#like lets say we all see the scene were izzy and lucius kiss

[dickfuckk]

Hoping for bloopers/outtakes etc when the entire series is finished 🤞

[eph-em-era]

OFMD intimacy breakdown eps 6-7

Oh hey, it's me! Back again with an intimacy breakdown for episodes 6-7. prefacing this, once again, that I'm not a certified intimacy coordinator, I'm an IC in training, choreographer and director. I'm also not affiliated with the show, just have interest in the subject.

Check out episodes 1-5 here.

Massive spoilers so it's under the cut.

(I do note that there's not an IC credited in these episodes - I know there's one attached to the project so perhaps they weren't utilised in these ones, or were uncredited. Who can say!)

Let's start with - I don't know why these two episodes were so deliriously fucking fast. Potentially scheduling issues with Taika? Alternatively I heard that they lost some budget, which would have cut things a bit.

HBO Max I am in your walls.

regardless, not a fan! I think the acceleration of the relationship worked, just because of what we know about their characters, but the wider plot was too fast for my liking. Hoping in the event of a season three they take that to heart.

Anyways, onto the intimacy!

Calypso's Birthday

On a whole, I found this episode deeply charming. I love a bit of whimsy, and the ep felt like a tribute to their queer audience. Felt very seen!

It's quite challenging interpreting intimacy in these scenes as an interloper, cause I don't know how much is purposeful, vs how much is staging. Regardless, we will forge on.

One -

I would have loved a little more closeness during Izzy's first singing scene! There's what feels like a metre of space between them; something as simple as arms brushing or leaning against each other helps build that intimacy. I am guessing the gap is for shooting space - you need to see what's going on behind them - but it really loses something. It's not bad intimacy, I just would have liked more.

An alternative character interpretation is that Ed & Stede are still trying to fumble their way through things and public displays of intimacy are too much for them - which could also be the intended effect.

But as we all know - a hand touch can ignite a thousand feelings, and I would have liked a little more.

Two -

Lucius and Black Pete emerging after their day-long fuckfest. I've said it in the past and will happily say it now - I think Matthew Maher and Nathan Foad have the best chemistry out of this entire cast. It's so sweet, and so honest in a way that's very grounded compared to the rest of the cast - which is surprising considering who their characters are!

Lovely positioning! Very simple staging but effective, it makes the moment feel so, so private and intimate. It's really lovely.

Three -

Ed and Stede finally get it together and have sex. Okay, so this is obviously intercut with Izzy singing, so I'll lay it out in stages.

First, the jacket grab.

What does this say about Stede? He's been buoyed by his weird night and he wants to do something about it. What does this say about Ed? He's willing to go along with it, but it is not necessarily his first reaction. He's clearly feeling qualms about something - whether that's his relationship, or being a pirate - and he's not the one to initiate. This comes back later.

Regarding the staging, more technically - this is pretty common. A grab using the lapels or jacket is a very easy way to show intensity and passion. Does Ed respond with the same passion? Not quite.

Oh hey, an up against the wall kiss! Very fanservicey, consider me impressed. I think this is a fun bit of staging, I suspect they were given very strict hand placement, cause nothing moves that much, it doesn't look particularly improvised.

Rhys Darby does something very specific with his hands when kissing that I've noticed now and I will never not notice, which is deeply annoying.

It's a very nice moment, but honestly, I would have loved a pause? There's something very sexy and very charming in a scene like this where one character makes the other character wait for it. A little holding back, breathing together, finding the moment. More of a seduction than this brute force omg we need to do this now thing.

I saw someone on Twitter say "Ed and Stede fucked but haven't made love" and that's the vibe I'm getting off the scene. Both of these characters have had a weird day, they're probably tipsy, there's been a lot of emotions and this is a desperate spilling over I need to feel your skin against mine now thing, from two people who don't really know where they both are yet. There isn't seduction cause it's not the place for seduction, cause no-one here properly knows how to communicate yet! They're saying everything but saying nothing.

I hope, in the event of further scenes like this, they have the moment to breathe.

And finally, the third piece - the closing of the curtains.

What does this say about the characters? Hey this is a private moment, you're not allowed to witness this. It's the same as Ed/Stede other moments of intimacy. Everything is private, it's hidden, it's on a remote beach on an island or unobserved under the moonlight.

These dudes might talk about each other constantly and are unashamed to say they like each other, but they sure as shit can't show it publicly. There's also clear reticence within Ed - which echoes him saying he wants to take things slow, as well as his hesitance in the next episode.

This reticence is also shown in their costuming. This isn't a we spent care and time taking each other's clothes off energy, this reads more like Stede Bonnet is emboldened for one of the first times in his life and got naked way too fast. Hey, he's the one taking charge. He's the one closing the curtains.

Man On Fire

Not a whole lot of intimacy in this one. I'm not going to spend long on it, because it's not particularly meaty, but I think the Olu/Zheng hand grab over the table is adorable and a perfect way to show two people on the same page after going through it. It's balanced and sweet.

Now, the other thing:

This staging is suuuuuuch a missed opportunity, but I also think it works considering the later context of the scene.

Y'know how you'd usually show a morning after? Snuggling up together, shoulder to shoulder, legs intertwined. Hazy and precious and lovely.

It's a bit harder with this particular set piece - you can't shoot them from the reverse, cause of the window, so everything needs to be pointed out towards the camera, making snuggling side by side harder to shoot. In theatre you'd just angle the prop differently, but you can't do that on film in a room that has established locations.

Initially when I watched this, I was like "okay rookie move, they've missed the obvious".

But.

It makes sense with the characterisation of this episode. Stede's killed a guy. He's had probably the first bit of pleasurable intimacy in his entire life. Man's ego's the size of the room. He's got his chest out cause he feels good.

