#ofmd fanfic recs

[eefaevie]

here’s a crop of the chapter 10 art from wave hello to the void, a completed gentlebeard OFMD cryptid hunting AU by @mxmollusca @zacharybosch and myself — 78k words, explicit, romance/comedy/horror (but don’t let that deter you! this is the most tender monster-loving you’ve ever seen — I guarantee it)

[littlefingies]

Hi usian friends. We're all having a rough one. If you need some comfort today, here's a thread of a WHOLE LOT of comfort fics on bluesky. Check them out if you need an ofmd word-hug, and def add your own and/or self rec too if something comes to mind!

[medievill]

I made them talk to each other.

[medievill]

I get a lot of “wow your Ed is bang-on” comments so uh. Here’s my only explicitly innkeeper era fic:

but feel free to poke around a little while you’re there ^_^ hope you enjoy!

I literally keep running into this shit it’s so annoying

[adamarks]

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Here’s some fic recs.

Just An Excellent Fucking Fella by Shearwater - Everyone and their brother has seen Constellationism. But have you read innkeeper Jeff role play by the same author? Hop to it.

Stolen by the Gentleman Thief by @elapsed-spiral - suggested if you’ve ever earnestly enjoyed or gotten a cackle at dime romance novels. They meet because Stede is plastic-wrapped to a light pole. I fucking love this fic.

West Ham Is For Lovers by @elapsed-spiral - Also love this one. Lucius is like trying to get Ed and Stede to meet. Idk how to sell it without giving away The Twist as the summary says. Just trust me

Roach vs. Rabbit by @xoxoemynn - shocked and appalled that this doesn’t have more hits. It’s bunnicula. C’mon it’s bunnicula.

The Crew Dines Out by wellwhisky - this one is incomplete but works on its own. Based on The Gang Dines Out from iasip. This shit is soooooooo funny it’s sooooooooo funny. Oh my god it’s funny as balls

soup by @margaritaville - it’s just so sweet. Ed and Stede sound so Ed and Stedey here. It’s so sweet. ITS SO SWEET

that same look in your eyes series by @margaritaville - I usually hate time travel fics but Sam changed my mind. Did you all know Ed and Stede are madly in love? Were u aware???

Even in the Dark, I'm Glowing by @petrichorca @veeagainsttheday and ThatJadeykinns - monsterfucking 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ what more do you need??? Click the damn link

Mile High Club by @veeagainsttheday - I’m sure everyone seeing this has read this but I don’t care I don’t CARE rAAAGGHHH [blows up a building bc this fic is so good]

Anyway happy new year go leave these people comments. Tell them u appreciate their art and time. Leave a series of emojis. I’m so serious if u read any of these n like em you better tell these ppl. Tell em Jay sent u. (You don’t have to do that last bit)

[soupbtch]

Pretty

2k words / rated explicit

“There we go,” he says, nudging Ed’s legs further apart. “Good girl, Ed.”

———————————————————————————

may I offer you some very loving light feminization in these trying times

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62791015

[aha-my-villainous-thoughts]

A little gift for @bizarrelittlemew, one of the kindest and strongest people in the crew 💜 if you haven't read her heartwrenching fic Five Birthdays and a Funeral, you haven't lived 💜

Here's a sun dappled Stede at a picnic, charming his way into Ed's heart with star facts and definitely not booty shorts, Lucius, they're a perfectly reasonable length!

[temporal-discounting]

OFMD Fanfic Friday

Hello my darlings. This week I have read some truly wonderful fics that focus on Ed's platonic relationships with other members of the crew, and so I'm going to share a few of these here.

He's a fucking nightmare by @dimplyowl (Teen, 6931 words)

What if Lucius had interrupted the 'namby-pamby' incident? What if someone on the crew had been able to help Ed understand what Izzy had been doing to him for years? Just sublime, folks.

