#our flag means death short one shot

[celestialvoid-fanfiction]

the wrath of a gentleman pirate

- - - PLEASE SEE AO3 FOR TAGS AND WARNINGS - - - 

Just because Stede won’t get his hands dirty, doesn’t mean he won’t take a stand against injustice.

You can read it on AO3, here

The room wasn’t anything fancy, but it had a touch of charm to it. A large table made out of solid mahogany sat in the centre of the room, bolted to the wooden floorboards so that it didn’t move if the ship were to hit rough waters. Atop the table lay a pristine table runner made of white silk, embroidered with the emblem of the Royal Navy and decorated with fine stitches of gold thread in elegant and intricate patterns and filigree.

The British officers sat around the table, sharing uncomfortable looks with one another as they tried to ignore Stede’s men who stood nearby.

The Captain of the British Navy crew sat at the head of the table. He was dressed in his bold blue uniform, the jacket of which was embroidered with yellow along the opening and gold ornaments. He wore a powdered wig that stood out against his sea-beaten, wrinkled face and bushy dark brows like a turd would stand out in a punchbowl.  

Stede had long given up such frivolities. He, himself, was dressed in a neat jacket made of blue-grey fabric that had a subtle pattern woven into it, neat trousers, and a cotton shirt. His sandy-blonde hair was curled back from his face. No frills, not ornaments, no pretending.

“What have you been up to, Bonnet?” the captain asked.

Stede took a sip of his wine before setting the glass down to answer, “I believe the word you would use is ‘privateering’.”

The captain chuckled as he raised his glass of wine to his lips. His eyes darted around the room, taking in each of Stede’s men. He cleared his throat.

“You have… quite the crew,” he said, the meaning of his words hidden behind his masqueraded charm.

“Yes, I do,” Stede replied honestly, smiling proudly at his crew. “Great men, each and every one of them.”

“Where did you find them?”

“Many of them have served on ships like this before, among crews such as yours,” Stede replied, not really answering the question—he was hardly going to tell a captain of the British Navy where to find the pirates they were hunting.

“I’ve never had any of them act such dignity or civility. I must say, you’ve taught them well,” the captain complimented. He let out a boisterous laugh as he added, “I dare say, you’ve civilized the savages.”

The other officers joined in with the raucous laughter.

“Me? No,” Stede said, his voice humble as he brushed the comment aside. The officers fell quiet. “I haven’t taught them anything. It was you and your kind who taught them what they know.”

The room fell silent. The captain looked at him with a confused and bewildered expression. The other Navy officers exchanged questioning looks.

“Well, you see…” Stede rose from his chair at the other end of the table. He put his hands behind his back and stepped out from behind his seat. “It was you and your kind who took them from their homes and brought them into our world,” Stede explained, slowly pacing around the room—circling the officers who sat at the table. “You taught them our language. You put them to work where they learnt their work ethic. You taught them what it is to be enslaved, and as such you taught them the meaning of freedom and liberation.”

A few officers smiled smugly—a few even turned to the crew ad nodded curtly as I to say ‘you’re welcome’. Stede’s crew indulged them, offering kind smiles and courteous nods in return.

“You taught them how to weather the worst conditions—freezing cold, sweltering heat, starvation, dehydration, sleep deprivation,” Stede continued.

He made his way around the end of the table where the captain sat.

“You taught them how to make a man fear for his life.”

The softness of Stede’s voice had disappeared, a cold sternness adding an edge to his tone that struck each man to their core.

The room fell silent.

“You taught them how to beat and torture a man until he is on the brink of death but deny him the release of eternal sleep.”

He watched the captain swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing against his ascot.

“You taught them how to make a man bleed and beg for his life.”

He finished his circuit of the table and stopped by the grand double doors that led out of the dining room, a wicked glint in his sea-blue eyes as he looked at each of the officers, one at a time.

A heavy tension settled over the room, palpitating and hot as the officers tried not to make eye contact with Stede’s crew.

Stede smiled and shrugged half-heartedly as he said, “All I taught them was to take what they’re due.”

He turned to the doors, pushing them open.

“Oh,” he said as an afterthought, pausing in the doorway. He turned back to the room. “I also taught them how to fire a gun.”

There was a flash of a wicked smile as Stede left the room.

The officers’s eyes widened with realisation.

Before they could react, an eruption of gunshots split the air.

Stede waited outside the room, listening as the bodies slumped forward on the table or hit the ground with a solid thwack. The bitter metallic stench of blood mingled with the thin haze of smoke and gunpowder in the air.

He couldn’t help but smile as he quietly said to himself, “And I taught them well.”

[fxckin-blackbeard]

Edward: I am full of guilt, what am I to do?

His Conscience: Apologize--

Edward: The misery will never end. There's no escape! I don't know what to do!

[adoptourcrew]

Here is a transcript of Rhys talking about OFMD cancellation. You can listen to his full interview on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts.

Talking Strange Paranormal Show with Aaron Sagers: Rhys Darby Returns!

Timestamp: 37:52-41:49

Aaron: I can’t help but ask about Our Flag Means Death…I absolutely love the show. It has such a huge fan base. It even has the massive queer community support and we are now in the midst of Pride Month. For you, how do you view the legacy of Our Flag Means Death professionally. How does it rank in your work?

Rhys: Very highly. It’s an odd one, because in my mind, and I’m sure all the fans' minds, it was slightly rudely cut short. We should have gone more and I think it’s because we felt like the aim was to go for three seasons, to tell the whole story. And because it was so good and it had a lot of fans and it was representational, it was funny, it was beautifully shot, awesome costumes. We’re pirates on a boat attacking each other and making out. It was a unique show and I’m still getting over the idea that they can just go “we’re canceling that” when other things, I won’t name any names of certain other comedy shows and things, that just keep running. And I think, who the hell is making these decisions and there might be a financial element to it, yeah sure. But the budget was stripped by 40% on the second season and we shot it in New Zealand, we saved a lot of money by going to another country, which seems odd. But still, then they called it quits there at the end of number two. So it’s bittersweet in a lot of ways for me because personally, for my own journey, it was the best thing I’ve ever done because I was the lead and I got to obviously use my comedic skills, that’s easy. But I got into the drama side of things and there was some real emotional pathos and nuances that I didn’t know I was capable of doing and I got to do, and I was really proud of my work on that thing. It’s like my mum always said, “pride always comes before a fall.” (laughs) And now it’s gone. But hey! Move on, we’ll move on.

Aaron: Would you and Taika ever consider, as some other creators have, perhaps completing the story in another format, another medium, comic books for instance. A way that you could tell the story that you wanted to.

Rhys: I think the fans have already done that. The fanfiction is through the roof. But I think the show that we made was something to behold and hopefully it will stick around. It’s just two seasons, there are a lot of shows that ran for two seasons, like Flight of the Conchords, for example, there are only two seasons of that. And I look at these things now as pieces of art and there they are. And you can watch them over a long weekend or whatever you want. But it’s finite and it’s done and you can enjoy it and you can always go back to it. It’s a happy place. It’s art and that’s it.

[ofmdrecaps]

08/26-27/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Recap Status; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Nathan Foad; Samba Schutte; Ruibo Qian; Vico Ortiz; Bronson Pinchot; Dominic Burgess; GalaxyCon SanJose Full Panel; Articles; Rose City Comic Con OFMD S2: Anniversary; Tell Tale TV Voting Round 2; Astroglide Love; Our Flag Means Trick or Treat; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Never Left Podcast; Love Notes;

== Recap Status ==

Hey Lovelies. I don't have the greatest news... my dad is in the hospital and going into some really dangerous surgery. This means I'll probably be pretty scarce over the next couple days. I'll do my best to keep up with the recaps, they may help me stay distracted depending on how things go... but please bare with me if they don't happen. I hope you all stay safe out there. Take care <3

== David Jenkins ==

David sharing an adorable picture with his new pup, and some very silly interactions with Con.

'Source: David Jenkins Instagram

== Rhys Darby ==

So excited for the episode of Expedition X that features Rhys coming out Aug 28 on Discovery! Here's a sneak peak!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby)

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika's reaction to Rita's outfit is adorable.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Ora (Fan Page) (@taika_ora)

Source: Instagram (Originally Rita Ora's tiktok)

More shots of the two of them:

Source: SarahReynoldsx356 Instagram via YulYY4 on Twitter

== Ruibo Qian ==

Ruibo shared some interesting work on her instagram. You can see the full collection of images here on tumblr from that post.

Source: Ruibo Qian's Instagram

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba out enjoying some glorious Dutch food and sharing more about his recent works!

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

More Nathan out and about!

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram Stories

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico shared some wonderful words and pictures from their PublicAssembly work!

"I’ve had the absolute pleasure to act, write, co-curate and direct for @thepublicassembly since 2018. I’m currently developing a short film and writing a one person show because I have gained the confidence as a story teller through their theatre/workshop program. Every month we develop 3 brand new pieces based on the audiences prompt the month prior and while the process of writing a 12min play can be overwhelming, being held, witnessed, encouraged (and hold, witness and encourage) these wonderful artists has been an amazing experience of championing all of our journeys as story tellers! This coming month we are throwing a fundraiser to get us to the next level. Check out my linktree for tix! It’s gonna be a sexy-awesome-artistically arousing- thought provoking evening of theatre ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 Look forward to seeing you there!"

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram

== Bronson Pinchot ==

More Ned Low from Bronson!

Source: Bronson Pinchot's Instagram

== Dominic Burgess ==

A pretty cool shot from Dominic!

SourcE: Dominic Burgess Twitter

Congrats Dominic for making it to the next round of the Nicholl Fellowships for his script OUT OF MIND!

