#omg frenchie's still on the revenge

[stupidstedebonnet]

there's a lot of things i love about gentlebeard. but i think what i love the most is how they're completely and unapologetically themselves, right from the get go. one of the first things stede does, after knowing ed all of five minutes, is invite him into a space that he's very proud of and excited about. and what does ed do? he immediately takes interest in it, validating the joy stede was feeling. similarly, ed never has to put up any walls when he's around stede. he's vulnerable with him; he tells him about his father, which i doubt he's told many people, he opens up about trauma and he cries. he's not worried about his reputation as 'blackbeard' around stede, because he knows he doesn't have to be. and this, THIS is what makes them so special in my eyes. they fell in love with each other, flaws, odd habits and all. they fell in love with the true versions of the other. ed fell in love with ALL of stede and stede fell in love with ALL of ed. it's a whole, beautiful, captivating kind of love, which is why it hurt ed all the more when he was abandoned.

[t0ast-ghost]

Season four of the boys is hitting my brain like a crowbar so I’ve got a couple more thoughts about the new episode

There’s gonna be spoilers for the episode, a bit of talk about the comics, and some only slightly bloody images, so be wary, be warned!

These are my thoughts during the first watch:

- When Butcher hit his head I actively gasped. My poor babygirl.

- I do like how they’ve made Becca meaner but essentially still her

- Frenchie. Break up with him.

- I’m glad Annie has more plot and scenes this season. I’m also glad that Firecracker is actually fucking with her. Their foundation is messy but the actual rivalry is coming together quite nicely

- “I had nightmares about that exact moment, and you can’t even remember it. It’s funny, isn’t it, how people can have such different memory of the exact same thing.” Oh my god this is such a good line. Like obviously not to the extremes of Homelander but kids can and will retain things that their parents won’t even remember. They make some parts of his character easy to understand because you can see that his actions are always impulsive and unhealthy and created by the ways he was raised and the environment he’s been surrounded by

- Okay that death was so so well done. It’s so emotional for Homelander because he’s seeing how people aren’t honest or caring until he’s threatening them. I can’t even try and decipher the “I forgive you” line because it’s so full of apathy

- Hughie and Kimiko teaming up is so special to me. I need more of them.

- HUGHIE GETTING V FOR HIS DAD??? CONFRONTING A TRAIN??? Discuss??? (There’s more thoughts later)

- Hughie saying that him and A-Train would be “good” if A-Train got the v for him is so heavy. It felt like Hughie trading Robin’s life for his dads. Or for his future? Like in order to move on he has to let go of Robin and that feels so awful

- I wanna state how easily and quickly they made me uncomfortable with Firecracker and The Deep singing. How is that so unreasonably uncomfortable?

- So uh. Yeah I’m not sure I wanna touch that scene…

- THEY PUT HUGHIE IN A SCREAM CHASE SCENE

- I literally screamed when Hughie killed him omg. This is what I’m here for omg omg my babygirl

(Here’s a behind the scenes stunt video on insta)

- Tala is so fair for that but when is she gonna become apart of the boys family?

- I think Annie is going to blow up. Like I think she will do something really bad.

- YEA BEAT HER UP ANNIE… okay maybe not the best decision but…

- WHAT THE FUCK

- Fun fact Homelander’s birth that Barbara describes is how Becca dies in the comics

- UM UM UM UM UM so uhhhhhh I suspected that Sage needed to give herself lobotomies for that reason (wish I said smt goddamnit) but I was not ready for a scene depicting a lobotomy that also implied it was like sex to her?

- Kimiko and Annie hug <333

- Hughie forgave him… now kiss

- “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hating anybody” YESS that’s what this is about!!! How fucking contrasting Hughie and Butchers views are on the subject of revenge and superheroes. Their situations are so very different from the comics and I like that both of them are (somewhat) healing. Hughie’s forgiven A-Train and Butcher is just trying to get Ryan safe. It’s less about killing for both of them in the show which I love

- I paused to write that before the “there’s enough here to save you too” OH MY GOD NO. No no. Nonononono. No.

- Hughie’s face when getting coffee? Mwah! Give him little kiss

- HIS MOM. KNOWS. ABOUT. V!!?? I mean. They couldn’t kill off Simon Pegg. He’s Simon Pegg! Just kidding I totally thought he was going to die. I wonder if they’ll give him the same kind of quandary Hughie originally got in the comics when Butcher forcefully injected him with V

- Perfect ending for Homelander’s visit home.

Interlude:

So I haven’t started the rewatch yet but two things about some characters of the last three episodes that actually didn’t make an appearance in this one.

First off I don’t think I mentioned this in my last post but I really like what they’ve done with Noir. It’s an interesting and corporate way to bring back the character that makes a lot of sense in universe

Secondly there’s a theory I wanted to bring to people’s attention. This video on instagram has the theory that Kessler is like Becca and isn’t actually real. Which I think is really neat. I’ll take it either way but it would make a lot of sense if he wasn’t since he seems to hold a lot of negative traits that Butcher used to have and is trying to grow from

Okay I lied, third thing cause it just got brought to my attention again; everyone who is making fun of Laz Alonso shut the fuck up. Thank you. I won’t be taking criticism on this.

Onto the rewatch:

- The first shot is of different variations of Homelander’s costume. Pretty cool!

- Second shot has two pictures of Frank and Martin working in the lab with Frank’s picture framed by a newspaper thats article makes no sense but has a lot of key words and phrases (could just be gibberish idk) the title on a separate article from the same newspaper can be read as “Drama class wins award” other than that there’s also some kind of document that’s the same kind of gibberish but it caught my eye cause it says “-orthward gay” … not sure what this means…

Camera then pans down to reveal a memo and news clipping. The memo is from Barbara to the staff and talks about how anyone who breaks the confidentiality of Project Odessa will be terminated and prosecuted. The news clipping is more gibberish with the heading “Nervous system mystery revealed” by Greg Gilmore (by gibberish I mean the first couple sentences are “Had men rose from down lady able. Its son him ferrars proceed six parlors.” And then continues on like that)

- I actually love the horror movie situation they find themselves in. It’s a creepy basement lab. The security cams go out. Communication to the outside world has been cut off. Then the devil arrives in the elevator. It’s done so well, things are set up perfectly. There’s even a sign that says “All activities monitored by video camera” and a box with the words “fire safety plan” (could be foreshadowing or I’m just connecting non existent dots)

- The picture of young Homelander with the scientists. It’s so horribly terrible and amazing

- Fudgie the whale is their last meal :(

- titties ahem I didn’t really pay any attention to the shower scene last time. That’s a terrible shower head in my opinion, I don’t like the way it sprays water- OH WAIT THE WIRM IS IN HIS SPINE????? He’s also got a bullet wound in his back. He’s also got a lot of nice freckles on his back. Oh the way Becca sits on the edge and offers her hand and he reaches to take it but grasps the edge of the bathtub instead

- Hughie’s mom seems so fucking casual in the scene where they’re deciding whether to pull his dad’s feeding tubes. She’s too relaxed and almost smiling? At least with her eyes. A lot.