The Caretaker by @soupbtch (Mature, 5600 words)

This one is set during Ed's Kraken era. Frenchie reaches out, to the best of his ability, via the medium of pastries. Such a lovely fic that has flown under the radar.

there's not a word yet by @unadulteratedkr (Teen, 1052 words)

A short and very sweet moment between Archie and Ed, which takes place just after Ed and Stede's moonlight kiss. I'm convinced that there were many such moments like this between Ed and various members of the crew that didn't make it to our screens, and I'm so grateful for writers and artists who can fill in these blanks with such love and compassion.

[theyoungeragrippina]

✨ 15 gentlebeard fic recs ✨

i have spent the last month trawling the pages of ao3 for you, dear reader, to find the best ofmd fics. all the works on this list:

are longer-form (generally 40k+)

have no steddyhands (simply not my thing)

are generally, all around brilliant (well-written, had me kicking my feet and giggling, laughing, or crying)

are complete!

part 2 and part 3

A Heart Unsated by roughwinds

48k, explicit

"Stede Bonnet has just moved into Orange Crescent. There’s a house on the corner, opposite Stede’s own, with a garden full of flowers and a gleaming motorbike on the driveway. He’s forgotten to buy sugar.

Edward Teach has his morning disturbed by his new neighbour. Enamoured at first sight, he invites Stede round for a chat, and then another, and then another.

This is the story of them."

man i normally avoid fics with lots of alma and louis in them because its just not for me, but literally every second of the family bonding in this was so wholesome i was forced to change my entire mind.

all you left me was a pearl by @sightofsea

88k, mature

"1717. The Golden Age of Piracy. Stede Bonnet sets about wooing the love of his life through any means necessary.

Things do not go as planned."

every day i wish for a precise memory erasing potion to be invented so i can read this again for the first time. i would devour like 2000k more words of this if it was offered to me. brilliant.

forgive & forget by @fool-for-luv

44k, mature

"It hits him then, like a wave breaking on sand, loud as thunder when it crashes, then trickling away into little rivulets flowing back home, murmuring one word over and over and over. Ed.

The problem is, Stede doesn’t recall ever having met anyone named Ed."

so sweet and wonderful, and i wish there was more.

#gentlebeard is trending! by regional_catastrophe

41k, teen

"In which Stede accidentally convinces the pirating world that Gentlebeard (or Blackbonnet or Stedward; there's a poll) is canon, reunites his crew, and gets his boyfriend back."

hilarious & silly & great, but also the most compelling notes of any fic i've ever read. a proper learning experience.

if music be the food of love (then darling, you're a feast) by @fool-for-luv

107k, unrated

"“Hey, so, those two, right, they get together in the end?” Ed asks.

“I would protest spoiling it, but I think it's rather obvious, isn't it?” Stede says. His nose wrinkles as he smiles. “The tension is certainly there from the beginning. It just takes them a while to get there.”

“Good. Would have been a shit story otherwise.""

i love sassy stede and i love ed who is a grump and i love that they share one single braincell at any given time.

If You Were Mine to Keep by @mysterybees

162k, explicit

"Caught between the gallows and the end of an English sword, Ed accepts the Act of Grace: marry into the aristocracy, leave the English ships alone, and live to sail another day. But who in their right mind would ever agree to marry the mad devil pirate Blackbeard?"

Worth every second of tiredness I felt after pulling an all nighter to finish reading.

It's Only Right by hexuponye

53k, explicit

"A modern AU based on Imagine Me & You, in which Edward is a florist who does the flowers for Stede's wedding."

mary gets to be a little silly sometimes too as a treat.

pliocene by unfortunatelyobsessed

75k, mature

""man, it's just ocean for miles.” Ed motions out to the waves, where there is no sign of any sort of ship, their small dinghy pulled far up on the sand. “I told you when the clouds look like seagulls you take fuckin' cover. Goddamn ocean mutinied me.”"

william golding wishes he did something this brilliant and significant when he wrote Lord of the Flies. the best deserted island story.

quite a career shift by @stedesparasol

157k, explicit

"Stede's been posting book reviews on Youtube for two months now. It's taken him that long to finally get a comment, and the person it comes from is rather unexpected."

rip stede you would've LOVED booktube. furious i can never really watch his content.

