#from first watch it was definitely jim and lucius

[femboypussy420]

"favourite character" is such a difficult thing for me. like is it the one i would want to be friends with irl? is it the one i relate to most? is it the one i think has the most satisfyingly written arc? the one i laugh with the most? that i get most excited seeing on screen? the one as a writer i most enjoy putting in The Situations? these are Not the same character from any piece of media

[ladyluscinia]

Well. My curiosity about the post-S2 state of the OFMD fandom has been piqued - though much later and not at all for the reasons I thought it would be before watching the season - so I'm finally going to do that fanfic statistics follow up I planned almost a year ago.

Links to my first fanfic statistics from January 2023 (first 10 months of the fandom) and hiatus check in September 2023 (8 months of "deep hiatus"). This follow up adds the month of S2 lead up + airing and the 8 months and change immediately following it, which should by all rights include the traditional fic boosts of Kinktober and NaNoWriMo. So.

My hiatus check fic count was 23,187. Today's is 32,998 total fics in the Our Flag Means Death tag.

Right off the bat, this is interesting. 9,811 fics have been added. Which doesn't sound bad except in the deep hiatus timeframe - slightly shorter window, much further away from new content - the fandom added 11,115 fics. There's definitely factors at play like fandoms naturally losing people and creative energy over time and the series cancellation news, but I said back last year that it felt like the fandom activity didn't really spike with new content, and this tracks with that.

Character Tagging:

Edward Teach - 24,411 fics, 74.0% of the total

Stede Bonnet - 22,696 fics, 68.8% of the total

Izzy Hands - 16,627 fics, 50.4% of the total

Lucius Spriggs - 8,228 fics, 25.0% of the total

Jim Jimenez - 5,193 fics, 15.7% of the total

Frenchie - 4,167 fics, 12.6% of the total

Oluwande - 4,165 fics, 12.6% of the total

Percentage deviation is following the same trend as last time, with Izzy appearing in a slightly higher percentage of fics and everyone else in a slightly lower, only the actual "interest" change is even smaller this time - everyone here including Izzy is within at least 2% of where they were last check except Edward who dropped a whole -2.7% overall when he was "only" tagged in 6,638 (67.7%) of the new fics. How will people cope. Jim dropped the least - only -0.3% overall. Anyway interesting news Frenchie has gained prominence and overtaken Oluwande for 6th place by a whole 2 fics, which I enjoy because he was my Revenge crew fave.

Shipping: The Main Couple Math

BlackBonnet is tagged on 20,282 OFMD fics, making it 61.5% of the fandom. Running the otp:true search says that now 13,597 fics and 41.2% of all OFMD content is BlackBonnet with no side pairings at all.

Taking SteddyHands into account - 1,240 of those fics are also tagged with SteddyHands, making it 6.1% of BlackBonnet and (if you exclude them) putting BlackBonnet at 19,042 fics and 57.7% of the fandom.

7,190 fics under the Izzy Hands character tag are tagged BlackBonnet - which is 43.2% of all his tagged fics, and 21.8% of all fics. SteddyHands is also tagged on 1,150 of those, so excluding it brings us to 36.3% of “Israel Hands” fics / 18.3% of OFMD fics are tagged with BlackBonnet + “Israel Hands” and NOT SteddyHands.

BlackBonnet continues to leave notably more of the pie than last time available for other ships and characters, which is still objectively a good thing even for most people who love the ship. It's not hurting for attention, but it's getting closer to the high end of reasonable dominance vs the level where authors writing side character ships are legitimately hard to find. A healthy fandom will often have the main pairing below 50%. SteddyHands is still super niche in comparison.

Shipping: Everyone Else

Edward/Izzy - 3,982 under "Israel Hands", 4,260 (12.9%) total

Edward/Izzy (SteddyHands excluded) - 2,826 under "Israel Hands", 3,017 (9.1%) total

Edward/Stede/Izzy - 2,567 under "Israel Hands", 2,806 (8.5%) total

Stede/Izzy - 2,229 under "Israel Hands", 2,404 (7.3%) total

Stede/Izzy (SteddyHands excluded) - 1,167 under "Israel Hands", 1,262 (3.8%) total

Lucius/Izzy - 1,535 under "Israel Hands", 1,705 (5.2%) total

And in non-Izzy ships, Stizzy did make notable gains post-S2 and has passed up Black Pete/Lucius and Oluwande/Jim in total fics for the first time (though only with SteddyHands tagged fics included in the count) - likely due to a combination of canon decisions made in S2.

Black Pete/Lucius - 2,302 (7.0%) fics. 72.7% of these are also tagged BlackBonnet. Excluding BlackBonnet leaves 628 (1.9%) fics.

Oluwande/Jim - 1,933 (5.9%) fics. 68.2% of these are also tagged BlackBonnet. Running otp:true leaves 360 (1.1%) fics.

BlackHands has actually gone down the slightest bit by overall percentage and brought SteddyHands down with it, though it is impossible to accurately track SteddyHands fics that are tagged as component pairings alone vs the throuple tag. This makes sense with how Izzy fans have branched further into negligible Izzy ships such as Izzy/Frenchie in the wake of S2. Both non-Izzy ships also went down, but this is probably related to both being more heavily featured in S1 and still mostly riding those numbers (especially Oluwande/Jim who canonically broke up in S2).

Honestly I think I'm both surprised it's not more active with the well timed new content and surprised that everything is still so consistent. It confirms some minor suspected trends, but mostly just looks like an even less dramatic deep hiatus update.

Oh and also slight disclaimer - I have exactly one person muted on AO3 and I think they've written for OFMD and it would have excluded their fics, so my sourced counts may be off by extremely small numbers contributed by one author? Idk exactly how AO3 handles that in the fic search interface.

[kooabreen]

AHHHHHGHGSGJS okay okay episode 6 and 7!!

izzy fucking singing??? french??? love songs, while ed and stede fuck nasty??? stellar 10/10 outstanding beautiful voice hes perfect and his makeup was beautiful

stede and izzy sharing a /look/ w each other at spanish jackie’s - ed saying izzy is just jealous after he walks in on them?!?! bruh i’m definitely feeling like izzy is gonna be involved - maybe a stede and izzy moment while ed is trying to be a fisherman lmao

the drag!!!! the way izzy looked in wee john’s mirror!!! the way izzy wasn’t even forced to dress up - he willingly put on a performance and loved doing it!!!! the support he had from everyone else watching!!! i’m just loving this sassy lil izzy arc - he’s perfect and beautiful

olu, archie, and jim all hugging and dancing together during calypso’s birthday is just 🥹🥹 also jim’s moustache and fit were just stellar!! the way jim and archie wanted to stay with olu, even if it meant changing ships 🥹🥹🥹

pete and lucius just fucking for a full 24 hours and more - the rest of the crew planned a party, bought supplies, etc etc etc while they were just getting it on

the sheer amount of knives lucius had in his hands - the panic as pete kept adding more to the pile

ed and stede hooking up!!! secretly sorta bummed they didn’t end up going slow (was really hoping for an ed specific episode focused on his growth and how he and stede learn to love again) but i did also outwardly squeal like i was in middle school again so loved it!! honestly an accurate portrayal of their relationship - the fact that it was ed who made the breakfast also!!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹

izzy knowing ed tossed his leathers, izzy knowing ed left stede, izzy giving stede advice ab ed, izzy approaching ed first, izzy wanting stede and ed to be together because they’re good for each other - izzy my love and absolute joy!!!

frenchie back at it with the scams lmaooo lucius forging signatures and wee john giving stede tattoos

roach coming up w mud face masks - also a king who knows his curl pattern

archie and jim are the best wingmen fr

[chronicbatfictioner]

I'm dying, please help, I just found your "Exchanges and Compromises" but it's chapter 13, and I need the 1st cuz now I'm hooked, please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please, PRETTY PLEASE give a link with thr first chapter?? Or is it on another platform or something that'll give it to me? I'm so so so so so sorry if this is trouble, I'm just dying from not knowing the beginning and ending☹️🥺🙏

Hi dear anon! I’m sorry for not linking my fics to my AO3 - I forgot! Anyway, here’s the link to AO3:

Exchanges and Compromises (44892 words) by outlawserenade Chapters: 27/27 Fandom: Batman - Fandom, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Green Arrow (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic), Catwoman (Comics), Batgirl (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd/Tim Drake, Dinah Drake/Oliver Queen, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne Characters: Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Selina Kyle, Dinah Drake, Oliver Queen, Helena Bertinelli, Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Bane (DCU), Thomas Elliot, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne Additional Tags: will add villains in the tag as they come, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, New 52, will add characters' hero alias as they come too, if I tag now it'll spoil the whole thing, maybe I'll tag once everything's been posted, Or not, just see how my mood goes, Jaytim - Freeform, definitely JayTim, dickbabs, 'cause it's my jam, Stray!Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Tim Drake is Catlad | Stray, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Talon!Dick Grayson, Damian is Damian Series: Part 1 of Batless Summary:

A single change brought by the unlikeliest person brought a change to an entire universe.

