a circle; no presiding authority, procession, or transaction).

That is how Stede and Ed can find love, companionship, and happiness: by rejecting those figurines and their oppressive exchange of property, overseen by a church that enables colonialism and abuse. Ed is loved, and deserves happiness, as he is, no paint or projection required.

ALL OF THIS IS TO SAY: draw Ed in dresses! Write him getting gender euphoria in skirts! Write trans/nb Ed, draw men being feminine! Gender is fake, the show invites exploration, that's what 'transformative works' means! But please, stop citing the cake toppers as evidence it's canon. Stop citing a scene where a depressed Māori man gets drunk and projects himself onto a rich, white, silent bride because he thinks he's innately unlovable and only people like her can find happiness, shortly before deciding to kill himself, as canon evidence it's what he wants.

(Also, please don't come in here with "lmao we're just having fun," I know, I get it. Unfortunately, I'm an academiapilled researchmaxxer, and some of youse need to remember that the word "canon" has meaning. NOW GO HAVE FUN PUTTING THAT MAN IN A PRETTY DRESS!! 💖💖)

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

What if Christos Lawton is the one responsible for putting I Say A Little Prayer For You on the official George Hodgson playlist. What then. On the one hand I would have to set myself on fire but on the other hand it would be FANTASTIC news for whoever authored my all time favorite post on the Cold Boys Kink Meme

[feudalmerengue]

BIG SHOUT OUT TO EVERY INUYASHA FANFIC AUTHOR!!!

I love you guys so much <33333 u make my day

I get see Inuyasha in a aquarium, as a full demon, Kagome as the Shikon Miko, Inuyasha sacrificios himself for Kagome, him as a baker, rockstars, the ✨almost kiss scene✨ told a million times, Sango and Kagome being cute collage lesbians, Seshomaru apologizing to my bay boy, tons of sex, the inugang being the inugang, jaw dropping Kikyo, new moon inuyasha in every flavor imaginable, and … INUKAG POST CANON (my absolute favorite one)

@ruddcatha @brain-rot-hour @neutronstarchild @kitramune @mamabearcatfanfics @shinidamachu @fawn-eyed-girl @anisaanisa

U guys r the absolute best

Los amo <3

[coldslaws]

(almost) 2 years' worth of n. e(n)joy

been a blast drawing this guy and sharing it all with you. thank yall and here's to probably many more ns to come :)

[markantonys]

my show-first friend has been reading the books for the first time in the wake of s2 and is now on TFOH, but unlike me when i first dove into my readthrough, she knows nothing about the general Fandom Opinions™, so every now and then i like to drop a relevant bad Fandom Opinion™ on her and be vindicated by her utter bewilderment

and even this was after i undersold it by being like "oh a lot of people think he's dumb / think he's the worse brother of the two" i couldn't bring myself to say "he is the #1 most hated character in the entire series" because that would sound completely insane to someone who is normal djkfjg and would create some very false expectations for her about gawyn's future actions (shoutout to my pre-reading prediction that he was going to murder morgase and fight elayne for the throne or something, just based on the sheer vitriol i saw towards him). i WILL be interested to see if her opinion of him changes as she goes along, but he made it through the coup unscathed in her esteem and she's also thus far been all in favor of him becoming egwene's love interest, and i'm sure his upcoming onesided homoerotic rivalry with rand will amuse and delight her rather than annoy her, so i have high hopes!