Semaphore by komodobits

124k, explicit

"Talking things through as a crew is easier said than done, and honest communication has never really been Stede’s strong suit. When it comes to Ed, he is willing to try."

so good that i was properly and truly laughing and gasping and 'oh no-ing' out loud while i read it.

Such Joie de Vivre by @louciferish

94k, explicit

"Professional thief Edward Teach is tired of hole in the wall apartments, shitty pub food, and skipping town every few months to keep the cops off their tail. He’s well past the age he meant to flee the country and retire, and all he needs is One Last Job to set him up for life. When he hears that some rich bastard outside of town has just the sort of treasure he’d trade his good knee for, Ed sets out in disguise to get the lay of the land."

i (so so foolishly) avoided reading this for a while because i simply didn't think i was one for nanny aus. i was so, terribly wrong. don't make the same mistakes i did. showstopping. incredible stuff.

The Chains of Flowers are Fragile Things by @grandmastattoo

62k, explicit

"Stede can't see the shop he's inherited from his late father as anything other than a burden, another insult added to a life that's going nowhere fast. Then he meets the charismatic man who owns the tattoo studio next door, and Stede finds himself forced to consider the idea of home."

maybe i love tattoo shop owner ed fics, sue me. i love this stede and i love his embarrassing mistake tattoo.

The Love Experiment by karawrites

65k, mature

a married at first sight (aus) au. i didn't know i needed it until i read it.

Water/line by @the-gentleman-mermaid

60k, teen

"During a raid on a smuggler ship, Ed finds a merman named Stede locked in the hold."

So good that I would actually pay the author real person money to do a similar story but where Ed is the mermaid.

Where the Daylight Begins by @xoxoemynn

116k words, explicit

"Modern day AU slow burn featuring a pining Ed, a clueless Stede, found family, roughly a million animals, and a very magical house."

This one sort of gave me House on the Cerulean Sea vibes; it was so much fun and genuinely necessitates a proper use of the word whimsical.

[fairfowl]

As promised! Izzy-centric fic recs!

These are all gonna be pre S2 (and all Steddyhands because I was obsessed for like a year)

@crabgrave

Starting off strong with

1) Battle of the Boyfriends

This fic makes you laugh before it makes you cry. A steddyhands centric dramady mostly from Izzy's point of view, and I love this Izzy very much.

Isn't he precious? They absolutely hurt his feelings

2) Doldrums

This one is a two part series that starts with Izzy leaving the Revenge as Stede and Ed reunite post S1. He recruits Calico Jack and becomes captain of his own ship while he and Jack have a lot of sex (I actually enjoy Jack in this one lol) Ed and Izzy eventually partially work things out

The second part involves Izzy back on the ship in the beginning stages of steddyhands

I think the real strength of this series is Izzy's interactions with everyone, but especially Stede and Oluwande

3) The Nook is for Talking Shit

This is a Calico Jack hate!fic and I'm here for it. Also steddyhands because I've got a problem

In this fic Stede and Izzy bond offer a mutual enemy, and Izzy teaches Stede how to craft the perfect insult

I like that they laugh together, and I really like it when Stede stands up for Izzy ♡ (I also like that Izzy has a very good reason to hate Jack that involves him having been injured very badly)

4) Navigating By the Light of Your Stars

A delicious sandwich of a trilogy where the bread is BlackHands and Stizzy relationship studies, and the meat is steddyhands smut.

Featuring: GrayAce!Izzy, whump, Stede’s introduction to BDSM, and discussions of mortality ♡

5) A Pirate Triptych

Another steddyhands trilogy!

This is one I've seen on many recommendation lists and it is worth it. These men and their guilt I swear ♡

Post S1 Izzy schemes to get Stede back into Ed's good graces at his own expense.