- OH YEAH Gen V mentioned!

- ANNIE I LOVE YOU!!! Look at her face after she burned the president!

- Seriously though such a good Annie moment. She’s so confident with this and marches into the presidents’ office with a plan but by the end of this it’s all backfired and taken away from her. It shows just how fucking much Firecracker ends up affecting her

- I’m not going to be nit picky and go on about how Colin should’ve noticed Frenchie’s ankle because obviously he’d be checking and Frenchie wouldn’t’ve known to hide it before. But I am going to say that’s a Count Olaf ass ankle shot.

- Oh I love how it seems like almost a sweet moment between Sage and Firecracker when she says “we gotta look out for each other” but now you know Sage fully intends for Firecracker to get beat up by Starlight

- I was trying to figure out why Sage got the Deep to do her lobotomy. It’s not that Sage trusts the Deep or even likes him but I think it really is just kind of transactional for her. Like she knows what he wants and what will keep him happy, he’s the only one she’s really made a connection with other than Homelander and Firecracker, and he is not likely to want anything else from her or blab about it. Somehow he is logically the best one to do it?

- It’s great how much Annie really really doesn’t want Butcher there. And neither does Frenchie. Or M. M. Damn, my babygirl has pissed off a lot of people

- Homelander’s theme is so so good. The lone violin does something to my brain. It highlights his isolation and intimidation and fear so nicely.

- I do not know how some people didn’t know Frenchie was queer? I thought it was actually very obvious that in cannon he is bi/pan and polyamorous. Maybe that was just me…

- Just realized how this episode we have both Hughie and Homelander forgiving people. Dots connected! 😃👍 (I’m not dissecting this right now, what do you think I’m an English major?)

- I love all the Hughie and A-Train moments. There’s so much history between them and it’s so present in those moments so it’s interesting to see them have to let it go to help each other because I think they both realize that they’re both fucked up people who are trying to be good and they ultimately relate to each other in a way I don’t think either of them realizes

- Kimiko telling Hughie to let his dad die, to not use the V, is so so strangely powerful coming from her. She understands what it’s like to have V forced upon you, and to be saved by it time and time again. And although she’s now choosing it, she sees how Hughie’s dad probably won’t end up like her and will find it to be a curse

- Hughie tripping is such a loser move (lovingly) like I thought he got shot in the leg or smt but no he just trips. Like the little fail boy he is.

- I love Kimiko showing Hughie how to fight someone and protect himself and then later helping him walk away (it’s a little funny just because Jack Quaid is really fucking tall). She also gives him the motivation of ‘it’s not just about your survival, it’s about your dads as well’ she wants him getting through this and I cannot handle when the boys show care to each other especially when it’s Hughie and Kimiko

- Homelander’s need to be loved is really really really well set up in previous seasons. It’s the only thing that could control him and he doesn’t know it’s even happening for most of his life because he doesn’t know how to ask for it. The environment he grew up in wouldn’t teach him that and the environment he’s put in pushes away and punishes emotion and care. He started off wanting a family from work because it’s similar enough to the lab but no one there has hurt him yet or appears afraid of him. But as he realizes he can’t gain their care, that he can’t make a family, he leans on the fact he can take most of what he wants. But not love. Not true care.

I think eventually he begins to think there’s something wrong with him, but rather than facing that idea (the idea that he’s unlovable) he pushes harder on the idea he is perfect. He is better. Furthering his decent and pushing everyone even further away.

- Butcher and M.M’s ‘time to fill the audience in’ lines caused me to look up what an enema is. And then left the rest to my imagination. First, fuck you! Second that’s a very good device to use because sometimes not showing and leaving it to the audiences imaginations is the most horrifying (it’s their own private horror show)

- I’m looking at the scene where A-Train and Ashley catch each other and I have a feeling it’s going to play out as either Ashley betrays A-Train to win Homelander’s favour, A-Train betrays Ashley, or they betray each other. I’m fairly certain Sage knows A-Train is switching sides so I wonder if she’ll have a plan for when he gets caught.

I also have a feeling that by the end of this season A-Train is either going to die in some horrible way (maybe by Hughie, maybe Homelander, maybe Butcher even) or he’s going to betray the Boys.

If A-Train does die (pls please do not kill him please) I’m wondering how they’ll do it because his death in the comics wouldn’t make sense here and I feel like SuperSonic’s death was already an homage to that

- I wonder if Ashley’s floater will have any consequences. Like they took the time to set it up. Will Homelander comment on it later?

- The way he says “you called me squirt silly” is so so aughhh. This is probably another moment that Homelander remembers that seems so inconsequential to Marty. He was watched and humiliated all of his childhood and then he gets this one thing to himself and when someone discovers it they laugh, adding so much more humiliation. Anyway I’m um skipping the rest of this scene until Barbara shows up.

- Can we take a second to appreciate how fucking well Nancy Lenehan plays the character of Barbara. There is still so much fear to her character but there is no bullshit, there’s a lot of control in a situation where so little is available. She’s cold while still giving a kind of stern mothering vibe. She explains the situation, all the gory details as facts. Starting with “put him out of his misery” to “they were scared”, you could have left, and you were killing from the moment you were born. She knows begging will get her nowhere but she’s still very very afraid.

- Babygirl moment I will never get over. He fought for his life, he kicked and shoved and he won. How this man is alive is a mystery to me but I’m so glad :)

- Tala finally got to say what she wanted to Kimiko but the look on her face as Kimiko leaves is so.. unsatisfied. It’s not over between them, and maybe it hurts that Tala now sees her being kind and caring because that’s not what she got when she first met Kimiko. Maybe she still wants to get that ice cream. Probably not. Just theorizing about her character. Lemme know what you think

- The worm looks like it’s struggling. Maybe Butcher’s life is connected to its life?

- This episode is kind of like one gory scene to the next. You get Hughie and Kimiko killing, then Annie beating the shit out of Firecracker, then Butcher blowing up Ezekiel, and then you’re back to Homelander’s whole fucking slaughter, then it’s Colin beating up Frenchie, THEN it’s a LOBOTOMY, then it’s a nice little hug awwwe

- Barbara’s monologue. I can’t even touch on that. It’s too much for my brain but I’ve been seeing a lot of good posts about it.

- My heart is full after the Hughie and Annie scene. It is so full of love. Fuck OFF Dakota Bob.

- Hughie and A-Train sittin’ in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-

- “You fucking dog wanker” actually Butcher its dog welder and I wouldn’t compare anyone, let alone Hughie, to him

- Hughie getting told by Butcher not to cure his dad is also really fucking sad. Karl Urban don’t kill Simon Pegg! Instead join the USS Enterprise-

- Daphne tries to get close to Hughie and he rejects her cause he doesn’t feel comfortable crying in front of his mom. Hughie stop being relatable.

