Blackbeard - Blog Posts
another OFMD post and she’s super long
there have already been a lot of takes about the really great way OFMD handles masculinity, but there is something i wanted to add. i think the thing that underscores stede’s personality and his struggles both in marriage AND as a pirate captain is the fact that he’s uncomfortable in masculine positions of authority. one of the first times we see this is in ep 1, with the flashback to stede’s home life. it shows him at the head of the table, with his wife seated all the way at the other end and the children seated right next to her. there is a literal and metaphorical gulf between them. mary and the kids are having a conversation, and stede looks both unhappy and uncomfortable when listening and trying to participate in the discussion. at first when i saw this scene i was bracing myself for another dismissal and butchering of women characters, but later in the episode, another scene changes this dynamic. it shows stede again seated at the table with his family, but he has moved down to sit by mary and the kids, and everyone is now smiling, laughing, and comfortable. by moving, stede literally and symbolically closed the gap between him and his family and removed himself from the head of the table, that place representing the authority of the man of the family. stede feels much more comfortable existing on a plane equal to mary and his family, yet his status and cultural norms prevent him from doing this. stede doesn’t feel completely uncomfortable around his family -- even though he is queer and him & mary were not a love match -- he is uncomfortable being in this traditional, patriarchal place of authority over them. this a more masculine space to occupy, and as the previous flashbacks about the dead animal and the flower picking show, stede is not very comfortable on a traditionally masculine plane. i think the fact that stede left without his family after mary rejected his idea to live out at sea shows this as well. he was the head of the household, the one with financial power, and could have easily made his family go with him whether they liked it or not, but he didn’t. he didn’t think the problem was his family, he thought it was where he was, the space he was supposed to occupy. to him, the sea represented a life of freedom and a realm outside of traditional society, where you lived by your own rules. he wanted his family to join him because he thought he would be able to be happy with them once they were freed from the confines of their restrictive aristocratic life. even though his marriage and family life was less than ideal for him, he still misses his family at the end of ep 1. and this leads into my next point. stede is pretty awful at being a pirate captain because, well, it’s another position of masculine authority! stede never felt comfortable being a mean and demanding captain – he always paid the crew, read them stories, encouraged them to talk about their feelings. he was able to be more authentically himself at sea – aka less masculine – but this made him a terrible captain in the eyes of the crew. the crew’s frustration with stede in ep 1 comes from the fact that they’re not doing traditional murderous pirate things, and buttons tells stede that they think he is weak. even though stede left for the sea to escape his masculine role at home, that masculine authority is still demanded of him but in a different way as captain. here, the masculinity he fails to perform is killing, maiming, robbing, etc. he constantly expresses discomfort at the thought of himself and others doing these things, which masculine men should have no problem with. stede equates his queasiness with killing as a pirate to his queasiness with the killing of an animal as a kid, demonstrating an overarching fear of killing that makes people perceive him as less of a man. stede has the most fun with the crew when interacting with them and being among them, just as he enjoyed sitting near his family. and one of the redeeming qualities that stede has, according to the crew, is that he reads them stories and does voices. the crew likes him best when he is closing that masculine power gap between them, just as his family looked more happy to be around him when he sat near them. stede being a more traditionally authoritative and ruthless pirate captain may have made the crew respect him more, but it wouldn’t make them like him. stede, overall, is uncomfortable being in a traditionally masculine state of power, and is also REALLY BAD at being in this position. and then enter ed. ed is really soft-hearted and less macho deep down, but his problem is that he is very good at PERFORMING masculinity, even though he doesn’t like it very much. it’s easy for him to threaten and yell and inspire fear in people, but really it is all a performance. we see this through the various exaggerated illustrations of blackbeard and black pete’s ridiculous story about him. however, we learn that ed is very vulnerable deep down, deals with trauma, and cries multiple times. he doesn’t like being this fearsome pirate all the time. although they come to see and appreciate each other more fully as their relationship grows, stede is initially so enamored by ed because as “blackbeard” he’s able to PERFORM masculinity so well, which stede finds himself just unable to do. and ed is initially so enamored with stede because he’s incapable of performing masculinity and just kind of lets all his quirks and less masculine qualities be expressed. ok this was super long hbo pls renew the show so i can STOP
the red silk...