Ed, however. He's fully clothed. He's doing the good thing, doing the right thing, getting breakfast in bed but it's still not quite right in the way "it should be" (the twine), and he's buttoned up to the neck. No swagger, no body showing. What does that scream? Avoidance. Weirdness. Maybe even a bit of discomfort.

Keep in mind that in the last 12 hours he's seen Stede, who he fell in love with because of his whimsy and difference from other pirates kill a guy. He's seen him threaten other peoples' lives. He expressed the desire to take things slow and instead, in a feat of piqued emotion, they hooked up, and they probably shouldn't have.

They're not cuddling because it's weird. The whole moment is weird. It's almost a walk of shame but they're on the same damn ship together. They might have hooked up, but the pair of them clearly still aren't on the same page.

I doubt we'll see it next week, but I hope these two can find their peace. This is a genre comedy, not just a romance, so I doubt it'll be anything explicit, but I would love to see a scene that's deeply passionate, building the intimacy without building the pace. Take us in closer, let us feel what the characters feel without immediately cutting away.

Loathed as I am to link some of these clips because of their nonsense dialogue, here's some moments in other mlm media that do well at building that intimacy.

This Bill/Sam clip from True Blood that doesn't even have a kiss but holds the tension really well. Another nonsense dream sequence scene from True Blood that still has nice staging. Agron and Nasir from Spartacus have incredible chemistry with a variety of clips to choose from. There are so many options and I would love love love to see them explored in the final episode of S2 or in S3. Very excited to see them both on the same page - ENTHUSIASTIC CONSENT FOR THE WIN.

Thanks for reading! Reblog if you liked. If there's anything juicy in ep 8 I'll cover it as well.

[iamnot-theboynextdoor]

OFMD EP3 REACTION

we open with zheng's crew raiding a ship

"who's the captain" "he calls himself the soul reaper" "i'm not calling him that" zheng is great

WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE SUICIDE STUFF

"you've bested me" camera pans to stede and olu

"culturally, this must be very hard for you... but your last act on this planet WILL be surrendering to a woman" ZHENG IS GREAT. and the Very Confused expression on bartholemew's face like

stede's job is to ferry the champagne dslghskjgs

zheng chilling out and having a nice charcuterie board with the guy she's raiding... have i mentioned that she's the best because she's the best

zheng practically twirling her hair going "omg noooo forget it it's just a crazy idea aha....." she's a fucking genius. you work for her now, idiot

"that's what i always say! olu, don't i say that?" "no" olu's not havin it

zheng "this is a 'join me or die' situation" zheng's not havin it

STEDE PUT DOWN THE ABACUS THERE HAVE BEEN ENOUGH ABACUS CASUALTIES

oh fuck first mate aunty's seen the revenge

stede's running out the room

ooh the revenge is fucked. anyone who isn't a named character is probably dead

STEDE HURLS HIMSELF FUCKING OVERBOARD WITHOUT HESITATION GOOD LORD

he has a one track mind and all the stations are labeled "ed <3"

he fucking bellyflopped into the ocean i am begging him to grow a single brain cell

it plays the music that ed and stede kissed to... and then stede gets onboard the ruined ship with nobody there and it goes silent... i am eating my desk

there's blood streaks all over the walls, stede's portrait has daggers in it

the crew are eating a seagull

fucking scene from a horror movie right there

IT IS JUST THE FIVE OF THEM SGSKJGHSFJG

"where's ed?" "there's no good way to say this, stede, but we-" "OH IS THIS STEDE" archie i love you but please

"just thought you'd be taller, y'know, muscly, charismatic-" "why are you saying that" "...this is good soup" ARCHIE BABYGIRL

"bonnet! good to see you" izzy positively DRIPPING with stank. if we thought lucius hated stede, we ain't seen nothing yet

"frenchie, where is ed?" oh god he knows frenchie's so shit at lying "...he retired" to where, Pirate Heaven? well. Pirate Hell considering what he's been doing

everyone nodding at that, even izzy. i can't believe izzy wants to fucking spare stede's feelings

"you just wanna keep the soft one happy" LET ZHENG HAVE A GUYWIFE!!!

izzy saying HE stabbed stede's portrait and being remarkably unconvincing

and here we go with ed in purgatory!

edward teach, died on a beach

i know who this is i've seen the spoilers it's a vision of hornigold. the question is how much am i going to hate him

he's got a pet pig named ruthie so unfortunately that is a point in his favour. god damn it. let me hate someone

hornigold's got this ghostly reverb on his voice and i think he's wearing a sail as a coat? it looks cool

HE LOOKS LIKE IF MY GRANDPA WAS EVIL

"open up for the cargo ship" ...i already know people are gonna be weirdly horny about hornigold. i don't like it.

"LAST TIME I SAW YOU YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA FLAY MY SKIN AND FEED IT BACK TO ME" "yeah alright alright that was messed up i'm sorry. i was in a bad place back then... too much on the rhino horn" oh god ed's become him. is there generational trauma but for pirates. captaining trauma?

aunty please don't scare fang he is a delicate flower and he has been through enough

JIM AND OLU!!!!

"eu-caly-ptus-es. eu-ca-lump-tus" i'm never gonna say eucalyptus the same way again thank u olu

(shoulder bump) "i missed you" AWWWW "i kissed someone" OH FUCK RIGHT AWAY

they are still so fucking cute!!!!! zheng/olu/jim/archie endgame!!!