- He’s really cute when he smiles. I get it. But he’s also committed atrocities. You cannot fix him. (Which man am I talking about? You’ll never know…)

Here’s a link to the first one because if you got this far I guess you enjoy me talking about this

I’ll probably continue talking about this so if there’s more you will find a link to the post here

[ofmdsalt]

i do think it’s funny that the gentlebeardies who proclaim their love for the revenge crew don’t actually talk that much about or create content for the revenge crew. they don’t give a shit about the “boatful of queer poc that Izzy sold out” (LMFAO) unless they can use the crew’s diversity as some kind of moral gotcha. they care about GB because that’s the only thing that matters about the show in their eyes. and it’s so fucking unoriginal!!! just endless regurgitated post about “omg they’re soooo in love~~ and isn’t it great that love conquered all their problems~~!” it’s unoriginal derivative dreck unless they have to invent new ways to lie about how izzy deserves the death penalty.

oh anon you get me

you have no idea how much i hate the diversity of the crew being used as a literal weapon in this fandom when it comes to demonizing izzy and washing Ed and Stede of any of their wrong doings.

im frustrated by the use of the crew in season 2 only because it was so painfully obvious to me that the budget cuts really affected the ensemble. the way the Swede and Buttons were written out of the show felt rushed and like it came out of nowhere, especially as those two characters, felt the 'least' developed out of the rest of them. so giving them both this long winded set up to be written out was too clunky for me.

i miss when Frenchie was singing and strumming along on his lute. i miss when Jim was Jim, because lbr that was Vico in s2. it just felt like Jim wasn't there anymore. i can't say what happened in the writer's room at that time or what sort of material Vico was given or if it skewed more to improve, but a lot of what was established for the characters in s1 was missing for me.

the rhetoric of this being the Ed&Stede show i think did more harm than good. the assertion that the other characters are only here in service of Ed and Stede's development reduces the sense of scale and scope and also agency these characters have.

a lot of the foundational aspects of GB as a ship i think falls a bit too much into fan service. people talk about how revolutionary and groundbreaking the ship is as a cis gay couple on screen. as if it hasn't been seen before. like i didn't get the wow moment of Stede in the mermaid costume as other fans did. Stede's dream at the beginning of season 2 with him killing Izzy and then colliding with Ed in this romantic gesture of love and passion on the beach is straight up fantasy for Stede, but i think fans took the idea of Stede literally killing Izzy a bit too seriously because that is Stede's fantasy. he wanted his reunion with Ed to be simple and understandable. that it was all Izzy's fault when the reality of the situation was so much messier and complicated. like David and the writers were literally telling us that Izzy is not the enemy here because this moment on the beach was pure fantasy. and fantasies can be dangerous

and then the fans said that Izzy deserved it, should have had his second leg shot and amputated, that he deserved to die, that he's still a nuisance even in death despite the fact that he's dead. that is both a master manipulator but also a cringe fail loser incapable of doing anything right. and it's like. okay. you don't seem to understand this character either.

like a lot of the problems in this fandom have existed before and will continue to exist in other iterations. every fandom has its ship wars. every fandom has long ass call out posts about characters they don't like. but let's not pretend this is anything revolutionary

what i've noticed is that this fandom will reach a burnout period and it's probably already upon us. the constant need to be like 'we're trending!!' when all algorithms are dog shit and glitchy as hell doesn't mean anything. plus the fact that there are only two seasons, less BTS content to go around, it's all coming from the same overdrawn well and eventually it will come up empty.

it's okay to step back. it's okay to leave a fandom for a bit and come back to it years down the road. it's okay. but all of this is exhausting

[asoulwithadream]

EXCLUSIVE FALL PREVIEWS

Mates. LADS. BRETHEREN.

I think I'm going to die now. AAAAAAAAAAAAH—

BUT OF COURSE WHAT WOULD BE THE SENSE OF MY EXISTENCE IF I DIDN'T SHARE MY OWN PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON THESE BEAUTIFUL THINGS BEFORE THE MEDICINE KICKS IN.

The Crew — I think this is where they see LUCIUS!!!! I'm so very convinced this is where they meet Lucius. As we can see, they're all in the same clothing as the Vanity Fair first looks, where Black Pete is visibly overjoyed. But can't you see that he is missing from this shot? Probably snogging Lucius' face off or hugging him or doing something as such.

Lucius probably popped around the corner in the Vanity Fair one, and now they're sharing an intimate moment (keeping it PG) on deck while the rest of the happy crew watches on (as visible from Roach's, Oluwande's, and Wee John's faces). Of course, Buttons has no interest in human adoration, and instead looks on towards his own lover, the sea.

Stede is looking quite perplexed, or maybe contemplatively—perhaps as a result of Lucius telling Stede what happened to him. He doesn't look directly all that happy, does he?

(OMG OMG OMG WHY DO THEY ALL LOOK SO HAPPY EXCEPT STEDE BUT OLU YOU DEAREST MAN AND THEY'RE LOOKING SNAZZY AND I LOVE THEIR SOCKS I'M AHHAHASIJDHKAE)

Stede — That's the floor of the Revenge guys. I know it well since the last time Stede was pushed onto it. (Solidarity for the harm that the foot touch caused in these trying times) He is wearing what looks to be ye olde fencing gloves, and this means that was just handling a sword. (Though, he could have been using the cannons; we all know Stede would probably confuse fencing gloves for heavy artillery)

There are a few scenarios I can find at the top of my head: he's either training with Izzy (though would that explain his terrified expression? maybe)—we also see the lack of the red ribbon, which I think he removed when he teams up with Izzy, for whatever reason—or he's been duelling with someone else, someone who is extremely better at swordsmanship, someone we know to have been excellent at both maiming and receiving stab wounds. Has he been fighting with Edward?

I think it's the former, but who knows? The best part of theorising is being wrong, after all. I guess we can just gang up and say "calm down mr wavey blade" to whoever is behind this. Plus, do I see traced of some fuzz on his chin? Confirmed baby steard, guys???

(He's such an ICON I WANT TO BREATHE HIS HAIR AND SEE IT BEHIND MY EYELIDS. In the wise words of Rhys Darby, "I wish I had his hair". BUT LIKE HONESTLY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE HE'S SEEN A GHOST)

Frenchie and Ed — This has me on actual alarm bells mode. I can't tell whether or not this is Blackbeard or post-Blackbeard era—he's not wearing any dark chunky make-up, and has his hair up in his classic, beautiful half-up half-down, and we finally get a more close-up and clear shot of his earring, which we first spotted from the Vanity Fair first looks?

A detail I spotted for Frenchie's new goth uniform, which he is still wearing in this shot (further confusing me on the timeline of this image)—I think that his jacket is the very same from the "The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well" episode, which is so incredibly sweet and a beautiful little detail to connect back to season 1. I'd like to think he customised it himself, since we know Frenchie can "sew like the wind."