Source: Dominic's Twitter

Dominic sharing an adorable video of one of his cats.

== More Galaxy Con San Jose ==

The full panel is finally here!

== Articles ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for sharing this great article by screenrant! OFMD made #2!

Also, in WBD News, thank you to Ashley AKA Seven_Sugars on twitter for sharing this new CMO news for WBD.

Source: Seven_Sugars Twitter

Source: Global Comment's Twitter

== Rose City Comic Con ==

Are you going to be going to Rose City Comic Con this fall? Well good news, you can submit questions to be asked to the lovely OFMD Panelist that will be there-- here!

Source: RoseCityComic Con's Instagram

== S2 Year Anniversary ==

Some very kind works from @adoptourcrew <3

Source: Adopt Our Crew Instagram

== Tell Tale TV Voting Round 2 ==

Our friends at @adoptourcrew reminding us to vote on Tell Tale TV's battle of the ships 2024! Vote here!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Instagram Stories

== Some Love for/from Astroglide ==

Source: Astroglide's Twitter

== Our Flag Means Trick or Treat! ==

There's a fabulous Zine I've just heard about -- Our Flag Means Trick Or Treat! It's an OFMD Children's Charity Zine! How cool is that! Interested in participating/learning more? Please check out their socials here: Twitter / Discord

Source: OFMToT's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Another cast card tonight from our kind friend @melvisik is Elia P. Popov, one of the Special Effects Coordinators!

Source: Melvisik's Twitter

== Never Left Podcast ==

New episode of Never Left Podcast! A continuation of Motifs! Part 4 already, wow!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Gonna be scarce for a bit lovelies. Just know I'm thinking of you and sending so much good vibes and hugs.

Source: The Latest Kate's Tumblr

Some love notes from our Pirate Queen:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James McCrae (@wordsarevibrations)

Source: WordsAreVibrations Instagram / Ruibo's Instagram Stories

[wander-wren]

sometimes i wonder about what fandom is going to look like in 5 or 10 years. i think we might have already started to see a shift.

because, look, most of the oldest, biggest fandoms are from tv shows and movies, in particular ones that go on for years and scores of episodes. star trek, star wars, stargate (is everything star?), doctor who, supernatural…even sherlock really got its biggest popularity boosts in the modern day from tv adaptations. marvel and dc were comics first, too, but movies made them more accessible; their “cinematic universe” tags are the biggest on ao3 by far.

but what tv shows are we getting now? short, 8-episode things that get canceled two or three seasons in, that are usually less-than-faithful adaptations of other media anyway.

what movies are we getting? well, marvel turns more to slop every day, and everything else is remakes and sequels no one asked for. the general populace will still go see them and find some good movies that they like, but there’s not much really for fandom to grasp onto.

the best shows for fandom that we’ve had recently, that i can think of, are stranger things, game of thrones, and maybe our flag means death. stranger things is dying off, especially since they’re looking at a 3-4 YEAR gap between s4 and s5. game of thrones’s popularity plummeted after its final season, we all know that. our flag means death is still chugging fairly okay, but after that second season a lot of the fandom dropped it, and with it now being cancelled, i don’t see it sticking around.

yes, we can chalk part of this up to a new generation to of fans having this growing idea that fandom is super temporary, to be abandoned as soon as its not on trend. but media used to be on trend for a whole lot longer than it is now. seasons were longer, we had filler episodes, things were lower quality sometimes but at least they came out on a consistent schedule. i don’t mind if supernatural isn’t an artistic masterpiece, but if i was a stranger things fan waiting until 2026 for the final season, i would be annoyed if it wasn’t damn near perfect. that’s assuming i watched it at all—we’re all so used to not getting endings and moving on, so why would i bother?

i think there are two types of shows doing sort of okay about this. one is procedurals—9-1-1 is a popular one i’ve run into, and it started in 2018, around the beginning of the decline, but it’s managed 7 seasons in those six years, most of them with 18 episodes. the other is, honestly, anime—though we can and SHOULD talk about the terrible working conditions that make the fast turnarounds there possible. look at how big some anime fandoms are.

judging by the relative fandom popularity of other procedural dramas (grey’s anatomy, law & order, criminal minds), i think that’s going to remain sort of niche. fandom likes fantasy and scifi best, and they just don’t tend to have as strong of an overarching arc to dig into. at least, that’s why i wouldn’t watch them. i think there’s also a good chance these will start to die out in the coming years as well.

anime could also die out a little bit. better working conditions would necessitate less/slower content, and it’s true that most of the popular anime fandoms have been around for years, even decades.

so, what, no new, lasting tv show or movie fandoms anymore?

what will the biggest fandoms be in 5-10 years?

podcast fandoms have a shot. the magnus archives is still going strong, and i’ve been seeing a lot about dungeons and daddies. i think we’re kind of almost past the golden age for podcasts, but i am an outsider, so maybe that will change.

book fandoms seem like a kind of obvious choice, but they just don’t get as big without, you guessed it, a movie or show adaptation. and the downsizing has hit them, too—can you think of anything from the last 5 or 10 years that rivals harry potter, percy jackson, warriors, lord of the rings, hunger games, acotar…even game of thrones (asoiaf) again? i can’t. the collapse of the publishing industry is another post entirely.

2020 is really what cemented these changes, though they were starting in the late 2010s, at least. with actual industries shutting down, there was room for indie creators making things alone in their houses to pop up, and people had more time on their hands to try new things out and get into them.

the two things that have really been on the rise since 2020 is rpf and video game fic—often both combined. we’ve got genshin impact, call of duty, minecraft of course being huge, rpf of various youtubers, and k-pop rpf. now, i think rpf is contentious enough that it won’t really become the main fandom, but video game fic…might be it.

even video blogging rpf can often be a blurred enough line that people are more comfortable with it. and the thing is…youtube creators are actually more reliable than mainstream television these days. they need to be, to maintain their platforms. they need to not cancel series and to live up to their own hype as best they can and to not abandon the channel for 3 or 4 years at a time. and again, you can talk about burnout and unrealistic expectations and all of those things, but it’s still true.

maybe i’m completely wrong. maybe in 10 years the film and publishing industries will all sort themselves out and we’ll go back to the status quo. but i think this position fandom is finding itself in is interesting, and i wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if what’s most popular (both in the specific source material sense and the medium/genre sense) is different some time down the road.

[somekindofcontraption]

"Acceptable Violence" in OFMD Season 2: deconstructing violence within the context of the show's parameters

I've been doing a lot of thinking about violence and the second season of Our Flag Means Death. I've come to some conclusions that I would like to share, but I would like to preface my thoughts with a disclaimer or two:

I did not like the second season, for myriad reasons, some of which I will outline here. But I am not here to attack you if you liked the season. I am not here to make commentary on who you are as a person or your personal taste if you liked the season. My not liking the season does not mean you can't like the season. In short: my dislike of the season is not about you at all! Also, this is not an academic paper. Which doesn't mean I might not do that in the future, but for now this is just an assembly of analysis and thoughts. If you do not care to read analytical criticism of something you deeply enjoyed? I invited you to scroll onward. If you liked the second season but would like to hear some of the reasons why many, including myself, didn't - carry on! The rest is under the cut.

The first season of Our Flag Means Death dips its toes into the world of piracy by following the unfolding story of Stede Bonnet, the newly minted former aristocrat-turned-pirate who dreams of a new sort of piracy; a gentler, more polite means of pirating. Things, as they said, did not go according to plan. The first season does an excellent job of laying the complex groundwork for an in-world set of principles which tell us what sort of violence is "normal" or "acceptable" in the context of the show and what isn't. (Please assume from here on out that when I say acceptable and normal the "quotes" are implied, as I am not talking about what is acceptable and normal in real life.) It does this through narrative framing, by softening more intense instances of violence through comedy and by pushing it off-screen, and by establishing who is a good guy and who is Not. Unacceptable: Stede Bonnet getting beat on, tied up, and bullied by the Badmintons and their ilk as a child. He's soft and likes flowers! He's got a mean dad! No one likes bullies! It's framed as a negative, it's not super funny (the camera cuts to Stede's face both in the past and present looking distressed, and Stede is the hero, so this can be generally accepted as bad.) This leads us to: Acceptable: Badminton getting whacked over the head and falling on his own sword. This I would categorize as what people have been referring to as "looney tune violence." He was a bully! He's part of a colonial navy! He was being absolutely horrible to Stede! It's funny that Stede is so inept!

Stede feels guilty about it, it causes him trauma, but that trauma is treated, quite often, comedically (see Badminton's "ghost" taunting him, characters treatment of his breakdown, etc). The context clues for whether or not this is acceptable violence are baked right into the writing, too. Oluwande says - claiming that Stede killed Badminton on purpose would gain him the respect of his crew. This is violence that in-world is both acceptable, expected, and also respected for the captain of a pirate ship. (See also: Murdering and/or tying up the remaining British navy crew and putting them through the same thing Stede went through. It's framed as triumphant, Stede having been vindicated, the crew celebrating it as a victory.) Unacceptable: Stede's concept of "soft piracy" of course comes crashing down when his whimsical attempt to woo the Spanish navy is cut short by his getting gut-stabbed.