"i saw her boobs" "oh ok" "both of them" "ok that's enough" SLKFHSDGKJSHKG

stede's back on the ruined revenge STOP PLAYING THE KISS MUSIC I'M GOING INSANE

montage of stede retrieving all of ed's daggers

aaaaand izzy's there

"we just redecorated" "i don't mind actually i think the knives really help bring the place together" stede's priorities are 1) ed 2) being a bitch to izzy

"he was either gonna watch the world burn or die trying, so which is it?" STEDE KNOWS

"he was a wild dog and we dealt with him like one!" "you sent him to doggie heaven." GODDDDDD

"no. i could never do that. we deserted him on a beach, left nature to do the rest, more than he would've done for us" but it's a dream, so izzy is a lying liar who lies. to protect STEDE

"you and me did this to him, and we cannot let this crew suffer any more for our mistakes" if you told me last week that this line would come up in a conversation between stede and izzy, i would not fucking believe you when you told me who said it

"bet you're wondering how i ended up here" "nope" ed's just standing there like a five year old following their parent around

"you're worried you're insane" "yeah a little bit" YEAH SO AM I ED

SOUP AGAIN

SOUP HEALS EVERYTHING

"ed can be quite troubled" "girl, how ARE you" thank you zheng. how else do you respond to the #1 ed apologist

pirates do not know how to handle break-ups without having a little massacre as a treat huh

aunty has found Something!

"i thought about opening an inn" BLACKBEARD'S BAR AND GRILL AND FISHING EQUIPMENT AND GIFT SHOP ENDGAME PLEASE

and now ed and hornigold are play-acting it out

JEFF'S INN BY THE SEA okay WHY is ed's fake name always jeff. is that a tragic backstory too lmao

ed's little leaf for a pin

he really is just a little kid playing with his dadptain who really does not want to be playing with a five year old

"why are you being a dick" "i'm not being a dick, you're gonna have to deal with customers like that" this is unfortunately true

THAT POST ABOUT STEDE BEING GOOD AT FRONT OF HOUSE AND ED BEING GOOD AT BACK OF HOUSE. ENDGAME ENDGAME ENDGAME

"grown man covered in tattoos? with daddy issues?" hornigold woke up and chose violence

"i never told anyone about that" "but you did. and he left you" hornigold isn't just hornigold or a stand-in for ed's dad. he's all of ed's inner demons. welcome to purgatory bay bee

"and it all boils down to this: you're afraid you're unlovable" aaaaaaaaaand ed has snapped hornigold's neck. but he's not real so he's fine probably

yeah he sat up

"you can't kill me, eddie" montage of ed killing him over and over

man if eddie was hornigold's nickname for ed, izzy calling him eddie has a whole new context

OH FUCK AUNTY FOUND ED'S BODY IN THE HOLD

stede's face

frenchie leaning his head against izzy in the brig....

"go on, bonnet, give me your worst" and stede can't even say anything. and izzy's crying. and i'm crying.

pirate purgatory bay bee

is this a "ed can go back, but only if he chooses to" thing? with ED'S suicidal ideation? i know he does but let's see how they resolve it

"you're talking about purgatory" "no, what's that?" hornigold calling me out personally???

"what do you like about life?" "okay, warmth. good food. intercourse. orgasms." IS THIS FORESHADOWING HMMMMMM

cons: "i don't think anyone's waiting for me" i am rubbing my hands together babyboy you don't know how wrong you are

"pick up my fuckin' staff" dream hornigold is committed to being a wizard

olu trying to convince zheng not to execute izzy and co

BOAT-MANCE

"what is the status of that is it ongoing or?"

zheng: pro for killing jim is you will be single

"we're best friends. family." honestly no matter what form olu and jim's relationship takes i love them

"how would this execution affect-" (caresses olu's chest with her sword) "-us?" AAAAAAAAAAAA

honestly olu if you don't get with zheng. jim might. if they don't get executed

"what do you mean us?" "i was trying to seduce you" "oh" "was that not clear?" "no" i love how even the hyper-competent pirate queen is allowed to be a lil awkward

AND SHE'S KISSING OLU WELL WELL WELL

"towel service! ...it's chamomile!" it's CHLOROFORM BAY BEE

stede's organising a jailbreak!

"i never said [i had perfect aim]" "you said it today" lucius is not havin it

"the entire escape relies on this" this is the type of action movie hero shit that s1 pete would eat up. s2 pete, however, has at least a fraction of a brain cell and doesn't want to risk it. and you know what that is? growth.

FUCK YEAH ARCHIE

lucius ziplining across while going "ohgodohgodohgodohgod" big mood

"where's olu?" "go find him!" uh oh and jim's gonna walk in on him and zheng. they'd better join in or i'm rioting

HE'S SITTING ON HER DESK SWINGING HIS LITTLE FEETIES AS SHE KISSES HIM

"did you know about this?!" oh no she's gonna think he was playing her this whole time!!!

zheng runs out and jim runs in and olu is torn BUT HE TAKES JIM'S HAND

"set the sail!" stede there is barely half of a fucking sail

olu awkwardly waving at zheng and she's heartbroken oh god. she wasn't kidding when she said the timing was bad. now they've made a very dangerous enemy

izzy tries to THANK stede and stede just has a thousand yard, devastated stare and walks away

"you already made your choice" and ed suddenly has a very large rock tied to him oh god oh fuck

"i'm not me. i'm you. you brought me here." "why would i do that" gee i don't know ed maybe because you like torturing yourself

"so if you hate me and i'm you..." "...i hate myself" "bullseye! finally!" i'd say i feel sorry for ed but he did very much do all that shit

"...i'm not lovable" OKAY I AM NOT IMMUNE TO FEELING SORRY FOR ED

ed still needs someone else to pull the metaphorical trigger

only when stede goes down to the hold by himself does he allow himself to mourn

and there's ed in the ocean RUBBING MY HANDS TOGETHER

I'M CRYING

stede pulls the cover off ed's face and in the dream ed suddenly starts to struggle for air!!!!!