=A fated night, 20 years ago - so everybody thought and believed. A fated night that brought Dr Thomas and Mrs Martha Wayne, along with their 10-year-old son, Bruce, to the Cinema at Park Row to watch an old movie rerun. A fated night in which Dr Wayne had forgotten his wallet at the concession stand, and the concession attendant had chased him as they got out of the theater to head back home.=

You will need an AO3 account, I think (also I prefer, since I don’t have the headspace to deal with bots >.<).

Happy reading! <3333

[lgbtqasacrew]

Can I request a fic about ouizzy, post-S2, with the plot being the crew trying to keep Izzy alive and him nearly dying (like, TCD, maybe) but eventually pulling through and focusing on Frenchie's feelings and actions throuhout?

Summary: After Izzy gets shot and is close to death, Frenchie has to deal with his emotions for the man he has yet to confess his feelings to

Relationships: Ouizzy

Word count: 800+

Warnings: inaccurate pirate medical care

A/N: Sorry it’s been so long since you’re request, I hope this is what you were wanting

Frenchie doesn’t leave Izzy’s side as Fang carries him to the bed, the same bed where his leg had been amputated only days ago, how cruel could life be, Frenchie wondered. He’d kept Izzy safe that time and he could do it again, he had to do it again, not just for Izzy but for himself too.

Roach quickly gets to work, stripping Izzy of his shirt so he could get a better look at the wound, there’s blood, so much blood. He feels like all he sees these days is blood as if it’s permanently etched into his vision. He takes Izzy’s hand, instantly taken back to the last time he’d held Izzy’s hand a few days ago. How warm it had felt compared to the coldness that surrounded him now. He hadn’t even thought when he did it, he’d never seen Izzy so sad, so dejected, and by instinct he had grabbed the man’s hand to comfort him. He hadn’t expected it to feel so nice, so right.

Now, the instinct was just as strong, he wanted to protect Izzy, to comfort him even in this unconscious state. He watches on, feeling hopeless as he watches Roach try to stop the bleeding. This is definitely one for the box, he thinks, he’s never gonna want to revisit this memory. Soon it won’t even matter, because Izzy is going to survive this, right?

It takes a while but eventually the wound is dressed and all there is to do now is wait, to hope. He leaves Roach and Izzy, needing some fresh air on deck, finding this is where everyone else has congregated to comfort one another. He glances around, eyes first falling on Jim, gripping Olu’s hand like a lifeline, tears pooling in their eyes. Ed and Stede with their arms wrapped around each other, Fang sobbing into Lucius’ shoulder.

He finds strong arms wrapped around him, knowing immediately they belong to his best friend. He allows himself to sink into Wee John’s body, allowing a few sobs to leave him. “He can’t die, I never told him” Wee John is the only one who knows of Frenchie’s feelings for Izzy, how they had developed during the reign of the kraken.

“He’s a stubborn fucker, I’m not even sure he can die”

That got a small chuckle from him, Izzy definitely was a stubborn man, that’s part of what he liked about him. As well as other things like his secret caring nature and that beautiful singing voice that had drawn Frenchie to him like a siren. “Thank you” giving his friend a squeeze.

Everyone takes a turn in visiting Izzy, just in case. Frenchie is one of the only ones to not take a turn yet, he doesn’t know how. Instead he sits with Jim and Archie, taking turns in swapping stories about the man. The things he’s done for them over the past few months, their beautiful twat of a unicorn.

“Do you think he’s gone to that place that Blackbeard went to? The gravy basket” Archie asks. Ed had recounted the whole story one night, until he’d started describing merstede in great detail and Stede had decided to take him back to the cabin.

Jim seems to consider it for a second, twirling their knife with their fingers “maybe he’s seeing that bastard Hornigold too”

“Maybe he’s getting his own mermaid” Archie counters. Frenchie considers this, wondering if it would still be Ed after everything that’s happened, he knows who he wishes Izzy most wanted to see. He wishes he could provide that comfort to the man that has come to mean so much to him.

“I’m gonna go sit with Izzy” Frenchie tells them, they both give him a sympathetic nod. Maybe his adoration for Izzy was more noticeable than he thought.

He takes a seat by Izzy’s bedside, taking the man’s hand in his own, it’s still cold. He doesn’t speak for quite a while, simply taking in Izzy’s features, the scar on his forehead, the tattoo, his well groomed goatee.

“I didn’t like you at first, we all thought you were a dick. I just thought you were some sort of witch sent to torment us. But then when we met the kraken, I realised you weren’t as much of a dick as we thought you were. You saved me and my friends, and saving you in return was less returning a debt and more of an instinct. I guess the same instinct that led to me holding your hand that day”

Frenchie continues to ramble on “if you were awake, you’d probably call me a twat and tell me to shut up” he would do anything for that to be a reality, to have the first mate tell him to stop being such a mopey twat.

His eyes trace the features of the silver haired man, looking for any sign of life but his features stay still. “If you can hear me, wake up now yeah? You can call me a twat, tell me to fuck off, but just wake up, cause um, I love you”

Frenchie nearly jumps out of his chair when Izzy’s fingers twitch in his own, his eyes immediately drawn back to the pirate’s face. “Izzy?”

Izzy’s eyes slowly blink open “I love you too, you twat”

[uozlulu]

Watched episodes 6 and 7 of OFMD season 2. Spoilers.

I liked that Ed and Stede influencing each other goes both ways and as Stede grows more villainous, Ed continues to withdraw from that life. I'm hoping this is an indication that they're eventually going to meet each other in the middle.

That said, I'm concerned for both of them. Stede lit someone on fire and Ed's not necessarily thinking clearly because catching one fish doesn't really mean you should dedicate your life to fishing. Although I do agree that he needs to go spend some time finding himself.

Loved the party and the singing. Enjoying Izzy's arc where he becomes more of an integral part of the crew. Also loved Black Pete and Lucius sneaking off and then being like "Are we under attack...?" and deciding to do something even if it didn't quite work the way they thought it would.

Also liked that Stede's last humane act before he committed his first murder was to get the crew that crashed their party to leave by treating them like people worthy of respect.

Living for Jim organizing an OT4 basically. Definitely need more love drama solved by the power of polyamory

We also deserve Con O'Neill singing again sometime. That was a nice and unexpected touch to the party.

Looking forward to whatever comes next. I hope Ed finds one of Stede's bottles while he's off fishing and finding himself.

Once again, I wish there was more stage lighting in this show because I kept losing track of the action during the darker scenes in both episodes.

[adzeisval]

Thoughts on rewatching OFMD s2 episode 8, we've reached the finale!

Poor Ed and his disastrous career as a fisherman.

When we first see Ricky he's cleaning his gun, the one he uses later to kill Izzy. Ricky is such an ass. Poor Swede having to be the taster. Eww, nose jar.

Zheng letting the Brits fight Stede for a bit before jumping in is funny. I love Zheng.

Ed coming out of the sea, fully dressed in leathers. Awesome but not practical. Very Ed.

Izzy's Pinocchio comment is great. Izzy playing with candles as usual. Izzy's lovely belonging speech.

"You wrote me a lovely letter!" Followed by Ed and Stede's beach reunion, so cute.

"Hey guys! Guys! Fuuuck!!!!!!" I love Zheng so much.

Lucius doesn't want to give up his pants to the escape effort.

"Rancid syphilitic cunt." Still the best insult ever.

Everyone falling over dead as Spanish Jackie laughs. Everyone is poison trained. What a nut. Love her.

Stede's been wanting a plan this whole episode and now he gets to make one quickly followed by everyone thinking it's going to get them all killed. They all look so badass going off to their deaths, luckily the plan works out for most of them, which brings me to...

Izzy getting shot. I love the understated reaction. Just a slight stumble and grunt. Easy to hide for a bit.

Jim throwing knives from the tree is so awesome. Someone refereed to Jim as a deranged squirrel and I love it.

The acting in the death scene kills me every time. Taika and Con really gave it their all and it turned out beautiful.

"Great Bonnet's in charge, I'm definitely fucked." Gotta get one last dig in at Stede.