Stede and the crew are being framed as the heroes of the story and the Spaniards are framed as the bad guys; this setup is why this violence, while totally within the realms of something our crew would do, is categorized as unacceptable. It's also important to note, however, that while it could have been quite a bit more graphic and disturbing if shot differently, the swelling symphony, the comedic cuts of the Spaniards triumphantly getting their ass kicked, softens the blow. Other acceptable instances of violence: The snail fork - horrifying if you think about it, but the narrative softens the blow. The guy was just really racist, giving us a sense of vindictive pleasure, and the violence is all off-screen (we don't actually have to see someone getting skinned with a snail fork). The French ship - again, horrifying if you think too much about people trapped on a burning ship in the middle of the ocean. But, they had all just been huge racist shit-heads who had harmed our heroes. In the context of the narrative, it is framed as being justified. We also don't actually see anyone burning to death, and we get a very funny shot of Ed looking at Stede in awe, and Stede looking very please with himself, confirming in-narrative that this was okay. Other unacceptable instances of violence:

Karl the bird - Jack is framed as an antagonist; he comes between Ed and Stede, obstructing the narrative subplot. Buttons, and by extension Karl, are part of the crew, the heroes. When Karl dies Buttons is devastated, everyone looks uncomfortable, and it's the last straw for Stede to kick Jack off the ship. Plus, there's the an "innocent character" thing similar to Stede as a child getting bullied; Karl was an animal, with no defenses, who did nothing wrong.

Finally, of course, we arrive at the moment that Lucius is pushed from the ship. Unacceptable: By all accounts, pushing people from ships is probably not outside the realm of things that pirates Definitely Do. But here we have another great instance of framing heroes and bad guys. In this case, we have a hero (Ed), seemingly killing another hero (Lucius), who was not only just trying to help him, but was absolutely not expecting violence. We also have a "death" that happened off-screen. We don't see Lucius "drowning." Had Lucius actually died, I think this would have been horrifying. Narratively and thematically, it would not have fit into the spirit of the show, because you could no longer frame Ed as a hero. There would be no real way that I can see to meaningfully redeem him in the context of a comedy, even a "black comedy" (which I do not believe OFMD is). And genuinely, I don't know anyone who thought Lucius was actually dead, so while what Ed did was horrible and awful and needed to be atoned for, it wasn't Final. It wasn't Irredeemable. He didn't become a capital v Villain. The rules of the first season made sense to me. Everything that happened fit narratively, was thematically appropriate, and established a certain set of rules and conventions to follow. It gets dark, and it does push the envelope of what I could bear in a "romantic comedy." Ed cutting off Izzy's toe is tempered (cutting off his littlest toe with a comedically large pair of scissors) but feeding them to him is disturbing. Izzy was an antagonist, not a villain, so giving him treatment reserved for, say, the British navy characters, and doing so graphically and on-screen, was A Lot. This coming from me, who really, REALLY hated Izzy at this point in time. But I think there was an underlying sense of hope that things would improve, resolve, and move forward through character growth and narrative. Stede was coming back to make amends; maybe Ed would find his way back to normalcy, and they'd meet in the middle. It was expected that apologies would be made and Ed could come back from the unacceptable things he did to Lucius, to the Crew, and to Izzy especially. That there would be character and interpersonal growth for them.

Unfortunately, the second season is where the show's parameters around acceptable and unacceptable violence absolutely falls apart. It's never quite clear why something is acceptable vs not, and we never see the character and interpersonal growth "promised" by the narrative which would redeem the dark tonal shift and veer the story back towards comedy. In order for Ed to be redeemed, the violence being framed as unacceptable during his Kraken era could not be so unacceptable that it crosses the line into irredeemable. Ed could not cross the line in the minds of the audience from "hero" to "villain." But the first three episodes of the season... were dark. They crossed the line. It felt like a character assassination to me. Ed's abuse of the crew, the continued maiming of Izzy (who at this point is hurdling into a sympathetic character arc of growth and redemption,) the self-harm, the attempted murder-suicide of his crew... most of it was on-screen, not at all tempered by comedy, and brutal. It wasn't heroes vs villains, it was supposed hero causing extensive harm and trauma to other heroes. The writing in these episodes were narratively cohesive and well-paced. They were not, however, thematically appropriate to a romantic comedy. At this point in the season I still felt like it was building towards a breaking point where Ed would come back to himself, where character growth would be achieved, and amends would be made. I was willing to hold tight.

But it didn't work in terms of the story that was setup in season one. It would have taken an incredible amount of character growth to even begin to come back from that; but I trusted the narrative to deliver. However, the real problem is that this season tried to rewrite the in-show parameters of what constitutes acceptable violence in ways that are uncomfortable and contrary to reality in ways that I find harmful. (I will be clear, in reference to recent discourse, I do feel the head-butt was comedic. It was looney tunes violence, it was well within the context of a romantic comedy, and it worked for me tonally, even though it's obviously not appropriate in real life.) Ed's chair throwing in the context of a man who had spent three episodes inflicting increasingly terrible domestic violence on people who loved and cared for him, who stuck by him -- in the larger context of him doing all this just because he felt rejected by a romantic partner -- is presented as in-show acceptable violence. It's presented as falling within the parameters. Proof? We are expected to still like Ed, and root for Ed, and want Ed to get better, and cheer for the romantic pairing "getting back together," and everything else. He is still presented as a hero. Sure, the show is telling us that what Ed did in his Kraken era is bad; but not so Bad that we shouldn't forgive him for it when he has made no real move to make amends for what he did. Like the crew, and Izzy specifically, we are meant to simply... move forward. That line about "getting away with it" without consequences I thought was a commentary on how Ed would not get to do that, actually was just... what happened. The season also wants me to believe that in the in-show parameters that Ed would hurt absolutely anybody but DEFINITELY NOT Stede, because Stede is his ultra super special soul mate and he would never do him any harm. This is not how things work in real life, and it is not a disbelief I am willing to suspend uncritically. Do I believe Ed, in the context of the show, would hurt Stede? Nope. I think it's more likely Stede would hurt Ed than the other way around. But I don't like the message that this in-show parameter sends, about how violence, particularly DV, is inflicted. I don't like being told that there is a super special person that this person who has abused others won't hurt. It's a bad message, and bad writing, and bad in-show precedence to set.

I'm not going to say all this without mentioning the stereotypes surrounding men of color, particular Indigenous men, which paints them as abusers. These stereotypes have been mentioned in regards to people talking about Ed's abuse this season. It's important to examine and be critical of oneself as a white person, and look long and hard at these biases. I don't want to fall into the trap of racist biases, and I don't want it to go unmentioned. I have thought long and hard about this. I've done a lot of self-examination on the subject of Ed and abuse. It has brought me back to my point of character assassination; I think the show fell into those stereotypes itself. I think Ed's characterization this season was problematic, and a disservice to the character as laid out in season one, and that's a big part of my disappointment with this season. (I also have a lot of thoughts on how Stede's character, who has been handed an immense amount of power over Ed and his agency as a character, is also extremely problematic. I will get into that in another post; it needs its own. So I'm not here to say Stede himself is not a Problem because he absolutely is and I will shout it from the rooftops.) "But somekindofcontraption," you say! "Ed has trauma!" Yes. That is very true. And it certainly explains some things, but as in real life, it absolutely does not excuse them. Ed's narrative was all about the perpetuation of trauma, particularly generational trauma, with absolutely no criticism or breakage of this cycle in any meaningful or productive way. It set up the story and did no work to resolve it. Ed was simply fixed because he and Stede said I love you and kissed a few times. The romance's "resolution" was unearned and unsatisfying. Neither Stede nor Ed were held accountable for what they did.

Then there was Izzy, who spent the whole of his arc being redeemed, moving forward as a character. He was the only character, I would say, with any meaningful growth. He's also the only one whose story was explicitly about being queer and queer discovery, rather than queerness merely being and incidental part of it. He's the only one who shows any accountability. Right up until the point that he died, his story was the best-written out of all of them. Then he dies. Izzy's death, and the ways that tonally it does not fit into the narrative, is another post onto itself. For now, I'll leave you with all of these rambling thoughts, condensed down as best I could into this tumblr post. If you have any further thoughts, I would love to hear them in good faith. For now, I say, that it's okay to be disappointed. This story was so meaningful to so many, and to be so thoroughly let down is hard. Grief is grief. Take care out there, and be kind to yourself, and be kind to those that are grieving.

[pengychan]

[Our Flag Means Death] Izzy's Gravy Basket

Summary: Nothing is life is certain but death and taxes - but pirates do not, as a general rule, pay taxes. And when a sea witch is involved, death is not always all that certain either. Characters: Izzy Hands, Calico Jack, Ed Teach, Stede Bonnet. Rating: T  

A/N: Did I hate how Izzy's story ended? Not necessarily. Did I still start writing this from the second I got off work and didn't stop until it was done? You bet.

***

Perched on the makeshift cross marking a freshly-dug grave, a seagull screams and screams and screams.  

It’s been chased away a couple of times, but it keeps coming back to call out. It knows patience, and it knows what needs to be done. The sunset turns to darkness, and then back to morning light; shadows grow longer, heading back to sunset, and yet it remains. Yet it screams and it calls, it calls, it calls.

And usually, when you call out enough times, something will eventually answer.

***

The first thing on Izzy’s mind as it swims in the dark is something along the lines of ‘fucking seagulls’. The second thought is something slightly more complex, but ‘Buttons, shut the fuck up’ makes no sense, because Buttons is not there and he’s just listening to a screaming fucking gull. The third realization is that he has no idea where here is. 

With a groan and far more effort than is reasonable, he opens his eyes. He sees boards above him, sunlight filtering through, and hears the groans of the rolling ship, the soft sound of the waves. And the fucking seagull, of course. He hears nothing else, though. It’s as though the ship is empty.

The fuck are those twats at, and why is he in the damn hidden room again?

With a groan, Izzy sits up from the bed and reaches to press a hand over his side, where the wound… isn’t. He looks down to see undamaged clothing, over undamaged flesh. 