If you like Izzy whump this is the fic for you

6) More Vivid than Sunsets, Brighter than Stars

On a shorter and sweeter note this little steddyhands bdsm fic explores Izzy running his mouth and Stede and Ed going a little too far in order to punish him. Everyone gets their feelings hurt ♡

Everyone is characterized well here but Ed is kind of the star of the show, he has to mediate this incident and he's hilarious

7) House of Mirrors

This one is pure Izzy whump with steddyhands caretaking. Izzy is sick, Ed spirals, Stede is Exhausted (tm)

I reread this one often

anyway I think this is what I have for now, I might post another list at some point because there are a couple of longfics that are very near and dear to my heart, plus S2 is not gonna stop me from reading new fic. I look forward to seeing more amputee!Izzy

[eefaevie]

Suddenly, the room goes silent as the front door opens. In walks the single most breathtakingly gorgeous man Stede’s ever seen. Everything about the man is striking; he’s dressed provocatively in a well-worn black leather jacket over dark jeans and boots, and his long, silvery hair is piled into a high bun exposing the bronze expanse of his elegant neck. Stede can see the edges of faint black inkwork peeking out from under the cuffs of his jacket and across the top of his chest, and his short-cropped beard emphasizes an absolutely stunning set of cheekbones. And his eyes, god, his eyes; they’re luminous, as vast and dark as the swath of sky held aloft by the telescope on the hill.

art and excerpt from chapter one of Wave Hello to the Void, an ofmd gentlebeard fic written by @mxmollusca and @zacharybosch with some art by me ❤️ check it out on ao3!

[firesprite1105]

This is a PSA to my fellow OFMD fic readers out there. This fic is one of the funniest & most in character things I have ever read and it’s insane to me that it doesn’t even have 1K hits. What if Mary’s book club found Stede’s letters?

[medievill]

good news, monsters: I updated "tell me something I don't know," and I made Ed cry a lot. you're welcome.

[marbledwings]

Fanfic Friday! ✨

Have I been compulsively reading fic instead of dealing with real life? Maybe. While I don't recommend that as a coping mechanism, I DO recommend all of these wonderful stories.

I even remembered to include word count and ratings this time.

Dear Ed (sorry, wrong chat) - @chaotic-neutral-knitter

Words: 3,140, T

The widows find Stede's love letters. All I can say is, poor poor Mary 😭

Yours in Every Way - ClaireGregory

Words: 5,122, M

Another epistolary fic! I love AUs where Stede is a tailor, what a perfect profession for him and him falling in love with a customer through their choice of fine fabrics is very on brand.

Pete & Prejudice - shieldmaidenofmithrilhall

Words: 13,943, T

This fic is so funny and romantic that the examination of how courageous it is to dismantle your own toxic masculinity sneaks in while you're giggling over Lucius's POV (and Ed and Stede being so over-the-top into each other).

A New Season - @amuseoffyre

Words: 128,624, T

Fyre's take on S3 - an incredible, ambitious, triumphant pirate's tale which gives every character (and some new ones!) time to shine. This has been such a fun WIP to follow and it's now finished!

quite a career shift - shipmates/ @stedesparasol

Words: 156,570, E

Booktuber Stede and criminal turned author Ed meet via youtube comments. Deliciously angsty with both Stede and Ed's internal conflict written so well. I devoured this one in record time.

[mermaidinn]

fanfic friday!? ofmd innkeeper era recs part 2:

Hi all! I posted a list of brilliant innkeeper stories back in march, here’s a part 2 with some of my favorites that have come out since then! 💖

innkeeper era recs p1 ~~~ season 2 missing scene fic recs

bread and roses (7k)- oddishly

Lovers of Beauty (4k)- Jodalyn 

Down in the Ol' Gravy Basket (3k)- pirate_captains_captain_pirates

One Last Job (10k)- Shermanic

Talking About Things (2k)- Chocolatepot 

Just a Little Fall of Rain (3k)- pirate_captains_captain_pirates

Swan (3k)- YellowMustard 

like your heart’s a pomegranate (20k)- ingydar

Connecting the Dots (20k)- YellowMustard

read me like a book (10k)- xoxoemynn

bigger than the whole sky (1k)- gentleblahaj

the poor groom's bride is a… (5k)- ingydar

An Uncharted Level of Waves (5k)- Living_City

the taste of marmalade (2K)- ghostalservice (plantainleaf)