Izzy frantically getting Ed to stop poking around the wound and to just sit with him. Izzy being open and able to to have Ed hold him in front of the whole crew.

"I'm not going anywhere." Kills me every time.

I love the fact that they both apologize. They're both sorry, its important to both of them that they part on good terms.

"I wanna go." Said so quietly, just for Ed to hear. Then shortly after "Ed you're surrounded by family." Loud enough for everyone to hear because they're Izzy's family too. Izzy wants to make sure that Ed's going to be alright.

"There he is." Perfect call back. Then Izzy's bloody hand getting tangled in Ed's hair.

I like the funeral, Roach flipping off the grave marker is sad/funny.

"Bye Izzy" kills me every time as well.

Zheng proposing they team up and Stede being a dork are awesome.

So sweet that Black Pete and Lucius get married and Ed looks like he wants that to be him and Stede someday.

Ed and Stede watching the crew sail off as they all start their new adventures, full of hope. And the lovely last shot of Buttons landing on Izzy's grave.

I really do love this show.

[izzy-b-hands]

"Broke is such a...term," Stede chuckles nervously.

"You mean we're poor again?" the Swede asks softly.

"Oh love," Lucius pats his shoulder. "We were never rich; we just worked for a rich guy."

"Oh."

"I know."

Stede frowns. "You all did want a more traditional pirate employment experience, so this-"

"Sucks," Pete interjects. "I needed you to help fund Lucius' R-I-N-G!"

"Babe, I can spell," Lucius smiles. "A ring, hm? Of the kind that goes-"

"On your cock, yeah, that one, definitely," Pete stammers. "Not the finger one because I love you or whatever, but like. If you DID get one of those, and you had to put at least three stones on it, which-"

Lucius lovingly tackles him to the sand and peppers him with kisses.

"See, Pete came to terms with it and he's fine," Stede says. "Money isn't all there is to life."

"Yeah, but it does help to have it," Olu says. "And in bulk, if possible."

"I can never please you guys!"

Stede flops face first onto the hot sand. "Ow."

"Okay," Olu sighs. "You need a minute like that?"

"...yes."

"Okay. We're gonna look for ships to steal so we can start searching for Ed. Wanna come help once this is over?"

"I'm sorry, Olu."

Olu pats his back. "It's...yeah. Is what it is, Captain. You're okay."

"I have no money, my boyfriend tried to kill my scribe, no ship, and everyone hates me," Stede mumbles into the sand. "Pft. And now I have sand in my mouth! Life is endless miseries and little more!"

"...yeah, right, so when you're done, come join us. Or, see if Lucius and Pete want a third, if that would help you and they're interested."

"Maybe."

"Captain, seriously, this is so sad and not in an entirely sympathetic way-"

"I miss Ed."

Olu looks to the waiting crew, eye rolls waiting in the wings. "He'll be fine. This is fine."

"We're all gonna die," Roach nods.

"Not helping."

"Davy Jones will cradle us like a-"

"Buttons," Olu hisses. "Not helping!"

"Who said I was trying to be helpful? Was a bit of poetry ye might have appreciated, but never mind me."

"You think Ed and everyone else are doing better?" Stede sniffles.

--

"Broken," Ed nods. "I might have guessed, as we are listing entirely to the side."

Frenchie winces. "Yeah, that last battle...well. We all worked really hard, and that's good, but even so we're going to die, so..."

"Please get on the fucking dinghy already!" Izzy limps over and points to the dinghy full of Jim, Fang, Ivan, and as much of all their stuff as possible, waiting for them. "I am not dying here."

"Nah, the infection will do that later," Ed remarks. "You're right though; we should probably go."

"Probably?!"

"Oh my god," Ed sighs deeply. "Let's go before he makes a Thing out of this."

"The ship is almost sideways!" Fang calls from the boat. "We're already sort of in the water now here, so can we PLEASE-"

"Bitch, whine, kvetch, does anything else get done on this fucking ship?" Ed stomps off to the dinghy, leaving Frenchie to help Izzy limp along after him.

--

"I'd argue it's one of the finest," Stede says seriously. "Swede, give him a turn?"

The Swede obliges and shows off his ass, saying something Stede doesn't understand in Swedish but that sounds fairly sexy at least.

"Uh," the pirate coughs awkwardly. "No thanks."

"The prostitution thing didn't work before when you weren't even trying for it," Lucius sighs. "Why would you do it again?"

"Because we are, indeed, hawking fabulous booty of many kinds, and-"

"Your wife handled most of the financials, didn't she?" Lucius pats his shoulder. "Awww."

"I can handle money! And I know how to make it!"

"And I didn't get hard watching Pete try to roleplay as Izzy, sure."

"What now?"

Lucius shrugs. "He's grown on me. Pete just likes the idea of us wearing more leather, I think."

"We really should," Pete interjects in between posing for the passing crowds.

"Sure, I'll buy us some with my NO MONEY!" Stede shrieks. "I hate this."

"If you need money," a passing pirate pauses to say. "Spanish Jackie is running a sort of contest you folks might be interested in."

--

"Huh," Ed studies the flyer. "Stripping isn't anything Izzy's done in awhile-"

"Sorry, he's done this before?" Frenchie asks. "Not judging, just didn't expect it, Iz."

"I'll die up there," Izzy mutters. "Literally, at this rate."

His foot has been attended to by a doctor at the port, but he's understandably still feeling shit.

However, they need money and a ship, and at least having more of the former would help until they can steal the latter...

--

"Hi," Stede says awkwardly.

"Bonnet."

"You didn't buy anything special to wear for this?"

"Can't afford it at present. Judging by your outfit, you're in the same boat."

Stede snorts. "Is Ed..."

"Um. You do know Jackie's made him a last minute judge, yeah?"

"Oh no."

Izzy nods. "Yeah. I'd say may the best man win, but we're up against Jack."

"He's alive?!"

"Against all odds and as usual, yes."

"This day can't get worse."

"Also, Ed's expecting a theme for each performance, so-"

"Oh my god."

"Yeah."

--

"Uh," Ed steps onstage and gently pulls Stede and Izzy up from it. "Jackie, can I finish judging in a moment?"

"Everyone's still buying drinks and Jack wants to dance again," she replies. "Don't worry about it, just get them off my damn stage."

"So," he says as he drags them back to the assembly of chairs for both their crews. "Izzy I know is sick, that's his excuse for whatever the fuck that performance was-"

"Pardon me for tripping because I'm missing my fuckin' toe," Izzy grumbles.

"And Olu says you've been avoiding food to save money? Which I assume explains the passing out. What the fuck is all this?"

"Been asking myself that for the last twenty minutes," Jim interjects. "I. I've learned things about myself here. I don't know how to feel about it."

"Jack has that effect on most people," Es says. "I mean, I know it would be a bad idea to fuck him again. However, after that performance..."

His gaze softens and his eyes look somewhere beyond anything visible before he shakes his head. "Sorry, anyway. What the fuck are we doing about this mess?"

--

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jack screams from the dock, cock out and flopping as he runs. "Ed! Edward! Park my ship and get over here, now!"

"We're all in various stages of fucking each other over!" Ed calls. "You said it yourself!"

"I didn't mean like this!"

"You should have been more specific then!"

"I don't feel great about this," Stede admits. "But this is really good soup."

"It is," Izzy nods. "Almost makes a person tired. Maybe that's just the day."

"I laced it with morphine so they rest," Roach whispers to Olu. "Don't worry, I dosed it carefully."

Izzy and Stede slump forward, wooden bowls of soup spilling onto the deck.

"Carefully?"

"Carefully enough. Captain Ed has requested a serious conversation with each of them; I figured they could use as much sleep as possible before that."

"Odd question, but is there more of that soup available for the rest of us?"

Roach nods. "Roach's Sleepytime Soup is only made in large batches, specifically for situations like this."

"When your estranged captains sort of get back together but not really and everything is a fucking mess?"

Roach shrugs. "Also weddings. Because they're stressful, but you can't be stressed if you're sleeping."

"I love it; what's the recommended amount to sleep through until the three of them are done with all that talking Ed wants?"

"...just keep eating until you pass out or it feels right."

"Okay."

Which things aren't really. Okay, that is, but the soup is warm and fast-acting, and Ed seems happy enough as he directs the rest of the crew.

That's maybe as much as they can ask for, while broke and now living on a ship with a dedicated 'whippies' area of the deck (as labeled in paint by presumably Jack.)

[o-wild-west-wind]

I appreciate reading this, but I actually have a completely different perspective from my viewing of this show, and that is the fact that everyone fulfills the role of the queer-coded villain—but especially Ed. It only potentially seems otherwise because we forgot what it felt like to watch season 1 for the first time, and the show did such a good job of transforming the trope from something harmful into something complex and representative.