HIS FINGER'S TWITCHING

stede's crying i'm crying

god it's like a "come here" gesture i'm going insane and also crying

"I'M HERE!" AND THE ROPE FALLS OFF ED'S WAIST AND I HAVE TO PAUSE AND SOB LOUDLY!!!!!!

THE LITTLE MERSTEDE!!!!!!!

AND ED WAKES UP!!!!!!!

end credits sequence is just the sun shining through the water. i really thought it was gonna be ed sitting up and headbutting stede in the face

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 6)

"I stabbed you, ya nut!" We're starting strong I see

Sooooo, Izzy believes they fucked now?

Now, I wonder, how real is this story?

Oh okay, I got to the dad part, it probably is true

"How do you go about tapping into an enemy's fear?" I'm guessing it's something like "get close enough to someone so that they'll tell it to you themselves"

Buttons is honestly so wise, he always knows when there's something going on

Izzy feels like a tired dad/older brother

Ew, don't call Stede a pet

"But we go to different heavens! He goes to doggy heaven!" Q~Q Now I feel bad too...

"Lucius! We've got a fuckery on our hands!" I really wish I could've seen Lucius's reaction to that

Let's stop treating Stede like a dog, Izzy, ok?

Bad Izzy, bad!

(See how he likes it)

Aw, poor Lucius :(

"Knives are knives, meat's meat" I mean, can't argue with that

"Muse, why have you forsaken me?" Oh he's such a theater kid

"-perform like it's your last day on Earth." I know he practiced that line in the mirror beforehand, I just do

Where's Oluwande btw? Haven't seen him yet

Omg, I saw Frenchie's outfit and I died laughing - this is gonna go really well isn't it

Ed looks like he's trying to find the courage to ask his crush out

This crew is fucking amazing, not sure what else to say

"Yeah, that's our little Nordic angel" Aww

Nouuu, poor Ed, you gave him a flashback!

Wowwwww, I was not expecting that, okay, alright

On the other hand, ig I kind of called it in the third paragraph up there

"You don't belong in doggy heaven" Why is this a show and why am I loving it

Not Ed leaning into his hand after that super soft conversation...... Nononono, I can't do this, it's too fluffy, I cant-

Those were too many f-words, Izzy, someone sure is upset

Aw, all the crew members seemed to dislike the idea of a duel too - they're starting to care!

Okay maybe they are just worried about their jobs but I prefer the 1st option

"Just stab him- for fuck's sake!" Oluwande I missed you

Uhm, okay I'm also happy Stede won, but maybe please get him out of there? You know, before he bleeds out and all

Okay, that scene between Pete and Lucius was adorable, I loved it

And that kiss was so soft!! And they looked so soft!! Ahhhh, the fluuuuuff

Omg, someone please get Stede out of there

Izzy is still gonna cause many problems, isn't he..?

[eloquentgifs]

I'm going to say things bc that's how I cope.

As a person who thinks that if you're going to do something you should do it right, I can't help it, it bothered me how sloppy this season felt. Of course I fully blame HBO and their cheapness, but it stills bothers me. Not only we got two episodes less than s1, but the 8 we got were shorter, and you can tell. I also blame the budget cuts for the constant yet unnecessary flashbacks, and the weird editing, and the anticlimatic pace. In any case, I want to highlight the things I did like, because I fucking love this show and Im sure that after a rewatch or two I'll be less angry, so let's stay positive:

Since it seems they were having trouble to get the complete cast together in one plot, I do love they kinda let them have their spotlight one by one. Like, Frenchie in the first episodes, Wee John as Calypso, Lucius with his PTSD in ep5... It's not the same as s1, but it's something.

I've seen people complaining about this, but Im happy they didnt invest too much time on the forgiving process. I like it better when everyone gets along fine, and in the end they're pirates and they never seemed to be the kind of people who hold grudges, so yeah lets skip to the nice part.

I did like a lot what they did with Izzy. I don't care if it happened too quick or what, I used to feel indiference towards him and this season I actually enjoy his scenes a lot. I still dont know how I feel about his death tho. It bothered me a little that the whole scene was more about Ed than Izzy himself, but in the end I always saw Izzy as a narrative tool in Ed's arc more than as a character of his own, so I guess it makes sense.

Super happy with the music choices, and also the new outfits.

Really, the first five episodes were absolutely brilliant.

It made me so happy they got Bronson Pinchot as Ned Low.

Huge fan of Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie.

Im so fucking furious at Taika Waititi for his pro-Israel shit that seeing Pop Pop attacking him gave me some sort of inner peace.

Now, things I wished had been done differently: - There were a lot of paralelisms with s1, which is good, but I'd like they brought back more actual elements of s1 into play. Like, the lighthouse painting, the secret wardrobe, the pink robe, a third Badmington (he would have work better as big bad than this prince ricky guy I dont really care about?). Frenchie singing again. This oneis a reach, but I would love to have Mary Bonnet back. And I was really hoping they play with the fact that Stede is "dead". The guy doesnt even mention the Master Fuckery from ep10.

-On that note, I was a little dissapointed on Jim's arc. I was never that invested on them or their plot in s1, but it feels weird how this season it seems like none of that even happened. Even Jim felt like a different character. I feel it would worked better if some of the conflict was related to Siete Gallos stuff, so at least it would feel all of that subplot wasnt a waste of time.

-Little missing opportunities of making me happy: Anne Bonny and Mary Read mentioning Jack (to insult him, mostly); they kissing when the house is on fire; Ed finding not just one letter but the whole pile of them; a better narrative use for Seagull Buttons (well, any narrative use, really); developing the bombclocks thing in a way where Auntie was not deprived of her superhuman detective skills; having Ned Low as bigger villain, with several appearances.