“What the fuck,” he says, but then his gaze falls on his left leg, and it’s the only answer he needs. He stares a few moments before he stands on two feet, his own two feet, and heads out on deck to find out what his own gravy basket looks like.

***

“... And we need to set some money aside for the knives.”

“The knives?”

“For the kids.”

“What kids?”

“There are always kids around inns. They could use knives.”

“We should probably not be giving children knives, Ed.”

“They’re small. How else do they protect themselves?”

“Well, I suppose we could step in for them, don’t you think?”

“Small knives.”

“... We can discuss it further once the inn is up and running, surely.”

To be honest, it’s probably going to be a while before anything is up and running: they have been here just over a day. Enough time to get a good idea of the amount of work needed to fix the shack - it is a lot - and get themselves some dinner in the form of a wild pig they found wandering nearby. They also caught a rabbit, but as Ed has promptly named it Stede Bunnet, Stede - the human one - has reason to suspect it’s not going to turn into food anytime soon. 

Ah, well. The dinner at Mary and Anne’s rather put him off rabbit meat for a while, anyway.

“Right, yes. I’ll just make a note of it so we don’t forget--” Ed trails off when yet more squawking reaches their ears. Sure enough, it’s that seagull again. It seems to have taken a liking to the cross marking Izzy’s grave, and it’s been making enough ruckus to wake the dead.

Well… unfortunately, not really enough to raise the dead. But it is an awful lot of noise, and Ed hates it. He refused to shoot it - “any seagull could be Buttons now,” he said - but he still very much wants it off the grave. He resorts to firing a shot in the air and yell at the bird to have some fucking respect, and that gets it to fly off, at least. 

For a short time.

***

The thirty-gun sloop is empty, sailing without wind beneath a gray sky, cutting a wound through senselessly choppy water with no effort. It’s been a long time since Izzy laid eyes on this ship, but he recognizes it all the same. It is not the Revenge. It’s--

“Welcome back on the Ranger, Izzy. Betcha didn’t miss it.”

Ah. Him. 

“... I sure fucking didn’t.”

“Missed me, though, didya?”

“No. You’re still a cunt, Rackham.”

“Rude thing to say to the guy you got killed. Brits got you too, huh? Shoulda moved out of the way, both of us.”

Izzy looks up, and Calico Jack grins down at him, leaning on the wheel. He would do that long ago, too, when they were much younger and still sailed under Hornigold. Little more than kids, him and Edward, and himself barely any older. 

“But admit it, better me than old Ben, who’s gotta be roasting in Hell somewhere for turning pirate hunter.” Jack grins, and holds up his burnt arm. The punishment for grabbing more rations than he should have once, and it had taken forever to heal. It never did, not entirely, because the skin pulled like a too tight sleeve and Jack could never quite use that arm the way he once did. 

“That’s a fucking low bar to step over,” Izzy comments, and Jack shrugs. 

“Yeah, it is. Old bastard. You took the brunt of it a lot, too. Never complained. Word was you were into it.”

“Fuck off.”

“Yeah, I can’t. This ain’t my gravy basket, mate. It’s yours.”

“Then why are you here, Rackham?”

“Hell do I know? It’s your gravy basket. I’m as confused as you are. Didn’t think ya liked me that much.”

Izzy chooses to ignore that last statement. “So, I’m dead.”

“Oh, fuck off, right back at ya. You know what the gravy basket is.”

“Old wives’ tales,” Izzy mutters. He leans against the railing, looking down at the sea. Somewhere, a seagull is still screaming. “... Always did hate this fucking ship.”

“Oh? I liked it well enough.” There was no time for Rackham to come down the steps to stand next to him, nor any noise to indicate he did, but now he’s standing next to him, leaning on the same railing. “Taught me all I know,” he adds, and Izzy’s gaze falls on the scarred arm. “I named my own brigantine after it, ya know? After swiping it from Charlie Vane. Man was a coward, anyway.”

“Not rushing to fight a fully armed man-of-war is common sense.”

“Aw, what a wet blanket you are. We’d have won, there were just a bunch of frog eaters on board,” Rackham says, and shrugs. “And what the hell do we need common sense for? Good old Bart had it right. A merry life, and a short one. Though I’m not sure yours was all that merry, Izzy.”

Above, all around, the seagull screams. Not a single bird to be seen anywhere, yet the cries keep coming and coming and coming. Izzy ceases his useless search of the sky, and turns to Rackham. “Was yours?”

“Short, or merry?”

“You’re too stupid to play coy. Just fucking answer.”

A pause, and the ever-present grin fades beneath the mustache. For a moment Izzy sees it again, a boy struggling to keep his lips locked in a smile as he dipped a red and raw arm into saltwater to try disinfecting it. 

“A man’s got to lie to himself sometimes. Ya know.”

“... Yeah. I know.”

“Speakin’ of lies. You really wanna go, or were you tryin’ to make Eddie feel better?”

“What does it matter?”

“In the gravy basket? Fucking everything.” A pause, then Rackham shrugs. “Well, maybe going is the right call, and you dodged a bullet.”

“Oh, fuck of--”

“Hah!” A pat on his back, far too powerful to be really friendly, and then a vise-like grip around his shoulders. “Not the literal one, dumbass. I mean, you can avoid turnin’ into one of… whatever kind of sissies Eddie runs with these days.”

Since opening his eyes again from the darkness, Izzy has felt somewhat numb; now, suddenly, something is awake again, gnashing teeth and sharpened knives. “It’s a good crew.”

“Good for what, target practice? Oh, I betcha the British are not done with them. Won’t last a week without you or Eddie.”

“Fuck off,” Izzy snarls, and breaks away. “You don’t know them.”

“Whoa, whoa, little guy!” Rackham laughs, holding up his hands. “Holy shit, don’t tell me they already rubbed off ya!”

Izzy opens his mouth, but before the perhaps not incredibly original ‘fuck off’ leaves his mouth, Calico Jack has grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. He grins again, wide, with clenched teeth. 

“Ooh shit, they did. I can smell perfume on you. Got all dolled up, didn’t you?”

“I--” Izzy tries to answer, but insults die in his throat and his tongue is heavy as lead. Something squirms in his stomach, shame black as coal. Rackham’s finger flicks at the ring tied around his neck. 

“Turned ya into their songbird, huh? Little Izzy, listenin’ in to his momma’s songs but never daring to join in. Cozy up to them to listen to bedtime stories, too, didya?”

A flash of anger, burning away some of the coal, and he slaps Rackham’s hand off the ring. “You don’t know a thing, you fucking cunt.”

“I know you’re better off dead than-- that. Lettin’ the whiny brat kill you was the best call. You know that. Said so yourself, no? You wanna go.”

“Shut up.”

“Not that they’ll outlive you by much. Maybe they’ll ask you to sing some more while you feed the fish all togeth--”

Izzy’s sword is out the next moment, cutting through the air with swift, deadly ease. But Calico Jack is fast, too - you don’t become a feared captain by just fucking around with a whip - and his own sword rises up to meet it. They clang, and the seagull screams again. 

The man before him laughs, and looks him in the eye. Izzy meets his gaze, and it’s both very familiar and very, very wrong. He clenches his jaw, staring into his own eyes. 

“You’re not John Rackham.”

Not-John-Rackham’s grin widens. “Of course I’m not fucking Calico Jack, dumbass. It’s your gravy basket. He’s feedin’ the crabs at the bottom of the ocean and so will you. ”

He moves fast, disengaging and then feinting to the left, before swinging his sword the other way. But it’s a move Izzy knows well because he fucking practiced it and used it time and time again. The way he holds his sword, the way he moves, down to the fucking footwork, it’s all his. He’s always been really damn good - and this version of him fights like he used to in his fucking prime.

The swords clang, he’s pushed further and further to the end of the deck towards the railing, and the seagull screams. His opponent laughs.

“You scared, Izzy? Didn’t ya say you wanna go? It’s for the best. You know it, so just let go.”

“Fuck off!”

He brings up the sword to strike, he sees a good chance, but something is suddenly opening up in his side and it’s bleeding agony. He screams, the sword falling from his hand, and he stumbles back. He tries to regain his footing and he cannot, because his leg is gone and there’s nothing beneath his left knee. His back hits the railing, and he almost goes over; a hand catches his collar before he can, and the part of him behind Calico Jack’s face sneers. 

“You’re outta time, Izzy boy. So answer me a simple question, will ya?”

“F-fuck o--”

“If they were so great, wouldn't they be worth stayin’ alive for?”

Israel Hands opens his mouth, but he has no time to say a thing. A push and he’s falling through the air, into the water, and it’s so so cold. Suddenly there is nothing but that, cold and silence, the sun above and sharks below, his blood tinging the water red.

No. No. Not like this. 

He swims up, or tries to. His left side is unending pain, he’s missing a leg and air is running out, but still he swims. He hears it again, distorted by water but unmistakable - the insistent screaming of a seagull. 

Izzy screams, too, and his hand breaks through the surface just one moment before he blacks out.

***

Stede truly, honestly, did not mean to scare Ed out of his wits. Nor he planned to almost die from a heart attack. All he wanted to do, when he spotted the seagull screaming frantically atop Izzy’s grave again, was to shoo it away. He worried that it might grab the ring and fly off with it, and Ed was having a hard enough time dealing with what happened without losing that keepsake, too. 

Maybe leaving it there, nice and sentimental as it was, was a bad idea. Maybe he should bring it inside, and then they could decide what to do. It was not a bad idea, he would insist later.

Only that right now, absolutely nothing goes as planned. He doesn’t even get to shoo away the seagull, who gives one last squawk before flying off on its own accord. Stede looks up at it, hands on his hips. 

“And don’t come back!” he yells, before looking down to see if the ring is still where they left it.