Fortunate (4k)- Jellybeanium124

No More Running (2k)- eperonae

gonna build you up, gonna help you believe (8k)- Jodalyn 

Flowers In Your Hair (7k)- Followsthebees

True to Life (28k)- ipomoea_batatas

don’t worry about it, kitten (7k)- Adamarks

Nudist Shark Freak (4k)- the_hitcher_is_my_dad

Still Here in the Morning (5k)- pirate_captains_captain_pirates

Caution: Spider on Board (3k)- YergiiDzov (Yergink)

soft like silk chiffon (12k)- mediocrepirate

[theyoungeragrippina]

15 more gentlebeard fic recs!

that i have lovingly hunter/gathered for you all. may they act as sustenance for u in this drought.

they are all complete, do not feature any ongoing steddyhands, and are above 20k words.

peruse part 1 and part 2 at your leisure if you want to compare our tastes/devour more fine literature, or check out my masterlist as an ao3 collection.

happy reading!

it's what isn't in the name by @tciddaemina

41k, mature

"The first thing they see - apart from Captain Bonnet himself, all silked up and frilly and I sight in his own right - is the cat sitting primly by his ankles."

writing is top quality, the depth of understanding the author has for every character is unmatched. i have never felt so gutted to know a writer hasn't written anything else for ofmd.

clarity by @kat0nline

44k, explicit

"After an accident upends Stede and Ed's fragile new relationship, Ed fights to bring Stede back."

amnesia/memory loss fic done justice. mary continues to be the best and i love her. only note i wrote after i finished was 'screaming crying throwing up i love you author'.

you are at the top of my lungs by @ratchet

55k, explicit

"Ed has a simple life. He has a self-built, off grid, mostly self-sustaining house tucked away in the middle of a forest... the appearance of an incredibly nosy, incredibly handsome stranger three weekends in a row has him questioning every self-imposed rule he's ever set himself."

this is really a story about healing and hope and grief and love. one of my most favourite eds. this author makes me want to change my whole life, and in this case become an off grid chicken owner that grows food and has gay christmas dinners.

seven point three miles, also by @ratchet

20k (technically just under but it gets a pass because everyone should read it rn), teen and up

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

when will this author receive their nobel prize in literature. i want to be a fire lookout now. i also want to scream and cry and maybe stare at the ceiling for five hours to process this fic. there is a reason everyone loves this fic.

fine dining by wishingonalightningbolt and sugarybowl

37k, explicit

"Edward Teach is one of the most famous chefs in the world, working under the handle Chef Blackbeard. Not one to be tied down, he does random pop-ups in all types of kitchens, and for the absurdly wealthy, he caters special events. Stede Bonnet wants to throw the best engagement party ever for his ex-wife and best friend, Mary. His assistant recommends the extravagant work of Chef Blackbeard."

my notes just say: 'ed is a chef and stede is a cute guy and they are cute together' and i think that is a pretty good summary tbh.

Old Bae Season by nomadsland

57k, explicit

"Ed picks Stede up at a bar for what ought to be a one-night stand, but it turns out they're attending the same academic conference the next day."

they are scientists and stede experiences self discovery. crab door knockers as a symbol of love. i love this fic because it made me smile so much (and want to get my life together, weirdly).