-The general development of Ed/Stede in the final episode... It's just confusing to me. My reading of Stede's mind state was that he was on autopilot since he killed Ned Low, and being abandoned by Ed and having his ass kicked by Zheng would wake him up a little, but this episode he's still in PROBLEM SOLVER mode, zero regrets about anything, still hasn't talked anything through EVER, he's just fine. With Ed I dont even ask for coherence bc he's always been a wtf guy, but I dont understand the "just do whatever you're good at" thing in the beginning of the episode, and he claiming back his leathers and his pirate-self and going on berserker mode and fighting along Stede as equals and blablabla if at the end he's still chosing to be a fucking innkeeper. Also, having a shitty inn in the middle of nowhere sounds too close to the antique shop in ep4, didn't they learn ANYTHING from Mary and Anne? I mean, the innkeeping was a predictible outcome, but the setting up of the episode was really aiming to the opposite, so it feels weird to me. In any case, I'm happy they're together and if being absolutely on their own in the loneliest house in the world doesn't get them to improve their communication, idk what else they could do.

-Still think they should have been lighthouse keepers instead.

-Next season Im totally muting every OFMD tag as soon as they announce the trailer release, because the promo and bts content was absolutely TOO MUCH. Those fuckers had been showing us stuff from the very climax of the fucking last episode since weeks before the season aired. I get it's a me problem, but I do believe it ruined my experience a lot, so fuck that.

And well. That's it. Good season, could have been great. Im happy but sad. Let's just hope that, if there's a season 3, they gave them more money and time to do it properly.

And before I post this and run away from tumblr, Im checking out how much of my wishlist had been fulfilled: - LUCIUS IS ALIVE - Stede Bonnet, berserker era [Not as I imagined, but hey] - The Queen Anne’s Revenge, either being captured or coming back as the ship Ed left behind when he went to The Revenge - The Blockade of Charleston (and make really absurd) [Still might happen in the future?] - Anne Bonny and Mary Read(as middle aged women who kinda mirror Ed and Stede, but they did it right) - Since he was already mentioned in s1, it would make sense introducing Hornigold, maybe as a new antagonist or something. - A rip off of that wwdits episode with the Vampire Council, except this time is the Pirate Council and its members are pirates from other movies and shows [I was really dreaming big here] - On that note, a really weird episode with every person who has played Blackbeard in recent years [Fully tripping] - More women and more asian characters. And more people speaking their mother tongues [So many Chinese gals, not one chinese word :(] - Ed finding out about Stede’s death and believing it [It did happened but not how/when we thought] - Ed meeting Mary and getting along [Never losing hope on this one] - Frenchie adopting a cat (and singing a song about it). - More info about everyone’s pasts. - I would LOVE having Bartholomew Roberts in the show. [YES PLEASE]

[foolishle]

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH AHHHHH!!

I loved the first three episodes so much! For some reason I thought there would only be two??

First off… HOW DARE David Jenkins and Con O’Neill make me love Izzy?? I’m an absolute sucker for actors microexpressions and vocal work and Con BRINGS IT as usual. Don’t get me wrong, last season he was brilliant and I loved to hate him but the script and Con’s acting immediately made me actually care about him? Right from the get go (“yes, they all got cake…”) I was like… aw sweetie… You’re in over your head, aren’t you? Each time he was revealed to be NOT DEAD (if I had a dollar/weird that it etc) I was so relieved. He actually cares?? About the crew?? He blamed Stede for Pining!Ed but he knows that Kraken!Ed is because of Izzy, and that Stede makes Ed better.

Taika and Rhys brilliant as uzhe. The character building, again, good as!!

Stede is getting confident and competent, but still Stede. Not much else to say, somehow. Just as brilliant as I expected. Also the linen shirt? Daaaaaaaaang.

Ed… aahhh. Taika does every emotion so well. At the moment it’s mostly PAIN and I look forward to him breaking free of that. His ‘purgatory’ was especially brilliant. And his revelation of the fact that he hates himself. Beautiful.

LUCIUS!! I wasn’t surprised (was anyone??) to see Lucius return. We knew it had to happen! When they said “rat boy!”, I was bouncing on my seat with excitement. Cynical!Lucius is delightful.

Just… so many of the characters have been so deeply affected by the trauma of the last season (as were we all, let’s be real)… and it’s a credit to the crews (behind the scenes, and on it) that they each are so familiar and the same people they were… but evolved and changed and grown. They’re the same *people*, but not the same people.

Jim and Olu! I know there is some disappointment at their romantic separation along with their physical separation. But I love the contrast with Lucius and Pete who (so far) seem to be back together, or trying to be. That’s life, you know? Some people just don’t fit back together once they’ve been affected by different things. I don’t have a problem with them being paired up with other people. I hope that they can find their way back to friendship, even—especially-if the romance is gone.

I know there was confusion and disappointment that Ivan isn’t in this season. It wasn’t the actor’s choice not to return, but I think the change makes sense. No shade to Guz Khan, he was great. But the dynamic of the Kraken crew didn’t need him. We had Fang and Izzy from the old BB Crew, Jim and Frenchie from the Stede crew, and Archie as the newcomer… it really felt balanced. Loved the way they bonded with each other and I really look forward to the way the two different crews have been mixed up and seeing how they try and fit back in with Stede &co.

The new characters! Really nice to see some women on board. Archie is a nice addition, I hope we get some more of her, but at the same time we don’t *need* it. It’s enough that she’s there and she’s given some opportunities for exposition, disrupted the dynamic and made things feel a bit different.

ZHENG YI SAO. I love her. Guessing she’ll be the big bad of the season and she’s a worthy villain who will hopefully bring Ed and Stede back together.

I love that last season it took three episodes for Ed and Stede to fall in together… and by ep 5 we had romance blooming, by episode eight they were both actively interested and we had the kiss in episode 9. I hope we can have the same kind of pacing in season 2 (but I really hope they don’t break up again)… and we’re on track with that with it taking three episodes for them to fall back in together.