on my 49682th rewatch of OFMD and noticed something about the scenes with the red silk. the first time, when ed shows it to stede, and stede asks if he can see it, ed doesn’t hand it over. he kind of... loosens his grip and just lets stede take it out of his hands. then he puts it in ed’s breast pocket symbolizing his heart etc. but it’s important that ed doesn’t just willingly hand it over. this is representative of the fact that ed doesn’t just completely give himself and his heart to stede. over time, ed lets stede grow closer to him and lets him in, but he often doesn’t initiate this process. letting stede take the silk is the first example. in the next episode, when he’s in the tub crying, he doesn’t seek out the comfort of stede. stede finds him and ed opens up by allowing himself to answer stede’s questions. or in the next episode, when ed has snake in his beard, he doesn’t tell stede to get it, but when stede reaches over to do so, he allows it to happen. obviously i’m not saying ed didn’t initiate anything; he famously initiated The Kiss, but simply that stede is often the one making these apparently romantic moves -- whether stede realizes what he’s doing or not -- and ed is often left responding to them. this brings me back to the final scene with the red cloth, when ed gets rid of it. he gets rid of it in much the same way stede takes it -- he lets it go. we do not see ed throw the piece of silk to the wind in anger. he just loosens his grip and allows the wind to eventually blow it out of his grasp and into the sea. this is symbolic of the fact that it wasn’t his choice to throw away his heart, his love for stede. to ed, stede made that choice, so he just has to accept the fact that it’s over and let his heart/softness/love be taken away. to end on a lighter note i think it’s fucking hilarious how ed is the one with the fattest crush on stede yet here stede is being super romantic without even realizing
1# of my favorites comfort movies 💫💞✨🧚♀️
Day 3: favourite action/adventure movie
Hook (1991)
Love is in the aaaaair but so are ssssaleees! Use code SMOOCHES20 to enjoy 20% off on everything on my Etsy shop ✨
I’m having fun with photo paper and always wanted to do something with this silly artwork ssssso… again: would anyone be interested? Should i put this on etsy?
we don't know how to pray
my entry for the lovely @inventinglove zine!
when i was asked to draw "a steddyhands lil kiss" i confidently went for the straight girl threeway lesbo kiss........
!!! look, it me!!! go buy this beauty, you scoundrels- it's even for a great cause!
CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT 🐙♠
Here’s a preview of the gorgeous art @umulata did for our OFMD #edizzy zine!
Order here!
This artwork is now available as prints on my Etsy shop :D
Commish based on @lucelafonde incredible divor--ROCKSTAR AU, 'Before You Go'. Am I a fan of cigs? Nah. Did I VIBRATE WITH EXCITEMENT when she asked me to draw this part of her fic? FUCK YEAH
🌸SH0P UPDATE!!🌸
40+ new items, which include prints and shiny shiny stickers~ also! Whoever joins my Patreon receives a 15% off coupon code valid until June 12th ✨
✨OHNOHEREWEGLOW✨
A collection of OFMD chibies 🌸
You can commission your very own here on my ko-fi ✨
Somewhere there’s a Izzy who gets to share lazy kisses that taste like too-sweet tea and slightly burned oatmeal cookies. Slow mornings- he gets to make a fool of himself, warm in his cozy slippers, murmuring silly nonsense and quiet promises. Ed smells like their body wash.
*~smoulder smoulder~* smol and perpetually sullen
I think we all need a bit of weepy edizzy lovemaking as a treat given the circumstances. comm for Magziraphale on twt based on their Kinktober '23 fic
+ extra moist detail
Commish based on @lucelafonde incredible divor--ROCKSTAR AU, 'Before You Go'. Am I a fan of cigs? Nah. Did I VIBRATE WITH EXCITEMENT when she asked me to draw this part of her fic? FUCK YEAH
They invented love 😔 the whole artwork can’t be posted here (you can find it in my n/sfw twitter), cough, but these details might be nice enough on their own 🌸 your honor all I wanted was for them to be able to build some kind of calm and serene environment together. They don’t need to kiss. Although I’d be among those who would appreciate it.
𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙊𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙊 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 are back babey!!
“Edizzy Hipster Era”, 2013ca, (unreasonable but historically accurate amount of) filters on pixels *Death Cap of Cutie plays softly in the background* If you ever wondered how they would look as hipsters- now you know
If you've seen the stills shared by Entertainment Weekly you must agree that this comm for bromelads has been a powerful manifestation :B
Babygirl and his new bff 🐰💕
Got inspired by a a post from gaypiratesims’s account and honestly had a lot of fun adding my own twist to it :D
Timelapse of this thingie (and a bunch of others!) on my patreon ~
In need of a calendar for the new year? You're in luck! Here's the cover of Fine Things, a saucy 2023 OFMD pinup calendar- gorgeous lettering by @gingerhaole & characters+color by me! Check who’s part of this amazing crew in the last slide 🌸
All proceeds will be donated to Rainbow Railroad so don’t hesitate to add a lil spice to your 2023! [On my pa🌳on you’ll find a step-by-step of the whole ~creative process~ and a lil discount code 😌]
A couple of details, cause this thingie here is chock-full of plot-related ones... go read the fic and see if you can find any! Can you spot the young Izzy in here? He tiny and angry.
Here’s my piece for the 2022 OFMD Bigbang, based on “Call It Love Or Call It Treason” by @janiedeandean! Had a lot of fun working on this- I always wanted to explore 70s aesthetics! Aaaand I got so good at recognizing my pal’s style I’m 0% surprised I ended up illustrating her fic & honestly YAY ✨🏴☠️
𝙾𝙵𝙼𝙳 𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟶𝚜 𝚊𝚞- 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚎 𝙱𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚅𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚗𝚊𝚖 𝚆𝚊𝚛 𝚟𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐-𝚝𝚘-𝚐𝚘-𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕. 𝙰𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚕’ 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑-𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚎
Here’s my piece for the 2022 OFMD Bigbang, based on “Call It Love Or Call It Treason” by @janiedeandean! Had a lot of fun working on this- I always wanted to explore 70s aesthetics! Aaaand I got so good at recognizing my pal’s style I’m 0% surprised I ended up illustrating her fic & honestly YAY ✨🏴☠️
𝙾𝙵𝙼𝙳 𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟶𝚜 𝚊𝚞- 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚎 𝙱𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚅𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚗𝚊𝚖 𝚆𝚊𝚛 𝚟𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐-𝚝𝚘-𝚐𝚘-𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕. 𝙰𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚕’ 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑-𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚎
Closeup of my fanart of Close Quarters by FortinbrasFTW on Ao3, which is the Very First OFMD fic I’ve read and still one of my favs! :’D You can see the whole thingie on twitter uvu
Lil reminder that spicier stuff goes on twitter, nsfw on patreon (except maybe commissions, since commissioners will probably want to post them online anyway)!
A SUPER SUPER QUICK CELEBRATORY ED BECAUSE FUCK YES SEASON 2 ((happy pride month everyone)) ((let’s just… let’s just be happy about this, alright?)) ((i know, i know corporate shittiness and all that LET ME BE HAPPY OVER SOMETHING FOR ONCE))
Psssst just wanted to let you know that if you’re into suggestive/quite mild nsfw stuff (like the complete version of this pic here), I’ll post that kind of content on my twitter.
If you’re more of a nsfw kind of mammal, you’re welcome my patre0n. I’ll make sure to post spicy stuff more often from now on uvu✨
Surprise surprise another ofmd post! Listen I didn’t know which version I preferred cause they both have chaotic vibes so you get both 🎶 if you like that iconic cap you can get a similar one on adhdmemetherapy ‘s shop!
A couple of people asked, so there are prints of this thingie here on my Etsy now!
MASSIVE AGGRESSION 🤟 Is it too early for a #OFMD au...? Famous rockstar and long-time under-appreciated light technician fanboy au, to be more precise? Whooops. I COULD re-do this in the future and color it but I also could not. We’ll see. Hope you’ll like these!!