It is.

And beneath it there is also a gloved hand, emerging from the dirt, fingers clenching on air. This time the scream that rings out isn’t a seagull’s, and it’s loud enough to make Edward Teach, all the way down the beach, nearly jump out of his skin.

Stede Bonnet didn't mean to faint, either, but he does anyway.

***

“Really glad-- you twats-- don’t know how to dig six whole feet down.”

“Easy now, Izzy, don’t talk. No, come to think of it, keep talking. I like it. Say something else.”

“Fuck off.”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Stede, help me…”

“Oh my God, we buried a man alive!”

“... Yeah, I think at least someone here should learn how to check for a pulse. I don’t think Roach has even been to medical school.”

That’s not what happened, I was dead, Izzy thinks, but he finds that’s not a conversation he wants to start right now. He’s taken inside a shack of some kind, laid on surprisingly clean bedding. When clothing is peeled off carefully to expose the wound, he doesn’t struggle. 

“We’ll give it a good clean, yes?” Stede Bonnet is saying, somewhere on his left. “Oh! And I’ll go fetch your leg. And the ring. But first the wound. I got some alcohol, it’s probably going to sting, but…”

He keeps fretting, with more concern than Izzy ever thought could possibly be warranted for his life, but his attention is taken quickly enough by Ed. He’s wiping his face with a cloth, looking more than a little choked up. “Indestructible little fucker,” he mutters. “There you are. What kind of fuckery was that?”

“The fuckery-- to end all fuckeries. How long…?”

“We buried you almost two days ago.”

“... Heh. Beat Jesus fucking Christ,” Izzy manages, and it takes the last of his strength. He closes his eyes and lets himself fall into unconsciousness, with the utmost certainty that he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. This time, everything is quiet. 

The seagull who’s not a seagull at all has taken its screaming elsewhere.

***

It takes five more days for the Revenge to appear at the horizon.

It’s a complete surprise, because they were supposed to be gone a lot longer; Stede was hoping they would find the inn all nice and done by the time they did, but he figures the surprise they have for them now was a lot better than just the brand new inn. They don’t tell them right away, as they meet them at the beach.

As it turns out, they have a pretty strange tale of their own. 

“So, we were sailing, right? Smooth sailing, mostly. And then this seagull shows up, perches on the ship, and refuses to leave.”

“Yeah, it just squawked, flew off in the opposite direction, turned back, caught up again, yelled some more…”

“Auntie kept saying it was a sea witch.”

“She insisted we followed it.”

“And you don’t say no to Auntie.”

“Oh fuck, no, you really don’t.”

“So, it took us right back here and then went off somewhere over land. We figured we’d--”

“... What happened to the grave?”

Jim’s voice rings out suddenly, incredulous, and causes everyone to stop on their tracks. Ed and Stede didn’t really have the time to tidy it up, so it looks pretty bad, the earth dug up and the cross gone. The crew turns to look at them, eyes wide and horrified, but the answer doesn’t come from either Ed or Stede. They let someone else do the honors.

“What didn’t happen, you mean. Next time you want me to stay down, put a fucking stone slab on top.”

They turn as one, several jaws drop, and then it’s absolute chaos of the best possible kind. Fang and Frenchie get to Izzy first and Fang physically lifts him, pulling him into a bear hug that is probably not great for his still healing wound, and bursts crying. Not the only one, but probably the loudest.

How, everyone asks, and Lucius is the only one to get some kind of answer. 

“I’m not done teaching you to be decent fucking pirates, Twatty,” he says, explaining absolutely nothing, but it ends the line of questioning. When something good happens, something really good, there’s no reason to ask too many questions.

You take it, and you’re happy for it, and you keep moving.

***

“Captain Hands. It has a nice ring to it.”

Standing at the beach as the crew finishes loading extra supplies before rowing back to the Revenge, Izzy hums. “Stupid sentimental of Frenchie, just giving away the job like that.”

“He put it up to vote.”

“And then voted for me.”

“True, a smashing victory. I wasn’t that popular when I came back from the dead,” Ed says, and shrugs. “He’ll make a great first mate. And don’t act like you’re surprised, I know you’re not. I saw you wiping your eye, too.”

“Fuck off,” Izzy huffs, but he’s smiling and Ed smiles back. 

“When you come back with some British heads, you’ll find a proper inn. We’ll give you all a discount. Do you think you can get us some knives, by the way?”

“Knives?”

“Small. For the children.”

Izzy looks at Ed, considers asking, and decides he probably shouldn’t. “... Yeah, I guess we can find some knives for children.”

“Thanks, mate. Take care.”

“You too. And Bonnet.”

Ed turns to look at Bonnet, who’s apparently saying something hilarious if Olu’s reaction is anything to go by, and smiles. 

“We will,” he says. “I reckon we’re gonna be just fine.”

***

When the Revenge sets sail again it’s on calm waters, with the crew working as a well-oiled machine. As a seagull flies over it, calling out just once, the captain looks up from the waves. 

“Fuck off,” he mutters, but he doesn’t mind, not really. He watches the bird turn into a small white dot and disappear, then he breathes in the morning air, and hums quietly in the wind.

Les ennuis, les chagrins, s'effacent  Heureux, heureux à mourir…

[xray-vex]

THIS IS HAPPENING!

If you love Edward Teach of the iconic hit series Our Flag Means Death, read on!

@xray_vex, @amzbailey, and @politestmenace (on Twitter) present:

THE A to Z of ED TEACH CHARITY ZINE PROJECT (latest update: 8th August 2023)

The A to Z of Ed Teach is a charity digital zine project inviting authors and artists OF ALL LEVELS AND STYLES to submit art and short written works using assigned prompts based on letters of the alphabet.

Each participant will be assigned a letter/word, and will create an Edward Teach-themed piece based on that prompt. The projects will be arranged in alphabetical order, hence the title "The A to Z of Ed Teach"!

Patrons will be able to “purchase” the zine(s) by donating to an LGBTQ+ charity and sending a screen shot of their donation receipt to the zine team; they will be given a link to download the zine when it's finished!

If you've been intimidated by larger group projects, please consider this one! This is intended as a FUN, low-stress, low-pressure project to raise money for LGBTQ+ charities AND to help keep us going til OFMD Season 2!

For more details, visit our main project site HERE , follow the hashtag #AtoZofEdTeachZine , and help share this project -- THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US! LET'S DO THIS!!

[iamzheawsomeprussia]

Here’s a reflective essay about Izzy I did for my college English class. I hate talking about myself and my teacher gave my the freedom to write about any character from any show I wanted. It took me 2 hours to write this(it’s only the first draft so warning of possible grammatical errors)

Our Flag Means Death is a show about pirates and goes more in-depth about the opposite reasons one would’ve become a pirate. A character that shows this well is a character named Izzy Hands. Izzy (Israel) Hands is based on a real pirate from the 17th century though the show took liberties to age him up since if it was historically accurate, he would’ve only been 16 when the show is taking place. He also has the name as the greatest swordsman in history at the time, at least in the show. Throughout the two seasons, he goes through many changes that lead to people's understanding of what it means to be a pirate, that it’s not only about killing and money but also finding a family that is there for you no matter what; that won’t give up on you. A family that will always have you back no matter how much they tease you, how much you’ve gone through, a family that won’t give up. This is shown through his being on the main character's ship with his crew of ‘horrible’ pirates.

In the first season, he is portrayed as your typical first mate, loyal to a fault, and very serious. This leads to him being the comedic relief in a roundabout way since he’s the only entirely serious and questionably straight character in essentially a rom-com about gay pirates. Along with his serious demeanor he gets saddled with the short jokes that come with his height, the actor that plays him in the show is 5’7” at most while all the other men in the show are 5’9” or taller with only one person shorter than him the non-binary character who is 5’6”. He is the first mate of the infamous Blackbeard and takes the title very seriously, he runs a tight ship and likes to keep things in order. Due to his devotion to pirating his personality is not unlike an army sergeant, he’s very strict and blunt, but in his eyes, it’s for the good of the ship. During his time as first mate, while they took over the main character-Stead Bonnets’ ship, the revenge, he wanted to keep his captain on track; to the point where he challenged Stead to a duel. In the duel he lost on a technicality, getting his sword stuck in a beam and unable to pull it out, causing him to be banished from the ship. This banishment led him to work with the British to deliver the Bonnet to the royal navy with the promise Blackbeard would be returned to him.

At the beginning of the second season of the show, Blackbeard is back as captain, but without the support of Stead Bonnet he is more ruthless and violent than ever; even with his crew. Izzy ends up taking the worst of his abuse but still staying loyal to him through it. Blackbeard cuts off his toes if he does something he doesn’t like and he still works through the pain and suffering, this leads to a breaking point with him while he’s carrying out orders to the crew. He ends up breaking down and crying in front of them and for a character that is as strict kept and (I need a word for asshole) it is a large turning point. He finally realizes that even with how much of an almost tyrant he has been the crew is there for him and he must be there for them to. This leads to an argument between him and Blackbeard about bonnet which ends with him getting shot in the leg and was supposed to be killed. Instead of killing him though the crew saves his life but must sacrifice his leg. During this whole ordeal he realizes that love and blind loyalty can have horrible outcomes but at the same time love, with the right people, can lead to protection. This time ends with a mutiny against Blackbeard where even with all that he’s done to him Izzy keeps his body onboard instead of throwing him overboard, showing that in a toxic way he still loves him and is loyal to him.