That's also still the Revenge, in fact the very spot where Lucius was about to get his finger cut off in "The Art of F**kery". But what intent Ed has with this confrontation with Frenchie, who seemingly looks like perhaps he wasn't even doing anything wrong, escapes the depth of my theoretical mind. What contributes even less to this is that Ed is smiling? Rather maniacal, might I add.

(WHAT. THE. FUCK. help me why is this happening. I LIKE AM SO ANGRY AND SO HAPPY AT THE SAME TIME THAT I CAN'T FIGURE ANYTHING OUT FROM THIS PICTURE. NOT EVEN WHAT STAGE OF GRIEF ED IS IN. HELP ME)

Edward — That chair looks like it's from Stede's room, from one of the desk-like tables in the corner next to his bed, and perhaps even the only chair which Ed kept in the room after his rather ill-tasted renovations. What's he doing there without his make-up on? Perhaps this is still during the early stages of new Blackbeard, and he's just in the transit period between washing and re-application.

BUT, if we look at the background, does that look like the Revenge? Not really... There is what seems like a fireplace or some sort of stone plate in the background, with a painting on it with a man on the left side of the composition, who seemingly looks to have lighter coloured hair. So what I may be thinking, is that Edward is visiting MARY ALLAMBY! The painting in the background may be the one from Stede and Mary's wedding, and Mary might have kept it as memorabilia in ode of her now good friend. (Stede is on the left in that painting). Plus, where else would Stede get his furniture and taste for his bedroom than his own former house, which Mary currently lives at?

Even though I think David Jenkins said that Mary wouldn't be present in the season, do I believe him? No. I think I have the right for me to be delusional without external interference at this point.

(Please let me be right please let me be right I NEED A MARY / ED INTERACTION AT SOME POINT TO HEAL MY HEART. I need Mary to realise that fucking Blackbeard is the Ed that Stede was talking about, I NEED ED TO THINK THAT STEDE DIED, FOR EVEN A MOMENT. I think my brain has stopped receiving oxygen.)

Send hopes and prayers

[kosegruppaa]

revisiting my pre ep6-8 wishlist, after the finale dust has settled

real i love you's that are going to be so cute and healing and will make me cry -> didn't make me cry but omg i love it so much the way ed can barley keep the words in

more jim and olu (and archie and maybe zheng i guess?). i miss them being more significant characters. -> check for zheng, my darling!! jim and olu .. not really, but i'm happy we got what we got at least.

if they are in a poly relationship (i def see it that way, to be clear) it would be cool to actually have that confirmed, yes? -> well. i am choosing to ignore word of god and just focus on the dancing in ep6.

also first mate oluwande boodhari! i want that!! -> no. but i didn't even know to wish for captain frenchie and we got that! i am choosing to believe oluwande actually doesn't want it.

killing british navy soldiers. really kicking their ass -> oh they really delivered on this!! they kicked their asses both violently and comically and really said killing british navy soliders doesn't even count as murder actually.

some more stede focus outside of the stede and ed as a relationship. idk i feel like he does a lot but also not. not like main character focus. which is a shame, cause he is? -> i would have taken two more episodes of it but also his journey from first kill to infamy and overconfidence to cringefail loser was great

however: so much ed and stede. give me all of it i will gobble it up, nomnom -> i did infact gobble it up <3

them talking more about their relationship, probably through plot but like. they are soulmates, have a unique connection etc etc. but also they are on kinda opposite life trajectories. i wanna see that explored a little. -> check. it was however a more minor issue in reality, than it was in my and ed's head.

stede and ed sex scene (or like implied + aftermath). can't tell if i want it to be funny or not. -> check. glad it wasn't funny! still hurts me that ed described it as a mistake.

more fancy outfits for stede. i miss them so much. he looks good this season but also let him wear fancy stuff without it being cursed. -> well. half a point for the british navy outfit i guess.

things kicking into gear for an epic finale. right now i have no idea what that's going to be (other than knowing there is one due to bts stuff). i get that the relationship is the show but also c'mon!!! build the tension!! -> check!

for the inevitable ed and izzy conversation to not piss me off. idk what exactly that means i just know it has the potenital to lol -> it didn't - and in fact when all was said and done in 2x08 i loved it.

for ed and stede (and everyone really) not to be separated in the finale. or at least not by choice. -> they weren't and i am so grateful!!! it's sad that they were separated from the revenge, but also i think it’s the right choice for the characters and the story right now

[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

[triflesandparsnips]

ET FINALE:

Transcribed:

....Izzy's bitchy "I'm going to destroy you with like five words the second you stop talking" face is. fantastic.

(.....ugh, now that there's been a Parallel though, now I'm worried about Izzy's fate)

(though not permanently. not for the author's Special Beat 'Em Up Boy)

though hey this show is actually one where you can see the body and it doesn't matter! still might not be dead!

eat your heart out, X-Files

"You're not a pirate, lad"

FIVE WORDS LOL

CALLED IT

lad

He's elaborating, but I stand by my nonsense, hooray

"because... we're good." WAIT HAS IZZY LEARNED THE POWER OF STORIES

"And you... are a rancid syphilitic cunt."

Thank you Con O'Neill for your service

wait, time for another pic, this is beautiful

Figure 2. Not sure how to end your heartfelt speech about the power of love and the stories you choose? Try this one easy phrase

[phone picture of Izzy looking heartfelt and teary-eyed as the closed captioning reads "are a rancid, syphilitic cunt"]

now let's see where we are in the timeline here, I'm betting this is getting a bit too close to the middle of the last third

oh no, the BEGINNING of the last third OH NO the last high point

Avast you scoundrels omg Stede can you never enter Jackie's normally

LOL POISONING

BYE BOYS

"is that us doing that" lol

EVERYBODY IS POISON-TRAINED

"yeah baby"

Jackie takes the best care of her husbands

"good job. I am proud of you" AWWWW

(That's why she was so pissed at Jim, I bet. Jackie has a reputation of care)

ALBUM COVER SHOT

"It's only suicide if we die"

STEDE

..........

oh my god

hot

also hot with the kissing

oh shit this music is GREAT

LOVE all our actors of color also "in disguise" as British soldiers, no fucks given

ahhhhh hello, Izzy who is shot

"I'm fine, fuck off" baby

"Izzy you okay" so good tho

HE WENT BACK TO HELP

FRENCHIE DID TOO

oooo, that's some GOOD death makeup

wait omg is THIS how we get the kiss

You're my only family

awwww Stede's crying

awwww dead blorbo

.....okay so yeah, they buried him POSSIBLY that means he's dead for real

UNLESS we get season 3 zombies

"He was a good one. Intense. Very intense."

awwwww THE MARRIAGE

ED LOOKING AT STEDE

............you know what, I actually think it's actually hilarious that season 3 is---- WAIT HEY BOYS

INNKEEPERS

omg I love them and their shithole inn

THEY'RE LIVING WITH DEAD IZZY

SEAGULL

HI BUTTONS

Buttons who is magic

...........AS I WAS SAYING... you know... if I was a writer who wanted to be kind of a bitch about people hating on my blorbo... I too would manage to have an entire final season somehow fucking revolve around him anyway

Stede and Ed with his grave, the Revenge out to get the motherfucker who killed him-- IT'S ALL THERE

and the sea witch who now knows where the body lies

............lol

HEY FOLKS GUESS WHO FINALLY WATCHED THE FINALE

it's time again for "is it really a good idea to post your uncensored thoughts hahaha just kidding FUCI IT WE BALL" screenshots of my episode livetexting.