When Ed was introduced in episode 4, we learned two things about him: he’s not stereotypically masculine, and he’s planning to kill Stede. He, in many respects, immediately fulfilled the queer-coded villain stereotype; he’s dramatic and over the top, he likes fashion, he’s non-conforming, he’s hot and compelling. And yet he’s still explicitly morally grey. He’s presented as the antagonist.

But the trope dissolves as we learn his complexity; he doesn’t actually like violence, he doesn’t really want to kill, and he’s more than subtextually gay—he really is a full human with depth of emotion and capacity for love, and canonically in love with a man. Ed is the character whose arc frames an antithesis to the villain trope that has been pervasive in culture for so long. But the best part: he doesn’t lose the traits we still enjoy of these characters. He is still entertaining, and witty, and beautiful, and tragic, and even violent when he needs to be—but he’s also good, at heart. He is an example of taking this complicated trope and asking, why do we like these characters? And how can we make the story about them this time around, in a way that no longer villainizes them? And you could make this argument of almost any character in this show—every character could be the villain in someone else’s story. Jim is an obvious example of this. But the reason they don’t feel like the villain is because it’s their story.

The queer sidekick, too, is so beautifully represented in a character like Lucius. Lucius who, when first introduced, feels like the token gay—the stereotype we are so used to seeing as the character who bounces everyone else’s insight while never getting an arc of their own. And yes, he does begin as many of these things—similarly to Ed’s fulfillment of the queer-coded villain, the stereotype is presented before it can be refuted—but the crucial aspect is how this is turned on its head through the expansion of his character. Lucius gets a whole romance of his own, but he’s also given his own arc of personal growth; he goes from being the emotional center of the crew to the one poignantly struggling, and he becomes the receiver rather than the giver of support.

Izzy, in contrast, is never explicitly any of these things until maybe mid season 2. When he is introduced, he is actually the foil to everyone’s queerness; he represents a rigid adherence to masculinity, and antagonizes those who present as otherwise. He is never queer-coded while he exists as a villain; if anything, he’s internalized-homophobia coded, but that is a completely different trope with a very unique context in a story where every virtually sympathetic character is gay and harmed by this presence. I also didn’t think he was really presented as a sidekick, and definitely not the queer sidekick, especially considering what I just mentioned by his role as the foil; I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that comparison, to be totally honest, but like I said regarding Lucius, I do think that trope shows up to be challenged smartly in this show. One could argue that Izzy has a queer awakening arc in season 2 during the drag show, but I would argue that so does Wee John—who has had a very subtle but stark and beautiful journey of self-actualization that also culminates in the Calypso drag. So on all of these points, even if he did fulfill the role, there is consistently at least one (but usually several) other characters who also fulfill them. The reasoning for the narrative importance of including his death specifically I delve into a bit here.

Perhaps I have a completely different understanding of homophobia, but honestly…even if this show was taking those exact tropes copy paste as you described and only switching out a gay couple for a straight couple, I still don’t see how that’s homophobic. I think it’s a good thing to turn the tropes we’ve been presented in media on their head by presenting gay romance as just as important and worthy of storytelling as straight romance—and the way people have imposed this filter of “because Stede and Ed are a gay couple that follow typically straight romance story beats that means they are actually straight representation” is borderline dangerous imo, because it is just one more way that the presentation of queerness is policed, and it’s even scarier seeing that coming from within the community itself—what should be the safest space for it.

But since those tropes don’t even play out in that exact way, I do think this all bears some further analysis and this is what I encourage by framing this counterpoint. And what I do also want to mention is my favorite discussion question of all regarding this show, which I bring up because of your take on this show as a sitcom: is it really, and was it ever, just a sitcom? Discussions of death, trauma, violence, racism, homophobia, and suicide have been at the core of this show from day one, but especially through its course this season. This question is rhetorical—I just think it’s an important thought exercise, as not every comedy is only a comedy.

This is an extremely surface level analysis, so if anything is unclear I’m happy to reframe!

Another round of thoughts on the "Izzy died like a queer-coded character from a pre-gay-lib era" theme:

Every time I check into the Izzy tag or the main OFMD tag, I see people talking about how they liked/weren't shocked by the finale because it always kinda seemed like Izzy was going to die:

The reason it seems that way is because Izzy is the kind of gay character that has, historically, gotten buried.

He's the queer-coded sidekick that has to die to make way for the straight romance, and the queer-coded villain that has to be vanquished to make room for the happy ending (which includes a straight romance).

This time, he died to make way for a gay romance. Diversity win!!! I guess????

And it isn't that anyone thinks--well, probably someone somewhere does think it, but it isn't that I think that DJenks did this because he secretly loves homophobic tropes.

I think--I mean, he's pretty much said, in the interviews--that he did it because he just kinda felt like Izzy had to die to complete his arc. And he's also said he didn't intend to write a homophobic show, what I conclude from that is that he didn't fucking notice that the reason he, IDK, just kinda always felt like Izzy had to die was because of this trope.

That's why, as of the actual filming of the fucking episode, he convinced himself he was doing the "mentor dies" trope, even though he'd never done anything to establish that kind of relationship between the two characters. Because he didn't fucking know why it just kinda seemed right for Izzy to die.

And that, my friends, means that this show is just not as smart as we built it up in our minds to be.

I wasn't even expecting it to be the show where That Character finally gets a happy ending of his own. But I was--because it is a fucking sitcom--expecting it to be one where he ended up somewhere we could imagine a happy ending for him, rather than leaving him bleeding out on the fucking pavement.

[gothicafish]

My comments on my omfd S1 rewatch

Episode 1:

-Stede literally went out and bought that pirate hat and was like dammmm THATS what pirates wear...in his full gentalmens get up

-i love how in episode 1 the entire crew treats stede as their cringe dad love that dynamic off the bat

-Lucius is definitely the older sibling of the revenge family the way he's constantly putting out fires

-do you think that when lucius told stede he was the only crew member who could read that's when he decided to start reading to them ??

-also I just paused at random (-28.07) and what is this picture ?? His kids??

-also in the beginning when stede (Lucius) is Journaling stede says that normally if a pirate doesn't steal his food he doesn't eat so he pays his crew a salary [and provides food] every week ko matter what. So I wonder if the crew will be a Lil bit peeved when stede comes back and has renownced all his family's wealth ? (Honestly I don't think they will bc it's just normal pirate culture AND they've set of the narrative so that the crew is on stedes side no matter what)

-ALSO considering what being a pirate was like (culture of abuse) I don't understand why the crew wasn't THRILLED that they got a salary, food provided and a place to stay with minimal risk of dying horribly (the way pirates normally expected ??) I know it's kinda a plot device so that they do a 180 and accept stede and a kind of symbolism for masculinity but like dawg a weekly salary for just hangin out on a boat ??? Sign me up

-Why did stede bring so much fabric and sewing materials with him to sea ???? Broski wasn't even planning on making a flag ?

-also if anybody ever tells you people font change just remember in the span of two weeks (a month ??? I don't know the time frame) black pete went from "sewing is women's work!!" To getting topped by the potatoes while wee john watched.

-i dont agree with people who say stede was a bad father stede had to have been good father with the way he treats the crew. Inattentive maybe but not bad.

-love my dude buttons

-the fact that Jim didn't make a flag

-love that buttons can tell if three black dots look spanish but still told stede to go after a British naval vessel

-also love that they decided not to kill stede bc lucius couldn't do the voices

-in this family dynamic stede (and eventually ed) are their fathers and buttons is their uncle

-I love buttons fangs; also love stede reaction to them

-why did stede put his robe on ?? Emotional support robe ?? That makes a lot of sense actually

-"some of us thrive on danger" gets me everytime

-I love that stede has a menty breaky first ep

-EVERYBODY HIDE !

-why is everyone but lucius wearing a wig

-LET HIM PICK FLOWERS (get me a shirt that says that)

-"oh I bet it does"

- I want stede to stop acting normal and show them how fucking crazy he is

-The first time I watched ofmd I spent soo long trying to figure out if this was actually Shane madej (when it's obviously NOT)

-I think this show pavloved me into a state of yearning when I hear High on a Rocky Ledge by Moondog

-also I 100% believe stede is strong enough to drive a sword through a man's skull

- in the song when he sings "how many times I've been up to see her goodness knows" matches up with Jim taking off their wax nose lmao

-I hope when they dropped the disguise later on in the season, Jim would come out and listen to stede read too.