Vitalis by jfc_anna

29k, explicit

"Crown Prince Stede Bonnet. Reserved, anxious, and newly arranged to be married. A child is expected. Though, with the Prince’s lack of experience, is also highly unlikely. There are murmurs of an educator of sorts amongst the nobility, with raven hair and eyes like fire, who has been the cure of impotence and disagreeable attitudes. He has been called many names, whispered behind hands or between cracks in doors. Siren. Kraken. Devourer of Love."

short and sweet and so different from most other things i've read in this fandom. lots of flirting and pining and copious amounts of seduction.

all that might happen is here somehow by @sungmee

27k, teen

"Stede gets caught in a time loop at the moment where Badminton tries to shoot him."

i put off reading this because i thought i wasn't super keen on time loop fics. i was wrong. this is charming, and a little bit heartbreaking, and VERY well written, and i loved every word. don't make my mistakes. read this rn.

turn on the light by smallestchurch

55k, explicit

"Lighthouse Bookshop had been there seemingly since time immemorial. Over forty years at that spot, sitting proud, a beacon at the heart of the community, and when the old owner decides to sell, it's the perfect vessel for Stede's odd restlessness. And the building is connected to a famous cocktail bar run by a mad genius behind the stick."

smiling through my tears rn. i was so absorbed that the end of the fic came up on me like a jumpscare. stede and ed continue to be posterboys for maladaptive coping mechanisms. books & cocktails & outrageous flirting.

our tesco means death by @stedesparasol

21k, general

"Determined to prove he can earn a living without his family's wealth, Stede applies for a job at the UK's biggest retailer (probably). Hmm, I wonder who his supervisor will be... surely not a handsome bearded man sick of the retail grind until Stede joins his workplace and makes things interesting..."

so unserious and so funny. fuckin' brilliant. made me genuinely laugh out loud so much that my dad asked if i was okay.

Queen Anne’s Renovations and Remodelling by bythedamned

32k, mature

"Ed didn't know why Stede’s house had a room sealed off. Two decades gone, filled with the creation and destruction of things they'd never shared with each other, and Ed no longer had reading privileges to the Book of Stede. So he's left to wonder - what's in the room? Why is the door plastered over? And why does Ed remember kissing Stede on a make-believe ship they’d invented as kids?"

thank u sm to @okayestokapi for the rec!! i love the sort of magical-mystery vibe this carries the whole way through & the conclusion was so charming and clever. heaps of fun.

help me to find peace (tell me you're okay) by @percyjacksonfan3

38k, general

"Stede and the crew come to find Ed and make things right. Turns out Ed is doing the same".

i am simply a sucker for a good post s1 reunion fic, and this is up there with the best. it flows really well, the characterisation is so good, and it felt like such a natural continuation of the s1 story and character arcs!!

Invisible String by @dimplyowl

48k, mature

"Scourge of the Caribbean" has been Stede's favorite book series since he was 12 years old. Now, age 47, divorced, and an aspiring author, he turns back to the series to draw inspiration from the familiar story. But as he starts reading, he realizes that something is different. Blackbeard, the main character, is apathetic and depressed, and the story has changed. Even stranger still, Stede seems to be the only one aware that this change has occurred."

more magic realism!!!!! this is so much fun and such a clever idea (plus such clever execution)! lots of flirting and stede being flustered and cute dates.

The Lion, the Witch and the Auxiliary Wardrobe by @xoxoemynn

21k, explicit

"Edward "Blackbeard" Teach's foolproof strategy to get over devastating heartbreak: 1) bring a witch aboard the ship 2) get trapped in an auxiliary wardrobe with the man who broke your heart 3) well, you'll have to read to find out."

in this house we read everything em writes because it is all brilliant and hilarious, and this is no different. its silly and fun and still tender and sweet, and ed & stede get to be just as embarrassing as they deserve (also there is a currently updating work by the same author u should look at too - take it as an unofficial rec).

Due North by surprise pink (+ gorgeously illustrated by @sungmee who appeared earlier on this list!!!!!!)

28k, mature

"Burnt out from his corporate job and his miserable marriage, Stede takes a seaside vacation where he meets Ed, an artist who takes inspiration from strange dreams that feel like memories. A museum exhibit about Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate brings them together, but it doesn't feel like the first time they've met."

had me googling 'pirate museums near me???' urgently at 1am. romeo & juliet meeting through a fishtank/starcrossed lovers vibes. absolute oodles of pining. a joy of a time to read.