The second half of season two starts with the whole crew a mess, but Izzy the most messed up out of all of them. He was brutalized at the hands of Blackbeard and as a result his leg was cut off when he would’ve rather died. This led him into a spiral of drinking and onscreen self-loathing, which ended in him cutting the legs off the horse mounted on the ship then breaking his makeshift leg out of what looks like a table or chair leg. After this the crew all come together, when before there was fighting among the ones who were traumatized by Blackbeard and the ones who were kicked off the ship before that, to create a leg out of the horses leg for him and painted it gold with a note that read “for the new unicorn(Our flag means death season 2 ep 4).” This leads to a large change in his personality which leads him to be a bigger part of the crew. This finishes off during a party where Izzy comes out on deck with drag makeup on and singing “La Vie en Rose” for the crew which was a large leap in trust from him previously having none with the crew because if he did this with Blackbeard’s old crew he most likely would’ve been laughed at and humiliated, but this crew loved it and welcomed him.

In the end, as all people who wish to get better, he dies. But he dies surrounded by people that not only fear him but respect him and love him, a crew that he’s gone through hell with and it brought them closer. Where in the beginning of the show he didn’t want to die but in the end he was ready because even though he didn’t think he needed it, he had a family that loved him; a family he chose. Throughout the two seasons he had gone through many changes, from the cold and stern second hand of Blackbeard to the still stern but also caring and broken but rebuilt second hand of Stead Bonnet. He had the most change in the show not only physically but emotionally, if he did not go through that torture, he would not have seen that the crew really did care for him; that the crew would always stand with him no matter what. That is what being a pirate was also about, not only pillaging and getting gold; the outcasts of society finding family within their crews, finding people who wants them when no one else did.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Relax, I’m From The Future

A conversation with writer-director Luke Higgingson

Relax, I’m From The Future was a surprise fav of mine at last year’s Fantasia Fest, and it’s finally getting a theatrical release! The movie is a punk rock sci-fi comedy with a lot of wit and even more heart starring Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Our Flag Means Death) and Gabrielle Graham (Possessor, Twenties) as an unlikely duo trying, sort of, not really, to save the world. I got a chance to speak with writer-director Luke Higginson a few weeks ago about all the work that went into his debut feature. Read our (lightly edited for clarity) conversation below!

Tell me, how do you describe this movie to other people?

It’s very much my attempt to work through my anxieties about the future and the state of the world in a way that might bring me some comfort without eliminating the very real cynicism I have about it. [My short film in 2013] started as a simple joke idea — the idea of an unprepared timetraveler — and then when people sort of liked that film more than I expected, I thought about how I would make that meaningful enough to expand it. And as I noodled on that, Trump got elected, and Covid happened, a lot of terrible things happened… It really became a source of therapy for me to write this ridiculous film and pump my anxieties into it. That’s really where I found what the film was about.

There is an incredible dynamic between Rhys and Gabrielle — how did you work your story with them?

Gabriel Graham was the first person that I knew I wanted to cast [as Holly]. I saw Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, and she had such presence, but I didn’t know if she was funny, so I watched Twenties… it was clear she had comic chops.

For Casper [Rhys Darby’s character], you have to be on board with following him even when he does some questionable things. And also, he’s on screen for so much of the movie that it had to be someone with real energy, especially in a script that’s mostly people talking to each other. There weren’t a lot of people that I felt fit that. Then when his name was floated, it was immediately like omg holy shit that would be amazing! My producers at Wango films are phenomenally gifted at getting scripts in hands. I spent a couple of days building up a dossier of arguments for why he should do the film. And when we got on the call and he was just like “Hey, so I just wanted to meet ya and make sure you were ok with me doing this movie”, I was blown away. He had this tiny little window where we could get him for 15 shooting days and he agreed to come up [to Hamilton, Ontario] and do it. I’m still pinching myself about that, it was amazing.

In terms of working with them, because of that window of time, there was no time for rehearsal. There was barely time for Rhys to learn his lines. I got one hour of Rhys and Gabby in a room together before the first day of shooting… Something clicked, it was like Oh it’s Casper and Holly, they’re hanging out!

The scene in the playground — where the two of them are sharing a bottle of booze and talking — was incredibly cold, absurdly cold. And they were both very underdressed for that weather. They were both improving and bouncing off of each other. That was the scene where I felt like ah there’s something special between these two in particular. It was cool, it was really special, both of them are just amazing.

Wait, the shooting schedule was only 15 days?

We had Rhys for 15 days, and we shot for 18 days, but Rhys is in almost all of the movie.

How did the music in the movie play into writing your story and how did you manage to clear all those songs?

I knew a ton of people in the Toronto indie-rock punk scene and I always knew that if I ever got to make a movie, I knew all these great songs that no one knows. I listened to a lot of that stuff writing the film — Holly being part of the punk scene was very important to the character. I gave [Gabrielle] a playlist of a bunch of 70s CBGB stuff, she watched a documentary on Poly Styrene. That really embodied the vibe of the music. I wanted it to be all Toronto music on the soundtrack, it’s basically a split between songs from bands that I played with or went to see back in the day and bands that are still operating right now. The big coup was getting Pup involved, which was really exciting. They didn’t have to say yes at all, but they really were big fans of Rhys and [because of Covid] I think they were a little itchy to get on stage in front of a bunch of people. We got to use a few of their songs, as well as Metz and Bad Waitress and a couple of other great bands.

In terms of the licensing side what I didn’t expect as a problem was that many of those bands no longer exist and never had any kind of official existence in terms of paper work or legality, so I perhaps foolishly did not see that coming as a problem. Anagram, Sailboats Are White, Lunchmeat — all great bands that I love, but [licensing their songs] was a trickier thing than I thought it was gonna be.

What are some of the challenges or joys that you encountered in the editing room, putting this thing together?

The editing process was long, longer than I expected. My baby was 6 months old when we started shooting, which was a real challenge for me and my wife. I literally edited the film with my baby next to me, so it took a while. But really, it was about matching the film to Rhys’s rhythm. When we [cast] Rhys, who’s one of the best improvisers comedically in the world, I knew that [for the edit] I was gonna want both sides of the conversations he has with Gabby. So any time that Rhys is talking to another person, there’s two cameras going at the same time and that really allowed us to use the little moments of inspiration and improvisation. If Rhys gives you a piece of gold, you know that you have it covered. That was big, I think both in the shooting and in the editing.

Time travel can be a tricky narrative device! How did you build the rules of this universe?

I knew right off the bat that I was neither capable nor interested in doing something scientifically “accurate”, but you also don’t want the audience to feel like you don’t give a shit. It has to feel like there’s an internal consistency. So my guiding principle was that rules of time travel are going to be what serves the humour and the story, and then once I have those things, to make sure it’s internally consistent. It actively subverts what I felt was the most common tropes — like in Terminator, you have to be naked to travel through time, in my movie you have to have no skin showing of any kind. In most time travel movies you can go back and forth, in mine you can only go back. When drafting it out, I went with the ideas that I found funny, then once I had the beats, I worked very hard to make sure it was internally consistent within that.

What was screening your film at Fantasia like?

It was incredible, I can’t say enough good things about Fantasia. I wanna shout out programmer Carolyn Mauricette, who saw a very rough cut of the film without any of the sound mix or special effects. She saw it, she got it, she connected to it. It just meant so much, that phase of the editing process, you’re very emotionally fragile, you have no idea if you’ve made something that works or not, and that was such a vote of confidence.

What are you hoping people take away from this?

I am genuinely very excited for people to see Rhys do this. I feel like he uses some muscles that you don’t get to see him use normally, he’s such a star. And I think Gabriel Graham is incredibly slept on, like she’s a successful actor but I think way more people should know her. I’m gonna sit in on a bunch of screenings — I never need to watch the movie again, but I do love watching the audience watch it, and there are some moments in the back third of the movie that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing an audience react to.

I didn’t even ask you about Julian Richings!

He’s incredible! I got him [cast as Percy] by recording a video begging him to be in the movie because he’s a legend! I first saw him in Hard Core Logo when I was a teenager, he’s so captivating. So ya, I recorded a shameless message and sent it to him, and luckily he is the sweetest man in the world, just the easiest person in the world to work with — I can’t say enough nice things about him.

I think this movie has a lot for a lot of different crowds of people — you got the gays, you got the nerds, you got the horror fans -

Those are all my people! Those are my favourite type of people!

I’m excited for people to see it!

Me too!

Source: Bad Critic

[epersonae]

fic etc (new version!)

[update March 21, 2024]

These days I'm writing fic for Our Flag Means Death.

Longfic

I have three finished long pieces, in order of connectedness to canon:

Hungry for love, ready to drown (T, 33K) - a Stede POV retelling of season one starting with episode four, lots of missing scenes (so much with clothing but also wound care! dream sequence!). My love letter to canon; I watched those episodes so many times in little bursts to really absorb the writing and acting, and I'm very proud of the results. Goes well with S2 prep, if I may say so. Will probably definitely most likely get a sequel, but it's taking me a while to figure out how to approach it.

the devil's threeway (E, 30K) - Ed POV, starts with a pre-canon encounter with Jack and (non-canonical) Anne Bonney, follows up with a post-S1 meet-up with Anne and (also non-canonical) Mark Read, and then a somewhat unusual reunion with Stede. Includes the fic where Ed would not. Stop. Crying. There is a reasonably likelihood that I will write something similar or equivalent with the canon versions of Anne and Mary, but it's still marinating.

for the benefit of all the broken hearts (E, 62K) - the not RPF but not not RPF that is maybe the best thing I've ever written in any medium for any reason: a fix-it fic for the gorgeous and weird Water Flowing Underground, told from the perspective of the unnamed second wife. My exploration of the aftermath of tragedy, the possibility of repair, and varieties of love. Read the tags, read the author's note, read WFU first (or don't, I'm not the boss of you, and I do know someone who read them out of order and still enjoyed it), but please give it a shot. Posts tagged #carlita coded content are related to this work, sometimes very obliquely. There is also a follow-up fic of missing scenes, end up several worlds away, that still has one chapter remaining (I SWEAR I'm going to finish it), and a short sort of non-linear AU, back on my beat, that explores some alternate endings.