- DYING TO BE WITH HER WASNT ANY SACRIFICE

[our-flag-means-death-ao3feed]

We Make Love As A Crew

by AbbyRosebud

Izzy realizes the crew is no where to be found. That is until he hears some interesting sounds coming from the Jam Room. The crew definitely is listening to the idea of doing things as a crew and Mr.Hands may be a bit jealous when he sees what is going on.

But don't worry Roach notices the first mate needs a little attention.

Words: 1408, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Our Flag Means Death (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, Multi

Characters: Roach (Our Flag Means Death), Izzy Hands, Israel Hands, Edward Teach, Stede Bonnet, Oluwande Boodhari, Jim Jimenez, Black Pete (Our Flag Means Death), Lucius Spriggs, Fang (Our Flag Means Death), Ivan (Our Flag Means Death), Frenchie (Our Flag Means Death), The Swede (Our Flag Means Death), Mr.Buttons

Relationships: Rizzy - Relationship, Israel Hands/Roach (Our Flag Means Death), Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet/Israel Hands, Oluwande Boodhari & Jim Jimenez, Black Pete/Lucius Spriggs, Black Pete/Fang/Ivan/Lucius Spriggs, Fang/Ivan (Our Flag Means Death), Frenchie/The Swede (Our Flag Means Death), Stede Bonnet & Wee John Feeney, Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Israel Hands

Additional Tags: Group Sex, We make love as a crew, Voyeurism, Food Play, stede bonnet enjoys a good cake during sex, Some just watch while others play, Izzy is jealous, Rizzy Week, Orgy

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/48765694

[our-death-means-flag]

Headcanons: Hugging the Crew of the Revenge

All of them are my blorbos. I want to hug them. So, here’s that. First time posting on this account! Sorry if this sucks! Platonic or Romantic, up to you!

Stede

Probably not very experienced in giving hugs

Always liked the idea and wanted to hug people but it’s not very ‘proper’ and the poor guy didn’t really have any friends so hasn’t gotten to give many hugs

Has many stored up hugs waiting to be unleashed

Would be very eager but would probably overthink it

Give him a heads up. He wants to set up the ideal hug! Tea, pillows, blankets, the whole nine!

He would go and change into his softest clothes for the occasion

Fumbles his way through the first few seconds but once he gets a good handle on it, he gives very good hugs

Hugs you very gently 

Would be happy to read to you while hugging you if it would make you feel better

(It would also make him feel better)

Very soft (fine fabrics) and smells amazing

Just one hug from Stede and you’ll be smelling like flowers for the rest of your day 

Probably does the awkward dad pat on the back

Ed

Probably also not super experienced in hugs

But also very very excited

A very forceful hugger

He gets very excited okay?

Also he strong 

He will 100% squeeze the air out of your lungs

Would also appreciate being squeezed

(Ed would love weighted blankets and I will die on this hill)

Also probably the most likely to pick you up and swing you around

He won’t drop you don’t worry 

Despite all the shenanigans, his hugs feel very warm and sturdy

He was probably overthinking just as much as Stede but he’s just better at bluffing confidence

How does he win a hug?

If you tell him you he did a good job with it, congratulations, he will now hug you whenever he sees you 

Will probably ask for another hug right after putting you down

Izzy

Hugs for the rat-man

Local meow-meow has never been hugged

Will insist up and down that he doesn’t want/need a hug

He absolutely does but will never ask

Also no way is he self aware enough to even consider the possibility that he might need one

If you somehow manage to give him a hug, he will have absolutely no idea what to do 

Will probably stand there, hands awkwardly in the air like someone has him at gunpoint until you tell him it’s okay to touch you

Once he properly is hugging you he will melt immediately

This man is incredibly touch starved and this is the most incredible thing that has ever happened to him 

He gets one (1) kind gesture and he immediately has an existential crisis

Might cry and if you let him hide his face in your shoulder he’ll cry harder

Let him cry. Poor guy needs a good cry

Hugs incredibly gently by default (He doesn’t want to hurt you)

Will probably never ask for another hug but will be thinking about it for a long time

Please hug him again

Lucius 

Gives very good hugs, nice, comforting 

Definitely knows what to say to make you feel better 

Also pretty open with affection in general 

Loops his arm over your shoulder when talking etc.

Would probably whisper something flirty in your ear just to watch you get flustered (If you’re alright with it of course)

Would also go for the ass grab (he asks first of course)

If you’re strong enough to carry him, he would 100% ask you to

Though if you say yes even once he will keep asking. He’s kind of lazy and very flirty so he would be living the dream getting carried around

Also wouldn’t hesitate to rally the entire crew to give you a group hug if he thought it would help you 

Black Pete

Would initially insist he’s too cool for hugs

This doesn’t last more that ten seconds because he actually really likes hugs and will fold very quickly even if you don’t push

Seamlessly switches over to claiming he gives the best and coolest hugs

They are pretty cool hugs admittedly 

Comfy but a bit on the tight side 

Would give you a very strong pat on the back

Like a little too hard but he means well

He’s trying

Jim 

Doesn’t strike me as someone who likes hugs all that much

Not very physically affectionate in general 

If they did give one they’d probably be very gentle and they’d do their best to move slowly not to spook you since that’s what they’d prefer

Their hugs feel very safe and comforting

Jim would feel protective of you while they’re hugging you

They’re glaring at everyone over your shoulder 

If Oluwande dragged them into a group hug they’d be a bit more comfortable with that 

They’d probably prefer slinging their arm over your shoulder and sitting next to you to a proper hug

Comfortable but not too much touching involved

Olu

Very very good hugs

I can not emphasize enough how comfy and good his hugs would be 

A true master of hugs 

Knows exactly how much force to use and how long to make it 

Would gently rub your back 

Tells you that everything is going to be okay and you can’t not believe him

His hugs feel so safe you could easily fall asleep in his arms

He would let you if you did

Also probably send Jim to make sure everyone else keeps it down so you can sleep

10000/10 hug

Frenchie 

Loves hugs and physical affection 

The kind of person who would greet you with a hug

Careful at first but that’s mostly because he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable 

Once you give him permission, he will hug you whenever he can

If you hug him from behind he can also play something for you

Cuddles. So many cuddles 

Will happily share a blanket or a pillow with you

Wee John

Loves hugs

Very comfy and soft and warm

Probably very careful about how tightly to hold you

Would pick you up and carry you around

He might drop you

Depending on where you both are and how close you two are he might just book it running 

For the chaos

Would totally let you sleep on top of him (He is a very cozy bed)

Roach

This might be overly specific but I think he’d be the type to run up behind you and jump scare you with a hug from behind 

If you do it back to him he would be pretty happy and proud

Personally I don’t think that startling someone on a ship where most people are armed is a great idea but in his mind if he gets stabbed he can fix it

What’s a little stabbing but a garnish on a hug?

Generally likes hugging from behind

If you’re trying some food he made for you he’d probably be draped over your shoulders like a blanket while waiting for your opinion 

The Swede

The Tackle Hug™

He got excited and just went for it

Sent both of you flying

He felt really bad about it and apologized a lot

Will do it again the next time he wants to hug someone 

No matter how many times it happens, he will never learn

Stede might suggest that the Swede uses it again during a raid as an attack and you have mixed feelings about that 

Ivan 

Hug neutral

If you need one or if a hug would make you feel better he’d be fine with that 

Probably won’t seek out hugs on his own though

You can cry or fall asleep in his arms and he’ll be fine with that

Will happily take care of you

Fang

I think he would be a little nervous 

He hasn’t given many hugs and he really doesn’t want to mess up

Would probably tell you that he’s nervous 

Once you assure him everything’s going to be okay he gives you a very good hug

Gets very excited and will be grinning for a while 

Very safe and warm

Buttons

Would give surprisingly good hugs

Gives you a comforting pat on the back

Grandpa hug vibes

Karl or Olivia would probably join in and perch on your head or shoulder (They also want you to know they support you)

Buttons would insist that the sea gives the best hugs. (You have no idea what to make of that. He probably isn’t threatening to throw you overboard. Probably )

Also make sure you do not ask him while he is moonbathing

He would absolutely pause the moonbathing to hug you 

But he will not pause to put on pants

Be warned

[justsalpals]

#bonus points if Izzy isn’t sure he is welcome to stay#he was only tolerated as Blackbeard’s first mate. and yeah the crew came to like him#but they don’t need him to run interference with Ed if Ed is gone#he doesn’t need to protect them from Blackbeard anymore#and won’t he just be a reminder of everything they suffered?#and he doesn’t want to follow Ed but maybe it’s better to go with someone who expects (if not wants) his company#rather than have Stede awkwardly suggest he leave#so he’s just about to slink off with Ed with his head until and his tail between his legs#but he makes eye contact with Jim and they have the most desperate pleading expression he’s ever seen them make#they’re usually pretty stoic and impassive. even under the worst of the kraken if they betrayed any emotion it was anger#but the look in their eyes… they are BEGGING him to break ties with Blackbeard. to let Ed go.#and Izzy glances around and realizes no one looks happy to see the back of him#Lucius is twitchy as hell like he wants to say something but is holding himself back#a few of them even look Sad#Fang’s already crying and it’s definitely for Izzy because no one is even looking in Ed’s direction#and he can’t leave them. not when he’s come to care for them all. not when Ed will never again care about him as much as this crew cares (tags via @stizzysupremacy)

YES. And a follow up: keeping with the original timeline, this is before the unicorn leg. Izzy is still in (or just on the precipice of entering) his "we're finally out of danger and my body is starting to actually let me feel my life shattering around me and the horrible pain of amputation" breakdown. He's at his lowest, and is watching Ed leave right after getting him back from the dead.