Transcribed:

okay so I'm in the AD now

I like the "gong" sounds during the "last time"

then BOOM

also ugh I gotta rewatch the prev episodes on the BIG screen, there's so much happening

oh baby omg the sweet music omggggg

FISH

omg so much NATURE he HATED nature in his previous vibes

awwwww his monologue is PRECIOUS

FISHSCALES that's what FAKE PEARLS are made out of

whoooo the fuck are these PEOPLE

ommmmg lololol

"SIMPLE LIVES" "SIMPLE WAYS"

LOL PUNCH OMG

"I said I CAUGHT a fish ONCE" omgggggggggg

you PRECIOUS BABYGIRL

...........................okay hey omg tryin to be a housewife Ed, ilu

"If you were EVER GOOD AT ANYTHING go and do THAT you bum" -- "YOU GUYS ARE DICKS"

I love him so much

.............oh DANG the republic

wait-- pausing

Ricky is REVERSE STEDE here-- he's "become a real boy" with the praise of his superiors-- except he's the MONSTER Pinocchio from Jim's story

...okay unpausing

"NEVER BE SLAVES" o i see

some CHOICES are being MADE here

YEAH THEY ARE

OH WAIT

PAUSING AGAIN

NO BUT REALLY

HE'S THE REVERSE PINOCCHIO

HE DOESN'T HAVE A NOSE

..........while i die about that a little i'll unpause

"THE MAN I AM TODAY"

You are going to be insufferable about this, I can tell~

YES I AM

WOOOO

awwwwwww oh no, oh no, Auntie

"Did you? Well, don't want to split hairs" STEDE U DICK

awwwwwww he's saying the failure line to ZYS!

STEDE IS WEIRD ABOUT TOUCH

OH MY

FUCKING

GOD

HE SAID IT

HE ACTUALLY SAID TI

HE SAID IT WAS WEIRD

YOU WANNA TALK INSUFFERABLE YOU HAVE NOT EVEN BEGUN TO EXPERIENCE THE AGONY OF MY TOTAL ANNIHILATING RIGHTNESS

I SAID WHAT I FUCKING SAID

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING CHRIST

.........................so anyway, about those curtains

they sure look great

I should climb them

see what the world looks like from up there

..............................................................I'm going to rewind and watch myself be SO GODDAMN RIGHT all over again

"IT WAS WEIRD"

HELL YEAH

omg he jumped on them!

"oh no!"

....pausing just to say, the closeup of his hand against the stone bridge was. unnecessarily.

good.

....for reasons.

whoops I accidentally rewound to him BEING WEIRD ABOUT TOUCH AGAIN

lololol

I fucking love that he jumped on them, such a delight

I'm checking to see if there's a closeup of his ring on that. very good. um. hand. pressed against the--- YEAH THERE IS

"or is it?"

"that went as well as I planned it" BABE

"to skin a prince" she says as she fixes her hair

[llendrinall]

Literacy in OFMD

One of the things I like most about OFMD is how they manage to discuss the ugliness of inequalities and class relations while still being a comedy. Episode 5 opened the windows of my house to let in clean air and light. There is a lot to play with and analyze in the show: race relations, gender relations… and education, specifically literacy.

 So who reads and writes in OFMD?

At The Revenge, Lucius states that only Stede and him can read and write. This is confirmed when the crew postpones the mutiny because no one else can read the stories. They are all illiterate… but not to the same degree.

No, I don’t mean Jim. Actually, I posit hat Jim doesn’t write, only Boni does. I will elaborate later.

More interestingly, Frenchie doesn’t read or write but he fakes writing twice (the journal, the pyramid receipts). I theorize that he has some basic literacy skills. He might not be able to read words, but he can tell from context cues what a document should say even if he can’t read the message. i.e.: this is an invitation, this is road sign, this is a notice, this is likely a wanted poster, etc.

At Queen Anne’s Revenge (the canonical name of Blackbeard’s ship, not stated in the show, omg) there is no definite information one way or the other. Nothing about Ivan and Fang. Izzy is seen holding books, but he focuses on the pictures. Later he tears one off and shows it to Ed, rather than read a description of the fearsome Blackbeard. Mmh...

In episode 9, in a terribly vulnerable moment Blackbeard signs his name with an X (and Stede notices!). He also recognizes that the tricky information is on the small font, “that’s how they get you” he says. This is a devastating line. It shows that Blackbeard knows how written documents can and have been used to take advantage of people. It tells a lot about his background. That’s how they get you, by writing things you cannot read.

At The Republic of Pirates there are wanted posters for Bonifacia Jimenez which points at the idea that some people must be able to read them. Later we learn it was a taunt for Boni, so it’s possible that Spanish’s Jackie expectations of a reading public were small. But, in any case, this points that someone out there can write and had access to a printing press. There are some small signs here and there pointing at shops. This location works as a hinge between the ships, where the majority is illiterate, and…

The society at Barbados where we see newspapers, books and leaflets all around. This is a society where the expectation is that everybody is literate and that important information is passed in written form.  

Finally, the imperial ships be they British, Spanish or French, function as an extension of the land and thus put a lot of stock into writing.

 Why is writing important?

Because verba volant scripta manent. That is, the spoken word is made of air and carried just as easily, but the written word stays. Even now, today, we put a lot of symbolic power in the act of writing. We still use weird scribbles as proof of identity even though they are ridiculously easy to forge because the action of writing one’s name is a ceremony on itself. Writing is a promise of permanence.

The difference between speech and writing is underlined in the scene in which we are told about the Act of Grace. King George speaks and his word is law. I, the king, hereby promise and declare… his speech is unnatural and careful but then he stops, amends, changes his mind, and finally tells the scribe to put “act of grace” that’s the best name yes. This shows that, even with a king, the spoken word isn’t as important as the written one. Writing has the power of changing reality in a way speech doesn’t.

(Although sometimes it does. Sometimes the spoken word has magic powers. This is called a perfomative utterance inside the illocutionary acts, the mere fact of saying something makes it so).

 And what are they writing?

That’s the thing, dear reader. Themselves. They are writing themselves.

 Bonifacia writes to remind herself that she is an orphaned girl masquerading as a pirate and that she has to complete her quest of revenge. There is this line, me sudan hasta los cojones que no tengo (I’m sweating up to the balls I don’t have) that serves to remind her that she is not Jim. But once Jim opens up to the crew and develops that identity, the writing stops. Honestly, good for you, Jim. While Bonifacia has to keep a diary so she won’t stray from the revenge path, Jim doesn’t need to commit their identity to paper.