Some favorite shorter pieces

I have begun to long for you, a "mutiny against Izzy succeeds" canon-divergence AU

nice either way, my contribution to the Beard Discourse

Commit to the Bit, modern AU blackbonnet engagement and wedding

Season 2 and post-S2 fic

I spit on your grave - post-S2, Stede and Ed have a serious conversation, starting with how Ed didn't "happen" upon Stede being gut-stabbed, and going some tough places from there

lost and found - post-S2, featuring beach comber Stede and those cake toppers

Through the storm - the crew of the Revenge between episodes 2 and 3. slow and creepy!

in case I never make it through to where you are - bad ending AU set at the end of 3. MIND THE TAGS, it's a rough one.

Other stuff

Occasionally I post OFMD fic recommendations, which started as a weekly thing but, you know. They are still posted in sets of five on Fridays, when I do them, and tagged #five fic friday. (There's no particular system to my listings, just stuff I like that's not PWP.)

Not fic: I am doing a little project where I make/recreate recipes that I have written down but haven't made in a long time (or ever) - that can be found under the tag #food as play. Includes my rewrite of the 40 Orange Cake Recipe!

I have also written a lot of fic for The Adventure Zone, my favorite being The Reckoning Arrives, a 77k fic in which Lucretia, Taako, Merle, and Carey go looking for Kalen.

I wrote quite a bit of my TAZ fic with my late spouse Ryn (@taakovapes). Ryn died in September 2021; here's the post I wrote the week they died. I often post/tag about them and death and grief. (See tags #not all exits are made equal, #[grief dab], and #posts I wish I could send to Ryn in particular.)

[bd-wlf]

alright, i've decided to open my ask box up for fic requests.

fandoms i'll accept/write for:

Supernatural, Doctor Who, Teen Wolf, Sherlock Holmes(any adaptation), Good Omens(this one might be removed), Our Flag Means Death, What We Do in the Shadows, Rick and Morty, The Flash, DC, Marvel, etc

i'll still accept other fandoms, just ask me about the fandom if you don't see it up there just because i've probably forgotten it.

stuff i will Not write, under any circumstance:

incest, proship, omegaverse(personal preference), Y/N(also personal prefernce)

yeah i think thats all

stuff i will write:

Doctorcest, selfcest, self-insert OC, gore/horror, furryporn, etc

uh yeah i think that covers all the bases, just-

put the ship you want, the fandom, and a prompt/what AU you want, and if you want smut or fluff in it in the ask and I'll write a short one-shot for that ship and post it here(and on ao3, user name Capaldi_Whore)

[ofmdrecaps]

07/13/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Taika Waititi; Florida Super Con: Vico & Samba; Dominic Burgess; Kristian Nairn; Christopher Corbin; Darby Family Foster Kittens; Articles; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards/AuxilleryWardrobe Zine Reminders; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Today's Taika Gifs

Hey crew, today's a bit of short one, but I wanted to make sure there was some fun stuff up and about with everything going on.

== Taika Waititi ==

More shots of Taika directing Russell Crowe's show from a couple days back! You can buy tickets to the recorded concert and see at least a bit more Taika on the IndoorGardenParty website! Thank you to our crewmate @jimjim531969 for the screenshot!

Source: @JimJim531969's Twitter

== Florida Super Con: Vico & Samba ==

Samba and Vico are out at Florida SuperCon-- and as you can probably tell, they're having a great time! They're taking shots with all sorts of fans and other guests, including a certain set of What We Do In The Shadows TV Series friends! <3

Source: Samba & Vico's Instagram

== Dominic Burgess ==

Dominic is keeping us fed with more cat photos!

Source: Dominic Burgess Twitter

== Kristian Nairn ==

Kristian also sharing some beloved pets -- and this time, a new addition to his family, Calypso!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Christopher Corbin ==

Hey! We haven't seen our "Magic" man Christopher Corbin in a while! He's out giving a tour to his bro Jim at Universal Studios!

Source: Christopher Corbin's Instagram

== Darby Family Foster Kittens ==

Today really is a feast for the eyes when it comes to kitties and pups! Rosie shared more foster kittens with us! I can't tell you how tempted I am to drive to CA and adopt some!

Source: Rosie Carnahan Darby's Instagram

== Articles ==

Thank you to ShowSnob for this article on why OFMD deserved an S3! And thank you to our friends over at NeverLeftPodcast for bringing it to the crew's attention!

Source: Never Left Podcast's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Our sweet @melvisik is keeping up the cast cards for us with another Emmy Submission! Albert Fox joins Mark and John "for Outstanding Music Composition in a Series for Mermen -AdoptOurCrew"

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

= Auxilery Wardobe Zine Reminders =

Reminder! The signups for the Stede Bonnet: Auxiliary Wardrobe Zine close in a week! You can still sign up until July 21! Sign Up Here!

Source: StedeBonnetZine Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies, today was a day all around the world. I hope you're all doing okay. A lot of stuff happened that could have left you feeling a lot of hard feelings. I know it's concerning, and I know it's scary, especially the unknown of it all. If you can, today, take care of YOU. Take time to breathe, take time to eat well, and shower, and drink enough water. If you can, watch something funny, cry, whatever you need to do to feel okay. When the world is uncontrollable, and feels unreachable, and the future unknown, one of the best things you can do is take care of yourself and your loved ones. This is a good article on how to ground yourself, if you're feeling out of sorts. It says it's related to triggers but it can be anything really that you need to ground yourself from. The most important thing in the world is that you're safe, and you are okay, so please take care of you. If you need support, reach out to your crew, we all care about you and your well being.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

I think today we could use a little boost. So here's Taika laughing his ass off at Rhys' ANYWHO, and Rhys having a bit of a grumble about ZADDY. I love these two so much, it's ridiculous. Gif courtesy of @ dallonismysavior <3

[amuseoffyre]

Fyre's OFMD Fic Masterlist - Pre S2 Roundup!

S2 is almost here and I can already feel my brain begin to fizz and froth despite life trying to steal my time and focus! So, before it hits and eats me all over again, here's the full round up of 780k of fic written in 18 months 😁

SERIES/COLLECTIONS

Immersion ® - 13k A series of short soft scenes of Stede and Ed being soft, featuring the clothing swap, Ed’s introduction to the lavender soap, some shaving and bath time

Toxic (E) - 7.3k Izzy has an urge and Calico Jack knows just how to scratch it, whether Izzy likes it or not. (Please heed all warnings and tags if you venture into this series)

Penetrative Gays (E) - 13k A silly series following every post-e3 stabbing incident in the smuttiest possible way :)

Turning Tides ® - 81k My novel-length speculative season 2, picking up immediately after the end of S1, featuring everyone, multiple POVs, drama, shenanigans and fuckeries galore.

Storm Surge ® - 62k My second novel-length series and my speculative S3, following on directly from Turning Tides. Even more POVs and far, far, far more fuckeries than you can shake a stick at.

Our Flag Means Death - JanAUry (Mixed) - 17k A series of 1k one-shots based on the Jan-AU-ry prompts list

Write It Through As a Crew (Various) - 12k A collection of 1k prompts/one-shots/missing scenes from Turning Tides and Storm Surge

ONE SHOTS

The Biblical Sense (E)  - 2.6k The first time for the lads, written before David Jenkins dropped 9 & 10 and irreversibly hurled me into pirate hell.

Ties that Bind ® - 3.3k Stede has an extensive ribbon collection and Ed realises it’s a way for him to feel vulnerable. Shibari-with-ribbons.

Bit of a Clothes Horse (E) - 9k Written in collaboration with Aivelin - the missing scene where Stede helps Ed get ready for the fancy party boat. And all that comes after ;)

Type ® - 2.3k Mary Allamby Bonnet gets a bit of a fright when she finds a scary-looking man with a sword in her front room.

Magnolia (E) - 5k When Ed - no, the Kraken - catches Stede Bonnet, he wants to use him and ruin him, but it… doesn’t quite go to plan.

Fancy (E) - 7k Written in collaboration with Aivelin - After a successful raid, Stede and Ed find some unexpected enjoyment in some interesting items of clothing.

Co-Captain Duties (E) - 3.5k After the treasure hunt, Ed tries to use bath time as a way to drop a less than subtle hint that he wants to… push forward their relationship.

Maketh the Man (E) - 6.6k When Blackbeard is captured by Hornigold, Izzy Hands is forced to turn to the only person who might be mad enough to be able to save him. Naturally, Stede rises to the occasion.

Sweet/Tart (E) - 4k When Stede returns to the Revenge, he brings a little sweet treat to try and win Ed over

A Beginning (M) - 2k Sometimes, you meet a nice girl and you get along and you start to think maybe yeah, this one might be something special.And then she murders your boss’s favourite husband.

In Slumber (E) - 15k When Stede admits he might find Ed attractive, even asleep, Ed encourages him to pursue that train of thought with his full and enthusiastic consent.

Regulations (PG) 1.2k “It had to go”

Accord (R) - 2.6k Crossover with Black Sails - James Flint comes seeking an alliance with Blackbeard

Bits (R) - 4k Ed Teach’s not-good very-bad week after he hears about Stede Bonnet’s demise   

The Names We Make (R) - 2300 A long time ago, before Spanish Jackie and Blackbeard, there were a couple of kids.