Also in case you missed them, like I did, there is a short post-credits scene after each episode so stick around through the credits!

I’m so excited for next week!!!

[do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas]

Actually gonna quickly share my rankings of the episodes cause why not god I should rewatch the show I only watched it once

10. The Gentleman Pirate

Second hand embarrassment is STRONG, and this one isn't in a funny way. Plus it just doesn't have as many strong moments like in the rest of the show (not counting The First Meeting of course), and meh simple jokes

9. A Damned Man

The most interesting part of it was Stede's confrontation with Izzy, the indigenous tribe, and Nigel Ghost, but that's about it. Mostly just a show still finding its footing, but not as bad, just can't hold up to the rest.

8. We Gull Way Back

The Chain Sequence, mwah! But I think they could've done more with Jack instead of killing him off, just kinda a filler episode to confirm Ed's sexuality get the British to come after them

7. Discomfort In A Married State

Man, did I love the writing of the lighthouse being the solution, so clever! And what a fantastic introduction to Ed and his blossoming relationship with Stede. Only thing was the flashbacks took a lot of time and got me bored at times

6. Wherever You Go, There You Are

The character development and downfall of Stede and Ed is also a genius moment in writing, and His Name Is Ed is probably my second favorite moment in the show besides The Kiss. It just hurts me to watch Ed's kraken era and the cliffhanger

5. Pilot

A very strong start to the show. Loved the whole thing with Stede being a kindergarten teacher pirate captain, the dinner scene with the navy and the killing of Nigel, and had some great jokes. But considering the rest of the episodes and the fact the pilot wasn't enough to get me to watch the show the first time, it's at the half point

4. This is Happening

Both storylines were so good! The treasure hunt to make Ed wanna stay, Jim seeing their Nana and opening up about their past (not to mention the almost kiss!!), and let's not forget Lucius being all of us with "oh my god this is happening"

3. The Best Revenge is Dressing Well

This one with the party was our best chance to see Ed and Stede and their differences in society (and was second hand embarrassment that wasn't so painful), helping us see the characters better. So many great moments, like Jeff The Accountant recounting tales, Stede playing Stark Revelations, Have You Ever Been Sketched and of course, You Wear Fine Things Well.

2. The Art of Fuckery

FUCK THE BATHTUB SCENE IS THE SECOND MOST SADDEST MOMENT RIGHT NEXT TO ED CRYING IN STEDES CABIN!!! But man, such a silly concept of a haunted ship, the respectful nature of Ed's backstory and trauma, and the final battle with Stede and Izzy (God I wanted him gone). But yeah, bathtub scene is one of my favorite scenes. Only reason this is number 3 is...

1. Act of Grace

Ed saying he killed Nigel. Stede saying he did it to save Ed. Ed shouting Act of Grace to save Stede. The Kiss. Does your ship do this? Plus, Stede in the woods with Chauncey is Rhys' best performance as Stede. Hands down favorite episode cause the acting was phenomenal on all sides... may be biased cause this was when they kissed, but I think I and every queer persin who ever wanted to be seen in media are allowed to be biased

[officialjimmybuffett]

Can you elaborate on the izzy hands thing you posted? I’m really interested

YES i am kissing you on the lips rn thank you for asking. i'm in a better mood than i was when i made the original post, so i prommy the bitchiness will be kept to a minimum

adding a read more because this is SO long i am humiliated. i do not want the well-adjusted mutuals to see how much i wrote good god

first of all from a technical standpoint, i don't think this is the route that the writers are taking the show. as far as we've seen in s1, homophobia doesn't exist in the omfd universe. it could change, sure, but judging from the atmosphere of the show, along with what jenkins and waititi have said about the future of ofmd*, i truly doubt they would introduce it this late in the game. not to mention that the setup for s2 means they have much bigger fish to fry as it is without introducing a whole other conflict.

and i know the internalized homophobia izzy sentiment is coming from more of a place of character analysis/theory/joking than of genuine prediction but we have canon evidence that izzy?? is not homophobic??? like if you want to write a character study at least do it correctly goddamn.

the only time we see izzy interact with a gay couple outside of ed and stede is when he catches lucius and pete in the shiphold. he's pissed off at them because a) he's izzy and b) they're not doing their work, but there's literally zero context clues that implies he's coming from a place of disgust for their queerness. he just has that trademark izzy hands stick up his ass.

not to mention jack saying "anything goes at sea", paying respect to the fact that pirates were REALLY FUCKING GAY. izzy is a 'real pirate' according to. well. izzy. real pirates fuck men

but what i REALLY wanted to talk about is izzy's relationship with ed. i think this tweet sums up the majority of my thoughts pretty well, but just to reiterate, izzy is VERY obsessive over the blackbeard persona. he constantly reminds ed to remember the image and responsibilities he has to uphold as blackbeard, and explicitly says that it is his job as first mate to make sure ed is satisfied.

he keeps the crew in line, squashes mutinies in the making, and is overtly loyal to blackbeard. whenever ed expresses interest in changing his career approach, in letting go of blackbeard, izzy is immediately there to talk him out of it, to wax poetic about why blackbeard is so great. izzy likes the idea of ed as blackbeard, and he likes that blackbeard is this static, unchanging thing in his life that he can always rely on (his lighthouse, perhaps?). to izzy, blackbeard represents success, masculinity, and fear (both of the pious and violent natures), all of which he values greatly.

this leads me to my next point, which is that izzy does value ed as a person beyond the blackbeard persona. however, he is very possessive of ed. we constantly see izzy call him both "ed" and "edward", but is offput when stede does the same. izzy wants ed to be seen/respected as blackbeard to everyone else, but only he is allowed to be intimate enough with blackbeard to know him as edward. which like. bitch me too i am very jealous when it comes to my homoerotic friendships

oh my god i've already written so much but im just gonna keep running. you know That Scene in ep10 where izzy taunts ed for getting soft with stede, gets his shit rocked, then gently caresses ed's face?? because of izzy's obsession with the idea of blackbeard, the only way he knows how to get an emotional response from ed is to provoke him. he sees how stede gets to be intimate with ed through gentleness and doesn't understand it. why is ed vulnerable with someone who isn't izzy? how is someone able to get ed's attention without aggression? GOD i need to chew on some tire rubber.

when ed is inspired/encouraged by stede to change as a person, izzy is unable to accept that ed is a dynamic being. he is also unable to accept that ed can be "edward" with someone else who isn't him.