Mary presents herself to society as the The Widow Bonnet. I don’t know what else I can tell you. This is not a name, it’s a marital status and a man’s last name and it is also freedom and Mary grabs it with both hands. This is what she wants to be, even if she has to renounce her name.

Stede writes (or has Lucius write) his life as a pirate. Even though it is a highly let’s say, decorated, version, the fact that it is written makes it real. Lucius immediately realizes the diary can and will condemn Stede. And it does! Badminton refuses to believe the account, but it is there and it’s is damning. This is what Stede wanted to be, what he wrote himself to be, and what he has to pay the consequences of being. Blessedly, the diary also saves Stede’s life. And that’s such a beautiful chain of language acts! The king speaks, the scribe writes the Act of Grace, Stede verbally invokes it, the diary supports it and the whole thing is closed with a drawing and a written signature.

And maybe, maybe, Blackbeard does know how to read (we see him opening books) but he signs with that painful, heart-rending X because he doesn’t know what name to use.

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

👉👈 Cuddling with Wee John?

Platonic or romantic 🥺

I was literally just thinking about cuddling with Wee John omg! 😂 This could be read as platonic or romantic (could also be read as poly with John and Frenchie because...I think that sounds nice, shush)

Afternoon Nap:

Lazy days on the Revenge were far too common for a pirate ship but you loved them all, the crew lazing around the deck, enjoying the warm afternoon.

You were up on the deck with the crew, sitting on Wee John's lap with his strong arms wrapped around you. John was a big guy but he was a total softy at heart, a little bitchy at times but always up for a good cuddle with somebody he cares about.

He lent back against the mast, head tilted back and a small smile on his face when he felt the breeze wash over him. You snuggled into his chest, tracing random patterns against his arm.

Frenchie sat just beside the two of you, his lute in his lap, strumming away happily. The three of you had found some shade under the mast to sit under. On days like these, the three of you always seemed to gravitate towards each other.

"So, what do you think?" Frenchie asked as he came to the end of his song, a new tune he had been working on.

"Love it, Frenchie," you grinned. Whenever Frenchie was working on a new ditty, he would always come and ask for yours and Wee John's opinions.

"It's great, one of your best yet!" Wee John praised.

"Should ask Lucius to write the lyrics down. Immortalise them, y'know?" you suggested, which made Frenchie smile brighter.

"Cheers m'dears, you're too kind," Frenchie bowed playfully. Well, it was more just like bending at the waist since he was sitting on the deck, a hand placed against his chest as a show of sincerity.

"Just honest," you insisted, chuckling at his little display.

Behind you, John shifted and stretched. "Well, I think we've had a productive afternoon. Time for a nap?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me," you hummed happily, nuzzling further into him.

As you burrowed closer, John held you a little tighter, holding you against his chest. Frenchie beamed, placing his lute down safely before shuffling closer to you both.

You reached out, gently taking hold of his hand to guide him closer still. Wee John removed one arm from you and threw it around Frenchie's shoulders, creating space for the bard. Without any hesitation, Frenchie snuggled into John's side, his hand linked with yours in your lap.

It didn't take long for the three of you to fall asleep in the shade of the ship's mast, even as the crew wandered about around you. It had become pretty easy to fall asleep despite the noises of a ship, you had grown used to it. Plus, whenever the three of you were together it felt like you were in your own little bubble. Just the three of you, comfortable and safe.

You weren't sure how much time had passed when you woke up, but you instinctively cuddled further into the duo as you blinked your eyes opened. Squinting slightly as you adjusted your vision to the sunlight. Well, it was still bright outside, probably been asleep for just under an hour.

Once your vision had adjusted, you spotted Lucius. He was sat opposite the three of you, his sketchbook in his lap. He was drawing something, his gaze flicking between the three of you and the pages.

"You're a menace," you murmured, not needing to ask what he was up to. He was always trying to find good sketching opportunities and it wasn't like the three of you hadn't ended up in his sketchbook before in one way or another.

Lucius smiled, obviously not bothered by being caught. The scribe didn't even have the decency to act embarrassed about being caught.

"But the three of you are just so cute," Lucius teased, shooting you a wink.

You just pulled a face at him, not really bothered by his attention. Lucius dropped his attention back to his sketch while you snuggled back into John. Your fingers were still intertwined with Frenchie's, though more of his arm had been draped over your lap as you slept.

Your eyes fluttered shut as you let yourself doze off again, until the others woke up.

[three--rings]

If you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top favorite characters from OFMD? And your top 5 (or top 3) moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Okay, so...

Top character is Ed/Blackbeard. From literally the first moment he appeared I went....ooooohhh? Like, both in a damn that man is attractive way, but also...OH. He is me and I am him and I GET him. I'm not above identifying with the person in all black acting tough but secretly wanting soft, pretty things and someone to love him for who he is and not the mask.

And, like second favorite character is....literally everyone else? IDK I guess I have to put Stede because he's Stede, but I have much less of a personal connection to his character.

I do really love Mary Bonnet because I love what they did with her in episode 10 and how they let her be her own person who has really blossomed and created a new life for herself once freed of society's constraints of marriage. And I still say that is Not a straight woman.

But honestly I love all the characters of the Revenge, with maybe special mention for Jim and Lucius and Olu. I really want to see more of the others, like Frenchie and Buttons and Wee John. (Also I just really love the representation of Wee John for us "I'm fucking tall and my back fucking hurts so I'm sitting down" folks. We can spot our own.) (Also yes I know the actor has back issues. As one of my doctors once said of my own back issues "well, giraffes have neck problems...")

Top 3-5 Moments from the Series

-- Ep 4, like all of Ed's expressions as he watched Stede. Like, the "it's so hard to find someone doing something original" scene. The closet scene. At the end, the way he looks at Stede during the marmelaide scene. That was when I was IN this show. Because Taika is playing Love At First Sight so well in his eyes. Or at least infatuation. Fascination. And as someone else said, the fact that it's BLACKBEARD who falls first. That's something.

--Ep 5, the "you wear fine things well" scene. Poetic cinema. Again with Taika's eyes in that scene.

--"The Chain" scene. Epic, funny, sweet. It's the essence of the show in like a minute. Also the foot touches, omg.

--The kiss scene. Not so much for the kiss, which honestly is awkward in a way I think is realistic, but for Ed's whole everything in how he presents his case. And then Stede, and the way he is happy but also doubting quietly in the background. Not willing yet to trust in this good thing he's presented with. Not sure he's on board with Ed's impetuous plan. And that's all in the expressions on Rhys's part, so kudos.

--Can I say all of ep 10? Like, I ADORE the entire episode from the Mary parts in the beginning to the Sad Breakup Ed in the Emotion Robe. Stede not fitting in back in civilized life and taking a fucking knife to Doug's throat. Mary trying to murder him with a skewer. The "his name is Ed" scene, which...no words.