It's unthinkable the crew want him there. He's deadweight, it must be pity. But for whatever reason, they do. So he stays.

And without trailing after Buttons to buy a bowl and reencountering Ed, Stede is on the ship and actually present to see the state of his crew. To see how Izzy crumples. And he realizes he doesn't know what the fuck to do. How to help these people, this little family he's gathered, when they clearly seem to be hurting. (Especially since he's probably still mooning after Ed, the full extent of his actions not having really settled in yet.)

The crew come together, work through their trust issues without him, for the sake of helping Izzy. They give him a new leg. Stede sees how much they care for each other, for Izzy, how they help one another. And slowly he starts to understand the weight of his own philosophy, and his words become a little less empty.

He knows Izzy loved Ed. He has to know. So why didn't he follow? He finds Izzy standing at the bow, holding the crew's note like a treasure, and asks why he stayed. And for the first time, beyond all the snapping and bitching and seeing the worst in each other, they talk. Really talk.

It's not anything yet. But it's the start of understanding.

stizzy AU where Ed actually stays gone after being banished. he's off finding himself and learning how to exist outside of piracy idk, this isn't about him

bonus if when he leaves, in direct mirror to Calico Jack, he turns to Izzy and without discussion just expects him to follow Ed off the ship in exile

because of course Izzy will follow. that's who he is. that who they both are. blackbeard and his first mate. no matter what he's thrown at Izzy, no matter how hard he's tried to gouge out that love, Izzy always follows.

unlike Jack and Ed, Izzy stays on the ship. with his crew.

and Stede sees that.

[itsclydebitches]

How fucking funny would it be if post-reunion, after everyone has settled down on The Revenge and accepted their weird found family, Izzy still pulled out the “I’m resigning, Ed!” speech every few months, like a kid marching down the end of their driveway to “run away forever, I’m definitely leaving this time, Dad!” Because he’s a supremely repressed gremlin of a man who doesn’t know how to receive validation unless he’s made a dramatic production of it via this intricate ritual. So everyone just accepts that on occasion Izzy will throw a hissy fit, passive aggressively pack up the dinghy, and Ed’s gotta go down there all, “Nooo, mate, we totally need you, don’t leave, what the fuck am I gonna do without my fearsome First Mate?🙄” Really laying it on thick so Izzy can soak up enough Toxically Approved Praise to survive another couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the crew is just watching this sad production, exchanging knowing glances. They’ve TRIED to be nice to Izzy—the whole mutiny thing was so last year, dude!—but outside of The Ritual he will straight up bite off anyone’s head who so much as tries to smile at him.

“Oh, you think I’ve got a flight or bite response? Mr. Hands earned his last name for a reason, laddie,” Buttons says while staring pointedly at Lucius’ finger. That’s obviously bullshit, but Buttons likes fucking with them on occasion. It’s great fun.

Stede’s place in The Ritual varies depending on everyone’s mood. Usually, he treats it like another fuckery production, making a big ta-do about how if Izzy really insists on leaving them—and wouldn't that be terrible? Simply terrible... right, everyone?—then he must take plenty of supplies with him and a bottle of the good brandy and this warm coat because it can get quite chilly at night, don’t you know? This allows Izzy to fly into a very cathartic rage about real pirates vs. gentry twats, leading to him oh so magnanimously deciding to stick around, if only to continue saving Ed from this dithering fool. Sometimes though Izzy has legit pissed Stede off, just like in the old days, and the crew has to run damage control to keep another duel from starting, Izzy having entirely forgotten his desire to leave under the allure of skewering Stede. That too is cathartic, but Ed tends to get tetchy when Stede stabs or is stabbed by anyone other than him.

Every once in a while Izzy will dig his heels in and actually launch the dinghy, heading towards… nothing, because we’re nowhere near land, you idiot, are we really doing this today? So the crew has got to drop everything else they’ve got going on and just… follow him. Izzy spends a couple hours angrily trying to out-row a top of the line ship while the others watch from the deck, occasionally yelling out corrections to his form: “Keep your shoulders steady—you’ll get farther away if you improve your posture.” “I know that!” They let him wear himself out and then tow him in for dinner.

One time Lucius and Pete are ~distracted~ while on the night watch and Izzy is actually able to slip away unnoticed. He's so pissed about it that he leaves in a true huff, that anger taking him all the way to the Republic. Two days later Buttons gets a seagull from Spanish Jackie basically saying that their wayward First Mate is stinking up her bar, you’d better pick him up before I kill a bitch. Ed and Stede arrive like fussy dads whose darling sent the playdate into turmoil; come along, Israel, that’s enough fun for one weekend.

Sometimes Jim is already hiding in the dinghy when Izzy tries to “escape” and the two of them spend a day talking shit, The Revenge floating nearby. Sometimes other pirates will find Izzy in random places and sternly steer him back towards the ship: “Do your parents Captains know you’re out here?” Once Izzy made the mistake of loading his get-away bag with half the strawberries put aside for a new cake and Roach very nearly took a limb in vengeance. Frenchie has a couple tunes that he only plays during The Ritual, to set the mood and all. Lucius has immortalized a number of the attempts in sketch form and slips them underneath Izzy’s door when he’s sure he’s not there to retaliate.

Years later, when all the crew have a lot more gray in their hair, Izzy flips them off and starts packing his things, same old, same old. Ed sidles up to Pete on the quarterdeck, sighing down at the display.

“Can you believe he’s still doing this?” he asks, shaking his head. “I thought he got it out of his system back on the Queen Anne.”

“Remember that time the rope broke and he lost us that dinghy?”

“Ha! I was ready to flog the bastard.”

And that’s how the crew learns that yes, Black Pete really did serve under Blackbeard holy shit.

[rottingformerfirstmate]

Izzy Hands is a sailor. Bred, born, and raised, with the kind of cat-like grace on deck that usually comes with late night rum laden tales of ghosts haunting an old set of planks. Lucius has heard all variations of how Izzy came to be the first mate of Dread Pirate Blackbeard, from the crew of the Revenge swapping tales to the whispers at any port they dock in. A particularly popular version states that Izzy was born of a mermaid and a navy sailor, and spent the first fifteen years of his life in the sea before crawling aboard a blustering Hornigold's ship and getting in close with Edward Teach. In Nassau, the leading rumor is that Izzy sprung into existence by sheer force of Blackbeard's will, every piece of him made perfect by design. There's no definitive answer, but a million different attempts to explain the ruthless competence travel the currents of the Caribbean as surely as any shoal of fish.

He means to ask, at times, but regardless of his origins, Izzy is intimidating. There are many nights where he has kept watch and Lucius, unable to sleep, edges on deck to watch him write in his journal before running drills with his sabre through the wee hours of dawn. It seems like he never even breaks a sweat. The sword is an extension of his arm in the effortless way it cuts the air, even when his jaw betrays his tension upon noticing an audience. He never orders Lucius to fuck off, although if he tries to speak to Izzy, that would likely change.

On a stormy evening, one that has even Fang and Ivan frantic in the downpour of rain, Lucius watches Izzy for something. He doesn't know what at first, but maybe it's confirmation of some story he's heard. Perhaps Izzy will get sick, as Fang once said, or he'll prove himself the experienced and deadly sailor, like every pirate knows him to be. Lucius himself isn't helpful in such a situation and he knows it. His main task through all this is to help provide weight on the rigging Jim is tugging on to keep in place through the ripping winds, and it's as simple as holding on through the friction burn and listening for orders.