ANYWAYS im tired of fans constantly pushing the internalized homophobia narrative onto antagonistic characters/characters they are very vocal about not liking. i'm not gonna pull the problematic card because that's a whole other can of worms, but i'm tired of seeing this used as the ONLY reason a character dislikes another queer character/couple. please im begging you queer people are far more complex than that. there are more conflicts you can have than just Being Gay.

maybe it's because im the only person to correctly interpret media in the world ever but people will just just slap a buzzword onto anything. did we even watch the same show 🤨

post-ofmd, i was very surprised to come into online spaces and find that so many ppl hate izzy i fucking LOVE him. i remember watching the show and being like this guy. this guy right here is funky. he's a pal. izzy being the only person with a braincell is fucking hilarious. he's a drama character written into a cast of comedy characters, the voice of reason who constantly gets plowed over for the gag. its GREAT. he's great. i could fix him but whatever's wrong with him is so much better.

*namely that there are too many tragic queer stories out there and they don't want to add another one to the mix, along with the fact that they don't care much for historical accuracy. jenkins literally said he and waititi "don't care about pirates" like 😭 he just wanted to write a queer comedy and there happen to be pirates in it

TL;DR: izzy's primary reason for disliking stede and ed's relationship is because he is in love with (and possessive of) the idea of ed, but can't accept that ed as a person is dynamic and changing. stop saying characters you dislike have internalized homophobia u dickwads.

here's my twitter btw i have an ongoing thread where i put all my ofmd thoughts that have me waking up in a cold sweat at 3am. if you are interested <3 ok thank u again bye

[internerdionality]

Ummmmm who says that Stede didn't know he was gay? Not knowing that he was in love with Ed isn't the same thing as not knowing he's attracted to men.

I 100% believe that Stede was perfectly aware that he was attracted to Ed, AND that he and Ed were flirting, way before the kiss. Like, a bunch of the scenes that we see really don't make a ton of sense otherwise—especially:

The "trouble in paradise" catty little comment about Izzy and Ed

Him being jealous but clearly not shocked when Calico Jack "casually" mentions his and Ed's history and asks if Ed and Stede are buggering each other (also like, the fact that he refuses to outright deny it? Like, I'm sorry, but a man who thinks he's straight and not at all involved with Ed does NOT say "I don't know what you're talking about" and "Ed's past is Ed's business" when asked if he's sleeping with Ed. A man who thinks he's straight says "I'm STRAIGHT.")

Him telling Lucius "I think it's over" when Lucius asks if he and Blackbeard have had a rupture.

What Stede thinks, is that he and Blackbeard are having a moderately serious flirtation. Hopefully/maybe building up to something more? But like, they've known each other a MONTH. Ed has made it clear on multiple occasions that he thinks of this as something temporary. They haven't kissed or really talked about their relationship much prior to the beach scene. And Stede has never had any kind of a romantic relationship before. Of COURSE he doesn't realize he's in love with Ed, but much more important, he certainly doesn't think Ed's in love with him.

Remember, Ed was FORCED to either give up his freedom for Stede or watch him be killed in front of him. Yes, he did that willingly, but from Stede's point of view, it doesn't necessarily take a man in love to not want to see a friend shot in front of him. And Stede was thinking that they'd probably spend a couple of days at the Academy and then escape. Stede is shocked and horrified when Ed says there's no escape and he's planning to live out his life like that. Here's this man who has shown little to no inclination of being in love with him—they're friends, to be sure, but two weeks ago Ed was still planning to kill him, and other than the co-captains thing, Ed has given him little to no reason to think they're in any kind of a relationship, let alone a serious one. And now Stede has basically wrecked Ed's life and then run away.

(I am absolutely positive that Stede did NOT make a conscious decision to return to his wife until already well on his way. He was traumatized and disassociating, and then suddenly he finds himself on the road—possibly already in a hired carriage—and someone asks him where he's going and he says 'home.' The only choice he made was not to go back to Ed immediately, not to leave him in the first place.)

The revelation when Mary tells Stede what being in love is like is, certainly, partly about him realizing that he's in love with Ed, but it's MUCH MORE about him realizing that Ed was also in love with HIM. That's the only way he can justify going back and trying to reinsert himself into Ed's life, given that he felt he was a bad influence and an unwanted burden. But if Ed is in LOVE with him—that, THAT is a reason to go find him.

its actually kind of funny to think about the fact that stede didnt know he was gay. because bestie ur whole crew is. im like 98% sure lucius has tried to suck stede's dick at least once. everyone's limp wristing all over the place. you're flying pride flags baby. queer people flock to each other. who else is "uncomfortable in a married state" and leaves their rich wife and kids to be a pirate. literally only gay people. what did you THINK you were doing stede.

[murfeelee]

Give Me a Fandom and I’ll Tell You....

Saw a bunch of these on my dash, and decided to do a bunch in turn!

SPARTACUS

Favorite Male Character: Nasir (my smol little cinnamon roll~! :3), and Agron (my sexy beast from the East of the Rhine <3)

Favorite Female Character: Lucretia (Lucy Lawless was the reason I started watching the show in the first place; Xena’s my bish). I liked Mira, too.