And then, and then, Ed's descent into darkness and The Kraken/Blackbeard with Avalanche in the background. I can't. Screaming, crying, throwing up.

Episode 10 is what took me from a casual fan of the show to fucking OBSESSED because it's everything I want from a narrative.

[wigglebox]

okay i watched before my friend came over oops but i couldn’t wait until sunday and i don’t mind rewatching lwkejflawkej

SPOILERS

brruhhh okay so i never saw season one i only just finished season 2 only 2 hours before season 3 was dropped but i still just absolutely love maeve lol and MM i love them both they are my favorites i think. 

i love this revenge/payback thing they’re setting up with MM and SB i’m down for that

butcher with super powers scares the shit out of me and my eyes hurt watching him

i had to wonder if the thing that went too far was the kid stuff and SB so the pivot away was what gunpowder said, that SB basically smacked him around sometimes. 

SB is going to be just so horrible when he wakes up. i loved the tics that he had when he was clearly irritated by mallory and also i didn’t know i ever needed to hear that man say captain lesbo but i’m happy xD yeah he’s saying it as an insult but all i could think of is ‘that’s my superhero name!’ wlakjeflawjke

he’s going to be soooo bad to maeve i can feel it in m’bones

i absolutely lost it when we saw the photo of him next to president reagan i’m like BRUH idk why that was hilarious to me

i love how like, yeah they’re superheroes but that original team really did just feel lke a dog and pony show for entertainment like how captain america himself was in his origin film lol. they don’t feel serious he feels goofy i love it bc under that goofiness i’m scared of him like i wouldn’t want to be a woman alone in a room with him thank yewwww

also his lil helmet is so cute omg i’m going to be so annoying about him

i’m really going to be interested to see what happens bc in the trailer when he woke up we saw he exploded n stuff and so i wonder if that ‘nuclear reactor meltdown’ thing really was him just aborbing untable power and bamowhamo

i never read the comics so shh i have no idea what’s going on xD even then, this is just one soldier boy where the comics i think he at least a couple iterations. 

anyway. i’m really excited weirdly just to hear kimiko sing hopefully not in a fantasy or dream sequence ;_; i know she’s traumatized and is either unable to or unwilling to speak but ;_; maybe singing can help her with that wahhh no i’m sorry i just like kimiko and want her to have the world thank you

ALSO FRENCHIE GETTING TEASED AS A SUBBY BOI omg i laughed also i love him so much. frenchie is another one that really like he’s up there with maeve and MM

GOD AND FUCKING NADIA IS SO SCARY JESUS LIKE omg i like screamed at the end of season 2 and then now seeing her use her power almost like they’re giant, invisible bullets or something and she can take out a chunk of a person at a time like jesus christ mark me down as scared AND horny

also poor hughie feeling resentful omg it must not be easy dating a supe ;_; but also there was a shot where he was standing behind starlight when he first kinda gets introduced to that supersonic whatever person -- and he’s smiling uncomfortably and i’m like, for the first time, going OMG HE LOOKS LIKE HIS DAAAAD

speaking of dad, simon pegg sounds odd in an american accent. 

and speaking of daddy, i’m like, holding it as a 60/40 odds we will actually see JDM. i wasn’t expecting the cameos we’ve gotten. also please i have thee biggest crush on charlize and you hAD HER SAY THOSE NAZI WORDS

also fuck stormfront i’m happy she died though then again they only said she died and we didn’t see her body or anything so i’m still suspicious

also Ryan is Jack-coded even down to playing connect four and videos with his mother’s voice i’m crying

also it was pointed out to me that A Train’s brother was the actor for AU!Michael and now i’m like i LOVE it when that happens xD usually when i go ‘that actor looks familiar’ and they weren’t in House MD or a Marvel movie, they’re in a SPN episode xD

FUCKING. HOMELANDER. like i was watching season 2 and watching how he was and i’m like they’re gonna make him worse than this? and they did. like i’m actually terrified of him this season especially now that he really is growing the racist white dude base. 

what scares me that is in some reviews some folks wrote that SB is worse than Homelander which is probably going to happen when he wakes up next episode and i’m SCARED and i’m also bracing myself to hear slurs out of SB’s mouth lol also i’m just so ready to see him be unhinged. but like Homelander basically shoved that poor girl off the roof and forced Deep to eat his friend so like -- if SB is worse? ho-man. 

no i am not ready for booty but i am grateful that the booty wasn’t last night so i could concentrate at work. i won’t be able to concentrate next friday i guess

god i’m so excited for next week!

[seacollectsrivers]

HI OFMD LIVE REACTION NOTES INCOMING

EPISODE NINE LEGGO

"Act of Grace" -> "A Mercy" prob not connected but hhhh terror brain go brrrr

rest under the read more!

The opening flag is the same one as in ep 1, and it is being TREAD ON by NAVY >:((

I love the Revenge crew sm jkfhgk

GHOST. HAUNTING. IMMEDIATELY.

O fuck i man of course they are but i didn't realise they were still on board Stede's ship. Shifting of power, of roles.

SWEETIE. BABE. I LOVE THEIR LOVE.

I'm so curious about Frenchie hahaha what's his story!! He's been in service, he's way more superstitious than any of the others, he's "born for this kind of espionage". What's up!!

Are they gonna. Are they gonna do some fuckery. Art of fuckery!!!!

Frenchie hhhh i love you but oh my god.

FANFICTION

oh no stede…… oh nooooo

BUT also 👀 The story is true, the story is untrue!!

true love is taking the fall for the other's crime

yeah why WOULD he lie, hm, STEDE

i'm dying i'm dead

i hate these gay bitches (i dont)

the flashbacks without any sound that only last for a second or so are so good. they did it in earlier episodes too.

IZZY IS THERE. OH MY GOD??????

The way they've placed themselves is very good and ofc reminiscent of actual court. Judge/navy high up, pirates/accused way low

i see their hostage 👀

oh no izzy…….. :(((( not captain hands……. friend of the crown???? i'm so worried about himmmmmm

not the fucking wave fhgjkdjfkh WITH THE GLOVED HAND TOO i'll die

"he gave us up" yeah he did :(((

aw stede. you did Mary dirty but you don't deserve death, babe

PUNCH YEAH OKAY

LOYALTY TO YOUR CAPTAIN

the way the crew cover their eyes :((

"destroy yourself"

HUMANE WAY see i'm hmmm. thoughts. about izzy and how he never like…. kills stede. despite the multiple opportunities.

AAAH they're going for privateer Stede NOW omg

oh shit!! real pirates, he's from my world, rigidity of class, head full!!

Lucius ;__; <3

oooh my god the plant has GROWN!! it's a real plant! symbolism!