A large wave sends them careening at a forty five degree angle, which Lucius manages to hold on through, but sends Jim flying. Oluwande shouts in alarm a few feet away. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucius sees Izzy take notice. He asses the situation, snaps something at Wee John and Pete, and leaps across the deck in a few bounds before jumping into the water after Jim. He doesn't even have a rope to haul himself back with.

Everyone is screaming in the commotion except for Edward and Lucius, now. Edward stays at the banister Izzy jumped over, leaning to peer into the sea as if another list won't send him down too, and Lucius stares at the churning foam of the waves like they're at all likely to spit Jim and Izzy back up.

"Rope! Someone get me a fucking rope!" Edward cries, and Lucius would but he can't let go of the rigging. The Swede gets it to him, and on inaudible orders, helps hold strong when the majority of the length is tossed over the side. The strain of holding on sends both of their muscles into high relief, gleaming with the water reflecting off them in rivulets, but all Lucius can think about is what happens if they aren't strong enough. Olu joins them and, a few moments later, they haul Jim back into the ship by way of a harness tied expertly around their waist. Edward frantically loosens the knots until it's able to slip off Jim's body, and tosses it right back. Olu is focused entirely on Jim, understandably, which makes it harder for Edward and the Swede, more tired, to keep pulling and hoping.

He lets go of the rigging, feeling it burn his palms as it slides away, and jumps into action. He grabs the rope and pulls with all his might. It hurts enough to feel, the effort, but not enough to overpower the adrenaline. Lucius pulls and pulls and pulls until Edward explodes in a crow of triumph and Izzy lands back on the deck.

For a moment, Lucius expects him to get back up and go back to ordering them all around. He doesn't. He just lays there. Edward drops to his knees with a crack that'll hurt him later, and Lucius joins him, grabbing the banister with one hand and Izzy's shoulder with the other.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Edward asks. "He shouldn't have- and he always-"

Lucius rolls Izzy onto his side and hits him squarely between the shoulder blades, which triggers a violent fit of coughing up seawater, followed by throwing up more mixed with bile. Izzy the Spewer, Lucius thinks, might be a mischaracterization the man in front of him.

"Iz, you fucking maniac!"

Edward sounds both elated and terrified, but neither seems to register with Izzy. He just breathes heavily, swaying with the ship's movements so as not to go careening back overboard, and slowly gets back to his feet.

"Work to be done, come on. Storm's not over. Mr. Spriggs, why aren't you holding the fucking rigging? Why aren't any of you doing anything useful?"

He launches into a tirade that breaks only to cough and gasp for breath, but follows it up by approaching Jim in sauve steps to speak to them quietly. Only when he stands still can Lucius see the faint trembling of his body, and the purple-blue tint on his lips. Then, like a miracle, Izzy nods toward the door to the innards of the ship and watches Jim and Oluwande painstakingly seek shelter together.

The proof of strain on Izzy is evidence to his humanity, but the fact that he still stands in such a state makes Lucius taste the dashes of mysticism that surround all the stories. A mere man should be dead, if not on the doorstep of its embrace, yet Izzy stands proud and continues to command the crew. Here, Lucius can also see the things that no one speaks of. It takes caring about someone to risk one's own life like that.

When Izzy comes to Lucius, he isn't sure what to expect. It certainly isn't for Izzy to look at his grip on the ropes, stained scarlet over the slick of the rain, and make a disapproving sound. "It gets better with calluses, but you'll have problems with a sword and a pen if you build them too much."

"What do you want me to do then?" Lucius asks, not an ounce of bite in the words.

"Be smart. Get a fucking glove to protect one hand, and rely on the other for brute work like this."

Then Izzy nods as if to himself, not acknowledging the vulnerability he's just laid bare and offered up, and directs his attention to something Roach is doing.

Whatever the truth is behind the mythos of Izzy Hands, Lucius is more than honored to work with a sailor like him.

[gonzo-rella]

Do It For Him | Izzy Hands

MASTERLIST | AO3 | KO-FI

Relationship(s): Izzy Hands x gn!reader (romantic), Edward Teach/Blackbeard x gn!reader (platonic), Lucius Spriggs x gn!reader (platonic)

Summary: After you get injured in a raid, Izzy decides it’s time to give you a lesson in swordsmanship. When this doesn’t go to plan, you both learn something about the other that neither of you quite expected.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence (stabbing, blood and all that lovely stuff), description of eating. (Let me know if I need to add any)

Word count: 2.3k

(A/N: I might have made the reader a tad unlikeable in this one. Maybe that’s in my head, but I did keep thinking ‘yikes’ whenever I made the reader do something. My knowledge of using a sword comes from Steven Universe, which is why this fic is named after a Steven Universe song (definitely not just because I’m atrocious at titles). Also, sorry I don’t know sword words. There may be more mistakes than usual in this one, as I didn’t proof-read it much. [Insert obligatory begging for OFMD requests])

Izzy watched with wide eyes as a pirate from the enemy ship thrusted and twisted the blade of a rapier into your left side. Ivan had been too late in taking down the man who had stabbed you, though he managed to knock the foe overboard before you even registered your injury. You looked down and touched where the blood was beginning to soak your shirt, then lifted your fingers to inspect their new crimson coating. Your chest rose and fell rapidly. The sword you’d been holding at your side clattered against the wooden floorboards of the deck. You soon followed, falling to your knees.

Everything went black, at least for you; everything only went hazy for Izzy.

━━━━━━━━━

A groan escaped your lips when a dull pain spread through your left side. Your blurry vision revealed a candlelit room. As your eyes began to adjust to your surroundings, a dimly lit figure took form beside you.

“Hm?” you hummed hoarsely, blinking in an attempt to clear up your vision.

Whoever was beside you let out a sigh of relief. It was enough for you to identify them.

“Alright, Iz?”

You glanced around with narrowed eyes.

“Am I in your cabin?” you mumbled.

He hummed coolly in response, offering no further explanation.

“Am I gonna die?” you asked.

He cleared his throat and scratched his face.

“Eventually.”

“I meant because of the stab wound.”

“Not under my watch, you’re not.”

You chuckled weakly, an action that was immediately followed by a wince. Izzy scoffed, something you chose to ignore.

“Do I get some time off?”

“’Course.” he answered. “You’re useless with that hole in you. More so than usual.”

“So, you’re not gonna be nice to me even after I got stabbed?”

He snorted and shook his head.

“Fucking hell.”

━━━━━━━━━

It felt like ages since you’d seen most of the crew, considering Izzy was incredibly strict when it came to visitors (you guessed he didn’t want so many people that he despised in his cabin). You’d seen Ed the most- he often stopped by to ask how you were holding up, only to stay for a while to chat with you and Izzy. Lucius, Black Pete, Oluwande and Jim had gotten some visits in (much to Izzy’s annoyance). Roach turned up three times a day to deliver you food, though few words were ever exchanged between the two of you. Stede tried to check up on you a number of times, but Izzy promptly turned him away. 

However, Izzy was the one you had spent the most time with. After all, he was in charge of your care, cleaning your wound regularly and changing your bandages twice a day. He left you alone so he could get on with his first mate duties, but you still spent many hours of the day in his company. It wasn’t as though he socialised with the crew much outside of work (if you could call it socialising), and it wasn’t unlike him to retreat to his cabin- it just so happened that you were there too, albeit bedridden.

After almost two weeks of lying in Izzy’s bed, everything was relatively back to normal, as you were back to work. Well, Izzy (in a surprising act of mercy) didn’t make you work too hard. 

Your first day back was relatively uneventful, at least when you were actually getting on with your work (you’d been put on laundry duty with Frenchie). In fact, things only really got interesting at dinner. As usual, the Captains were dining in Stede’s cabin, while Izzy was in his room.

“So, Y/N,” Lucius began, still chewing. He swallowed his food. “Did you enjoy being nursed back to health by Izzy?”

This elicited a chuckle from the rest of the crew. You snorted.

“It was fine when he wasn’t being a prick. Maybe it was optimistic of me to expect him to be nicer to me”

“At least he’s back to being as much of a dickhead as usual.” Black Pete commented. “He was totally unbearable for the first few days after you got stabbed.”

“I wonder why.” Lucius muttered sarcastically, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Your crewmates exchanged bewildered glances.

“Go on.” you insisted with a sigh. “Enlighten me.”

Lucius shook his head with a snicker, though it wasn’t as gleeful or devilish as it should have been.

“If you haven’t figured it out for yourself, it’s not my place, or anyone else’s place, to tell you.”

You knitted your brows.