Least Favorite Character: Illythia, that nasty skank

Favorite Ship: NAGRON, DUH!!!! <3

Favorite Friendship: The entire quartet: Spartacus, Crixus, Agron, Gannicus

Favorite Quote: This is too hard, there were so many good 1-liners from almost all the characters. I’ll go with, “My place is beside you“ -- effing weak rn, Nasir, same! <3

Worst Character Death (if any): The finale effed me up; everyone died (except Nagron! ^0^). You know it’s coming, cuz duh, they lost the war and the crucifixions along the Appian Way is a real thing that happened in actual history, but man, that was grim. U_U

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: Other than Nagron surviving the war like the boss BAMF gay battle husbands they are? IDK, maybe Glaber and Illythia getting their comeuppance in S02.

Saddest Moment: Agron crying over Spartacus. And Duro. And his own crucifixion. (Dan’s really good at heavy scenes.) And Naevia’s death (I was crushed, I really wanted her to make it.) And Nasir’s rare freak out moment when he flipped on Castus, that was painful.

Favorite Location: Lucius Caelus’ temple in S02. All those times Agron blasphemed against the gods, and it ended up being a temple that became the rebel base. :P And in S03 he kept doing it! XD

TEEN WOLF (I hate this show, it makes no sense)

Favorite Male Character: Stiles Stilinski (of course~!), and Peter Hale (YEAH, I said it, sue me!) Stiles and Peter are also my two favorite former villains, as the Nogitsune and the Alpha.

Favorite Female Character: Kira Yukimura (I miss her!) and Erica Reyes (I miss her, too!)

Least Favorite Character: Malia Tate (for so many reasons, let me count the ways....) Why does SHE get to stick around, yet actual good female characters/actresses keep leaving the show!? >_>

Favorite Ship: Sterek is Eternal, regardless of Jeff Davis pooping on everything with his crap writing and crap plots

Favorite Friendship: Stiles and Scott, Derek and Boyd

Favorite Quote: “I’m 1000 years old; YOU CAN’T KILL ME!!!!!“ (Dylan, you go boy~!)

Worst Character Death (if any): Boyd. That was effed up. I hate Jeff Davis. That was EFFED UP! Jeff Davis is NOT a gift!

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: Them announcing that 6B would be the last season. Stiles’ reunion with everyone after being Erased in 6A. And his real name finally being revealed by his dad! :D

Saddest Moment: Other than literally all the good cast members being killed off or put on a bus, leaving us with garbage? All the touching Stilinski Family Feels with Stiles and his dad. <3

Favorite Location: Derek’s loft

SHADOWHUNTERS

Favorite Male Character: Magnus Bane is my aesthetic!

Favorite Female Character: Izzy Lightwood

Least Favorite Character: Clary Fray. The actress is terrible, that fake ginger hair terrible, the incest is terrible... (but at least that was fixed, lol).

Favorite Ship: Malec is trying to make me die of feels, wtf

Favorite Friendship: Izzy and Simon (SizzyFTW! Endgame Sizzy!)

Favorite Quote: “We all have our THINGS“ -- Izzy, never was a truer word spoken on this show..... 8)

Worst Character Death (if any): People keep boo-hooing over Jace, but that doesn’t count; he was only dead for like 5 seconds. Imma go with Ragnor Fell. #GoneTooSoon!

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: Laaaaawd~~~! That wedding scene!? THAT WEDDING SCENE. LAWD! ^0^ And the song playing in the background was perfect; gave me shivers. The way Magnus just stomped in there like a boss!? That eye contact!? OMG

Saddest Moment: The whole Magnus-Valentine issue and that Agony Rune, Valentine’s massacre of the Downworlders at the Institute (that was effed up), everyone’s reaction over Jocelyn’s death (poor Alec!), Simon having to endure that awkward as hell kiss in the Seelie Realm.

Favorite Location: Magnus’ penthouse

GAME OF THRONES

Favorite Male Character: Tyrion Lannister since Day 1 (Peter Dinklage is 200% superb!)

Favorite Female Character: #TeamDanyFTW!

Least Favorite Character: Cersei Lannister, that psycho wench. I hope she’s pregnant with a dwarf. I kid you not, I hope her little incest baby ends up looking just like Tyrion, and she goes ballistic and tries to kill it, and Jaime gets to see just how EVIL this heifer is and come to his frikkin senses. 

Favorite Ship: Dany & Drogo, of course. Arya & Jaqen H’gar, sue me. Arya & Gendry (yay, he’s back!) I need Arya to get some lovin’, seriously.

Favorite Friendship: Jon & Sam, Dany & Missandei, Tyrion & Bronn

Favorite Quote: Winter is Coming! All of Dany’s soundbites: Fire cannot kill a dragon, Fire and Blood, Drakarys, etc.

Worst Character Death (if any): HOLD THE DOOR. Nedd Stark. Kahl Drogo. Poor little Rickon didn’t deserve that. The Red Wedding. Plus, that awkward moment when you realize Bran is nuts.

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: The Purple Wedding (Olenna you flawless HBIC!!! - Cersei’s face! XD *knee slapping goodness*). That Bolton twat getting eaten by his own dogs gave me life. Every time Dany says Drakarys is a BAMF moment. Every time Sam saves the day. The Arya vs Brienne fight was DOPE!

Saddest Moment: HOLD THE DOOR. Nedd Stark. Kahl Drogo. Poor little Rickon didn’t deserve that. The Red Wedding. Plus, that awkward moment when you realize Bran is nuts.

Favorite Location: All the exotic places in the East/Essos: Qarth, Mereen, Astapor, Pentos, etc. I like Dorne, too, but that’s in Westeros.

As usual, I tag all you lovelies out there!