They love him!! the crew loves stede!! heart full!!

fucccck me ok so. izzy did this so ed wouldnt destroy himself. and he seriously i guess couldnt see how much stede means to ed now, so he completely overlooked this possibility: a destruction of blackbeard through legality.

lmaoooo the law works as intended and admiral is big mad.

"ten human years?"

"you really don't have to do this" "yeah i know i don't" hello they love each other!!

idk you wrought this a bit, izzy

oh an X!

oh noo. back in society = losing all his individuality.

OH WORM. STEDE IS A GHOST.

OH NO HDFHKH BEARD

aaaaaah the losing of identityyyyyy. stede is a ghost blackbeard has literally lost his beard.

i do love how resigned ed is. not even resigned, he's right down accepting. this is his retirement.

izzy jesus christ jfghkghgkjh

not izzy's revenge 😭

STEDE MAKES ED HAPPY

at this point i let out a noise so concerning my cat came in to check on me :)

if stede blows this i'm gonna. explode.

he didn't blow it he said THE ONLY THING i'm still gonna explode :)

NOW he wants to escape aaaaaaaAAAA

TWO LIVES. MAKE THEIR OWN LIFE.

Olu it's you :)

hhhh why do so many stories go this route. please ofmd show how bad of a choice "the only good captain hates being a captain" is

they cut to the crew and i'm normal and then they cut to the Boys and i keep REMEMBERING aaaaaaaaaa

i feel like. this isn't gonna go well. :(

i. dont. like. this.

o fuck

is this not the same path where Stede first fought Izzy, for the hostages? probably just that they don't have THAT many locations but 👀

"Stede Bonnet is not a human" yeah he's a GHOST

"to ruin" for LOVE

!!! IS IT JIM!!!!!!

OH I MISUNDERSTOOD damn dude just tripped okay

oh noooooooooooooooooooo fuck

wow, well presumptious Ed. i get that you're a bit heartbroken now but damn. you can't just like. take the position back again.

NO WAY NOOOO STEDE

oh my god Mary hello. with the women's club. alright alright alright alright.

they're BOTH SO PRESUMPTIOUS FHDGJDS you can't just,,,,, fit back into your old life,,,,,

[noforkingclue]

omg hi!!!! ok so i’m lowkey in love with billy butcher and i was wondering if you could write something angsty ab you wanting to leave the boys because you feel like you don’t belong but butcher argues with you on it and it leads to The Love Confession™️

I’m in love with Billy Butcher as well! I just see Karl Urban on the screen and my brain just melts!

Title: Stay With Me

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary

From the moment you met them you could tell that you weren’t like the rest of the Boys. The person you were most like was Hughie but as time went on you could see the change in him.

You were a researcher, someone who got dragged into this crusade when your parents were killed when a supe smashed into your apartment building. At the time you were so blinded by rage you accepted Butcher’s offer without a second thought. But now you weren’t too sure about continuing on the path you were currently on. You’d seen what the want of revenge had done to Butcher and you didn’t want to end up like him.

Your concerns were only amplified this first time you met Mallory. You had initially hung back as the other’s went up to her but by the end of the day she had sort you out. You were currently standing in her garden watching the sun set when she came and stood next to you.

“Butcher’s a cunt dragging you into this.”

You looked over at her sharply.

“It was my choice,” you said, “I could’ve said no.”

“But you didn’t,” she turned to face you, “I’m going to offer you the same thing I offered all the others.”

“Which is?”

“A way out. Just tell me that you want out and I can arrange that for you. A new life in a different country and away from all this.”

“I don’t know…”

“You don’t have to give me your answer right now,” Mallory turned around and walked towards her house, “You know how to contact me when you have your answer.”

 That was one week ago and Mallory’s words still echoed round you head. You were standing outside the cheap motel you were hiding at when MM came and stood beside you.

“None of us would think any less of you if you accepted her offer. You know that right?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” You said

“Don’t bullshit me kid,” he said turning to look at you, “She offered it to all of us.”

“And you weren’t tempted?”

“Of course I was! I have a wife and daughter to think about.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Why do you think?”

“Butcher?”

“Butcher.”

You ran a hand threw your hair and sighed.

“I don’t know MM. I want Vought to be taken down but…”

“Kid,” MM put a comforting hand on your shoulder, “You’ve done more than enough already.”

“Butcher will hate me if I leave.”

“Some things are more important then what Butcher of all people thinks about you.”

“MM?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

You made you decision. When everyone was sleeping you grabbed your bag and shoved you few possessions into it. It was best if you left during the night to avoid any awkward questions. As you quietly opened the door you saw Kimiko shift in her sleep. For a moment you thought that she was awake and was going to stop you but she quickly settled back down. You let out a sigh of relief when you finally closed the door behind you. You had barely walked five steps when you heard,

“If you’re going to leave at least have the fucking balls to do it when everyone’s awake.”

You froze, not daring to turn around.

“Why do you care?” you said quietly, “I’m not one of you.”

“One of us?” Butcher walked towards you, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I can’t do this anymore,” you said desperately, “The running, the blackmail, the killing. None of this is who I am. I researched for a living. I belong in a library not in a battlefield.”

“Now you listen to me,” Butcher said quietly, “You’re much a part of us as MM or Frenchie or Hughie.”

“Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Hard?” Butcher moved towards you and your were forced to back up, “Looks like you already made up your mind. Abandoning us when we need you to the most.”

You back hit the side of a car and Butcher put his hands against it boxing you in. You looked around desperately but couldn’t see a way out. You looked back up at Butcher who was studying your face intently.

“Why are you really leaving?” he asked quietly

“I told you- I don’t belong in this world.”

“Then why did you accept me offer.”

“I shouldn’t have,” you admitted, “At the time I was upset. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”

“You were perfectly happy until Mallory spoke to you.”

“I…”

“You don’t want to leave.”

“Don’t tell me what I do and don’t want.”

Butcher was silent for a moment. Then, so quietly that you almost missed it, he said,

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“Excuse me?”

The rested his chin on the top of your head. You face was buried against his chest and you realised how much you missed this. It had been over a year since your parent had died and in that time you hadn’t had much contact with other people. You melted against Butcher’s chest and his arms moved to circle around your waist.

“You don’t know how important you are to us,” he said, “You can find bits of information about those cunts that none of us can.”

“But-“

“I don’t give a fuck if you can fire a gun or not,” he continued, “You’re more important to me than you realise.”

“To you,” you looked up, “Don’t you mean to everyone?”

“Yes,” Butcher said slowly, “But to me especially.”

“Why?”

Butcher raised a hand and cupped it against your cheek. He brushed a thumb along your cheekbone and your leant into his touch.

“Don’t make me say it love.”

“And if I want you to say it?” you asked with a teasing smile

Butcher rested his forehead against yours.

“Because I love you,” he said, “And I don’t want to lose you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Because I love you too Billy Butcher,” you said, “And I thought that you didn’t return my feelings which was why I didn’t say anything.”

“So you’ll stay?”

“Yes, I’ll stay.”