Moonbeam (PG) - 5k A little gentle swordsmanship by moonlight. My reverse-bang fic written with @cosmicyeehaws

Anchored (R) - 1k Sometimes, Ed needs to be held.

CHAPTERED FIC (Non-series)

Thunders of the Upper Deep ® - 4.4k - WIP Started as part of mermay. Only this is were-mermay and Ed is the kraken :D

Renaissance (E) - 26k What if Ed heard that gunshot in the woods that night?

Bark and Bite ® - 75k Vampire & werewolf AU - take s1 and sprinkle in a generous dose of supernatural nonsense and that’s this fic. (S2 coming with S2 :D)

A Good Impression (R) - 19.5k WIP What if Stede had accepted Izzy’s invitation to the Queen Anne’s Revenge?

Lady Trouble (R) - 54k The runaway wife of a wealthy landowner, Stede Bonnet Allamby set out to find adventure and freedom on the high seas. Things did not go as planned…

Don't Tell Mama (E) - 187k Drag/Burlesque Social Media AU - Stede Bonnet runs off to be a cabaret Emcee and crosses paths with the bone-weary Drag Impresario Lady Blackbeard

Wonder of Infamy (R) - 48k My anniversary fic :) It’s already 20k written and rising rapidly.

Everything Changed When The British Empire Attacked (R) - 9k WIP My Avatar: The Last Airbender AU :D Because of course I did one.

Steadfast (E) - 9k A study of Izzy Hands from the day he became First Mate to the Legendary Blackbeard. Written in collaboration with @waldos-art

Adrift (R) - 7k Canon-divergence AU where Chauncey catches Ed instead of Stede at the academy

A Trick of the Light (R) - 5k published so far (45k written) WIP The Gentleman Conjurer has plans to make his big debut in 1870s London's magic circuit, but things do not go as planned. My newest epic monster that I love.

[fallenrocket]

Pirate's Life, Short but Nice

I’m definitely sad, and I’m definitely angry—I already canceled my Max subscription—but right now, instead of focusing on what Max took, I want to think about what this show gave.

First of all, I’m so grateful to Our Flag Means Death for giving us a season 2 finale that could function as a series finale in the event that they weren’t allowed to make their planned third season. I’m glad that most of the characters were left in a good place for us to imagine their continuing adventures. If the show had been canceled after season 1, that would’ve been wrenching. I’ll always wish we could get the proper ending that David Jenkins and co. imagined, but I’m so grateful for what we got.

I’m thankful to the entire production. From the brilliant writers to the tremendous cast to the talented crew, every single one of them left it all on the mat. The costumes, the direction, the effects. The banter, the speeches, the unspoken interactions. The amazing DIY lighthouse, Stede’s beautiful mermaid tale, Lucius’s bizarre book of Ed-fixated sketches. The needle drops, the delightful improv, the fantastic episode endings that had me champing at the bit for the following Thursday.

These actors never missed. Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi were positively born to play Stede and Ed. Both of them poured their hearts into these characters from the second they appeared onscreen, and their chemistry together was playful, effortless, and soulful. The whole crew was simply amazing: Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Samba Schutte, Joel Fry, Kristian Nairn, Matthew Maher, Ewen Bremner, Nat Faxon, Con O’Neil, David Fane, Guz Khan, and Madeleine Sami. Not one of them wasted a single line delivery or reaction shot. I’m glad we got a chance to meet fantastic new characters like Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie—Ruibo Qian and Anapela Polataivao both fit this show like a glove—and I loved our terrific cast of recurring characters and guest stars, from Leslie Jones to Claudia O’Doherty to Will Arnett.

Everyone put their absolute all into this beautiful, hilarious, sad, weird, hopeful little show. I’ve never seen queer representation treated with so much depth and nuance—nobody is doing it like Our Flag Means Death. Season 2 came along right as I was reckoning with my neurodivergence, and this wonderful found family of damaged oddballs helped me find much greater understanding of myself. Thank you so much to everyone who lent their imaginations to put this loving, lovely story onscreen.

[wanderinginksplot]

Clone Trooper Rambles

Part writing exercise, part diary, part daydream. Rambles are an idea of how life would be with clone troopers around. In these Rambles, clone troopers are unseen and unheard by other people, but they're always willing to share their opinions on my life and choices.

Warnings: This Ramble references a throat surgery I had a while ago. This is not current (Rambles rarely are), but it contains themes of frustration, recovery, and worry about future abilities. Please read with caution!

---

Ukulele

“Your voice sounds better,” Kix told me. 

He had been observing my recovery with interest, noting each benchmark no matter how small it was. It could very well have been irritating, but I appreciated it. Otherwise, I was worried I would slip into frustrated self-pity about the slow pace everything was taking.

“Thanks!” I thought about it for a moment. “It has been almost two months since the surgery, though.”

“They said up to six months until you can expect full use of your vocal cords,” Rex reminded. He had insisted on going to every post-operation appointment with me. By this point, he probably knew more about my recovery than I did.

“Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh. “I hope I last that long.”

I had managed to regain most of the tones I used to speak. As long as I didn’t try to do anything too dramatic with my voice, or speak too long or too loudly, I sounded almost normal. It was certainly better than the first few weeks after the operation. When I could first bring myself to speak, I sounded like Izzy Hands from Our Flag Means Death. 

“Why wouldn’t you last?” Waxer asked.

“It sounds stupid…” I hedged, only to be met with three steady stares. “I miss singing.”

“Have you… tried to sing?” It took a while for Kix to ask the question, but he seemed eager to hear the answer. Times like these, I was reminded how similar medical professionals and scientists were in their attitudes about unknown situations or variables.

I brought my mind back to the question. “Uh… No, actually. I just figured it wouldn’t work and I didn’t want to risk hurting something.”

“Now that you’re talking better, I think you should sing,” Waxer suggested. “Don’t try to scream something or belt out an opera, but give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”

The answer to that, of course, was that I would mess something up in my vocal cords and lose not only the ability to sing, but the ability to speak as well. Something told me that a worst-case method of thinking wouldn’t go over well in this particular crowd, so I just nodded. “I’ll probably try it on the way home.”

I did, in fact, end up singing on the way home. ‘Singing’ probably isn’t the right description, though. I tried to croak out the songs I loved and could always sing, but it wasn’t happening. No matter what note I was trying to sing, it would end up as one of the five notes I was able to speak in. Even trying to raise my voice to a notably high pitch only ended with a slight difference in tone.

It was odd. It hadn’t bothered me too badly that I couldn’t sing when it was background knowledge, but having it proven made me frustrated beyond reason. 

After a thankfully short journey home, I took a shower and played a podcast instead of music. There was no use in listening to music if I couldn’t sing along. Even after I had showered and eaten a snack - my typical mood-lightening routine - I still felt irritated and on edge.

When I stood and started for my room, the troopers looked concerned. "Everything okay?" 

I nodded with a slight, reassuring smile and kept walking. When I had sat comfortably on my bed, I pulled a small, light case onto the surface of my comforter. It unzipped easily and I took the slight weight of the ukulele into my hands.

It had been an impulse purchase from years before, a treat for restraining myself from buying an antique accordion at a flea market in my hometown. I had never intended to keep it so long, but the bright orange paint made me happy, as did the cheerful zing of the nylon strings.

Tuning it took only a moment. The correct notes were ingrained in my head after so long. Along with those notes were a few particular patterns for them. It was as easy as breathing to slip into the opening notes of the Beatles's Let It Be. 

The chords rose and fell under my fingers as I played the familiar melody. It was my favorite song to play when I needed a little thinking space, and my knowledge of the actual song had long faded into a vague idea of refrain and chorus.

I played and thought about my surgery and my fear, my voice and my frustration… about everything and nothing. When the suffocating worry in my chest had moved far enough away that I could pick through the tangle, I began to do just that but stopped after only a moment. 

I could play. I could breathe. I could live. That was enough for today. I would handle the rest of it when I decided it was important. That might never happen. That was fine.

With a sense of peace cooling my blood, I began to whistle along with the song plucked out with the tips of my fingers. Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

When I let the last bright notes fade away, I smiled at Rex. He had sat on my bed at some point, but I couldn't track exactly when. 

"Thought you didn't like that song?" he asked, voice low and careful. It seemed like he was worried he would break the calm spell if he spoke too loudly.

"I don't. Not to listen to, anyway. I think it's sad and wistful, and that isn't the kind of song I like to listen to." I began to pack away the small instrument as I spoke, glancing at Rex. "But on the ukulele? It's… I don't know how to describe it, but it's like the difference between a slow, mournful fade and the fond remembrance of a favorite time."

The crease between his brows didn't disappear. "And it makes you feel better?" 

I took a deep breath, feeling far lighter than I had when I started to play. "Yeah, it does."

---

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Author's Note - Like I said, this isn't a current situation, but it is very much real. For anyone who may be struggling with recovery of any kind right now, I wish you all the best! Please know that I'm rooting for you!

Thank you for reading!

Taglist: @rexs-wife @sugarpuffsstuff @just-some-girl-92 @kimageddon @ladysongmaster @carodealmeida @nomercyforthewarrior @bitchylittleredhead @lackofhonor @buddee @salaminus @hikime @808tsuika @ladykatakuri @shawtyitsyou @bikerlorian @torchbearerkyle @frietiemeloen @justanothersadperson93 @leotatombs @rain-on-kamino @itsagrimm @dancingwiththeplanets @theclonesdeservebetter @murder-of-crows-1 @rosmariner @staycalmandhugaclone @marennial @eyecandyeoz @fordo-kixed-rex @lucyysthings @quietplaceinthestars @dinsverdika @xxxcertifiednerdxxx @coruscanticoffee @archangelsunited @samgraver