━━━━━━━━━

A few days had passed since the incident at dinner. The conversation occupied your thoughts whenever you had nothing else to think about (and sometimes even when you did), but you decided not to bring it up. After all, you figured that your search for answers would be unfruitful. Still, you couldn’t help but wonder what Lucius, and seemingly the rest of your crew, was hiding from you. It was so unlike him to hold his tongue, and you, perhaps naively, assumed that he wasn’t keeping this from you just to taunt you.

You had been mopping the main deck when Izzy had thrown a sword at you. It landed at your feet with a clang, causing you to stumble backwards in surprise.

“Fucking hell, Iz! What was that for?”

You looked up at him. His rapier was still in its sheath.

“Pick it up.”

“You pick it up.” you retorted. “You’re the one who threw it at me, fucking bastard.”

“Pick it up, now.” he demanded, nodding to the weapon. “You’re finally gonna learn how to use a bloody sword so you can actually fucking defend yourself like a proper pirate.”

“Do I have to?” you huffed.

“Yes.”

“Or what?”

He gritted his teeth.

“Just fucking pick it up.” he growled

“I’m busy.” you argued, lifting up the mop as if to prove your point.

“A mop won’t protect you in battle.”

“I never claimed it would.”

Izzy groaned, running a hand over his face.

“Put down the fucking mop and pick up the sword.” he ordered.

“I will if you say that you’re sorry for throwing the sword at me.” you shrugged.

“Piss off.” he scoffed, shaking his head.

“Alright. Back to mopping I go.”

You nudged the sword away from you with your foot and continued swabbing the deck.

Izzy sighed. You glanced over at him, stopping what you were doing as you watched him pick up the sword and hold it out to you.

“Sorry.” he mumbled, barely opening his mouth.

Unfortunately for you (but fortunately for Izzy), you didn’t notice how his stony expression was betrayed by this soft kind of desperation in his eyes. It wasn’t the reason that you caved in- you were just honouring your agreement. Allowing the mop to fall to the floor, you hesitantly took the sword.

━━━━━━━━━

“Christ...” Izzy grumbled.

You crouched down to pick up your sword after he had knocked it out of your hand for the... well, you’d lost count of how many times it had happened. At least you didn’t care that most of the crew had gathered around to watch.

“You’re not even trying, are you?”

You weren’t quite sure what the right answer was. If you were trying, you were just completely shit with a sword. If you weren’t trying, you were wasting his time.

Not quite sure what to say, you responded with a noncommittal shrug.

He rolled his eyes.

“God knows how you’ve managed to survive at sea this long. Absolutely fucking useless”

“Fair enough.”

He glared at you.

“Do you want to die?”

“Well, if do I wanna die, then I’m doing a pretty bad job of it, aren’t I?”

You forced a contemptuous smile.

“I’ve tried three fucking times before to teach you how to do this,” he complained, waving the sword in frustration. “And, every single time, you dick about and don’t try.”

“I never asked you to teach me. You’re the one who wants me to learn, not me.”

“You don’t want to learn?”

“No, I don’t.” you answered.

It was something he had guessed before- he just had no idea why you would willingly put yourself at a major disadvantage.

“And, why’s that?” His tone was cold. “Too much effort?”

“No, Iz.” Your veneer of apathy had been demolished, your voice weakening as a result. You paused before admitting, “I don’t want to kill anyone.”

He stared at you in disbelief. This wasn’t something you’d confessed to anyone, even when Izzy had tried to teach you before. He always quit and stormed off in frustration before he could get this far. He rolled his eyes.

“Then, you’re an idiot for becoming a pirate.”

You didn’t respond. He took this as an invitation to continue.

“So, even after you almost fucking died, you’re not going to-”

“I almost died?” you questioned.

He froze. It appeared as though the rest of the crew had become tense at that moment, too.

“You never told me that. I thought it was just a normal stab wound, not... a near-fatal one. I mean, he got me in the safe side.”

Izzy cleared his throat.

“You almost bled out.” he faltered. 

“The Captains said not to tell you.” Lucius blurted. “They didn’t want you to worry while you were recovering.”

You swallowed your saliva.

“Okay.” You looked back at Izzy. “That doesn’t change my mind- I don’t want to even be capable of killing someone, Iz. And, I don’t care if you think that makes me a useless, pathetic idiot. If you really think that little of me-” You shrugged nonchalantly, almost mockingly (nope- not your best moment). “You can just let me die next time, eh?”

Taking in a deep, trembling breath, he clenched his jaw. You looked back at him blankly, almost coldly. He shook his head and stormed off.

━━━━━━━━━

Following your lesson with Izzy, you returned to swabbing the deck. In fact, most of the crew resumed working, too. The atmosphere had been uncomfortable ever since Izzy left. Sensing you weren’t in the best mood, everyone decided to leave you alone, until-

“Hey, mate.”

You turned around and forced a smile to mirror his.

“Hey, Ed.” you greeted. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. I just thought we could have a quick chat.”

“Okay...” you answered hesitantly. “What about?”

Though, you had a horrible, sinking feeling it was about-

“The thing that happened with Iz earlier.”

You bit your lip. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. 

Neither Ed nor Stede had been there to see it, you thought, so someone must have mentioned it to them.

“Do you know why he wanted to teach you how to use a sword?”

“To make me a less pathetic pirate?”

“No.” Ed shook his head. “It’s the same reason he took care of you.”

You stared at him uncertainly. He placed a hand on your shoulder. 

“He... cares about you.”

“He cares about me?” you repeated incredulously.

“Mhm.” he nodded. “Thinks the world of you. After you got hurt, he was beside himself. Lashed out at the crew... more than usual, I mean. He’s terrified of losing you.”

He paused, watching you take in the information.

“Right, I’ll be off.” he announced.

Your face fell, prompting Ed to pat you on the shoulder. Up until that point, you couldn’t tell if he was a bit pissed off at you too. Izzy was his first mate (and actual mate, at least Ed liked to think so), and it was clear you’d hurt the man who (you now knew) thought the world of you. But, you realised that Ed just wanted what was best for the both of you.

“You can do what you want with that information.” he added quickly. “Just thought you should know, and I don’t think Izzy wanted to tell you.”

With that, Ed left.

━━━━━━━━━

Lucius and Black Pete fell silent when you approached them. They had been leaning against the railing, chatting and admiring the sunset until you turned up.

“Was anyone planning on telling me about Izzy before I made that insensitive comment about my death?”

“You probably shouldn’t ‘ve said it after he told you that you actually almost died,” Pete shrugged. "Even if you didn’t know about his... feelings.”

You let out a sigh. “Probably not, no.”

“You finally figured it out, then?” Lucius asked.

You scratched your neck.

“Ed told me.”

Lucius’ eyes scanned you.

“So, how do you feel about him?”

“I’m not saying it- you already know.” you huffed. “Look, I’m not good at this feelings thing. I know I need to talk to him; I just don’t know what to say.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place.” Lucius smiled and patted you on the arm.

━━━━━━━━━

You decided to have your talk with Izzy before the morning upon Pete’s request (he knew Izzy would be in a bad mood the next day if you didn’t sort things out). So, when night fell, you knocked on the door of Izzy’s cabin.

“What?”

“I need to talk to you.”

He groaned.

“Fuck off.”

“I’m sorry about...well,  everything that happened earlier. I fucked up.”

You heard his approaching footsteps. The door creaked when he opened it. He moved away and stood in the middle of the room with folded arms, leaving it open. You stepped inside, not bothering to close the door.

“I’m really sorry for saying what I said, Iz.” you said softly. “It doesn’t make anything better, but, for what it’s worth, I had no idea that you...”

Izzy watched you expectantly, almost cautiously. “That I what?”

“...Care about me.”

His breath hitched in his throat.

“I... care about you too, Iz.”

He didn’t respond. You swallowed your saliva as you thought about what Lucius had told you to say.

“If I’d ‘ve known that you actually cared, and how important it was to you, I wouldn’t ‘ve just dicked around. So, I’m sorry.” you went on. “And, in hindsight, just ‘cause I’m not that big on the idea of killing someone, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t learn how to at least block attacks.”

Izzy cleared his throat.

“I can teach you,” Izzy offered, attempting to sound more relaxed than he (clearly) actually was. “If you want.”

You smiled at him.

“Christ, you really must care about me if you’re still willing to teach me.”

He let out a weak chuckle, causing you to grin.

An unexpected feeling of bravery surged through you, prompting you to step closer to him and press a quick kiss to his cheek. You could feel him melt beneath your touch, and less than a second later he tightly wrapped his around your waist. He buried his face in your shoulder, his head resting against your neck.

“Thanks, Iz.” you mumbled. “For everything.”