#First Jack Sparrow now Edward?

[suffersinfandom]

A Summary of The OFMD Meta (Part II)

This is part two of an incomplete summary of A Meta-Discussion Of The Subtext by meratrishoslee (Mera) on AO3 (linked to, as the author requests). I’m trying to stay impartial and keep all of the important bits in.

This chunk includes chapters nine through fourteen, which is mostly an analysis of the entire show (stopping at the end of S2E7 because the chapters on the finale are massive, lol). The overarching thesis of this bit is this: “Ed’s the face, head/mind and body of Blackbeard, Izzy is Blackbeard’s heart/soul -- as well as the heart of the show itself.”

Other posts Part I

Chapter 9: Either Madness or Brilliance

This chapter is a screenshot-heavy analysis of OFMD season one “as seen through the lens of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,’ with specific emphasis on what this means for Izzy Hands and his character arc.”

Izzy is compared most directly to Captain Jack Sparrow. “He often tells the truth but no one listens or believes him, because at first he seems more than a bit ridiculous. [...] But he still saves people anyway, even people he doesn’t know; that’s part of how we know he’s a good guy deep down even when he seems like a bad guy at times.” He is “the Betrayed Pirate, because, as we find out later, his crew betrayed him because they wanted something gold and shiny more than they wanted him.”

Ed is primarily compared to both Will Turner “the Tragic Young Man”)  and Captain Barbossa (“the Bearded Pirate”). Stede is, of course, Elizabeth Swan (“the fancy protagonist”). 

“...While our Tragic Young Man does have some (considers, then shrugs) chemistry with our fancy protagonist… the drift compatibility he has with the Betrayed Pirate is just off the charts. Sometimes they act like two parts of the same body... and the Tragic Young Man does have a habit on several occasions of throwing himself between a physical threat and a person he cares about.” 

Chapter 10: The Hidden Heart

“Ed’s the face, head/mind and body of Blackbeard, Izzy is Blackbeard’s heart/soul. How do we know? Because when Izzy moves, the plot moves. When Izzy leaves, the plot stagnates or outright stalls dead. And Edward makes a fair amount of effort to keep track of Izzy, both to keep him safe and under Edward’s control.”

The chapter is an episode-by-episode walkthrough of season one with proof of Izzy-as-the-heart. Basically: everything is horny, Izzy is emotion-driven (although he hides it well, as one must when living a life filled with so much violence and abuse), and OFMD is Izzy (the heart) becoming more emotionally intelligent. 

At the end of S1E4: “Ed’s just proven he doesn’t need Izzy – either to participate in his plans, or to love him. He could have let him go, right? He had Stede now. The mind has lied to its heart, convinced it to stay and keep loving and giving all this while – because it’s required to pump the blood of the myth called Blackbeard, and move the plot of the show called Our Flag Means Death.”

Ed opens his jacket for Stede (in a way he never does around Izzy) and tells him to stab him. Izzy thinks that Ed is betraying him by having sex with Stede (or by having subtextual sex with Stede). He’s wounded and angry, and that kickstarts the rest of the season. 

“Why can’t/don’t Izzy and Edward fuck, textually or subtextually? Why is all the tension and longing so one sided – and if Edward’s so bothered/disgusted by Izzy’s longing for him (as some other meta writers out there on the internet have attempted to suggest with varying degrees of success), why does he permit the relationship to continue at all -- and even work to keep Izzy near him despite his attempts to leave? Well, that’s coming up in a later meta. (Hint: it's HIV/AIDS related bed death.) But it’s certainly part of the unnatural, forceful separation between the head and the heart.”

In S1E6: As Blackbeard’s heart, Izzy can’t actually kill Stede in the duel. “But he’s not admitting that defeat to himself yet so he has to go through the entire pantomime of the fight.”

“On one level, the textual level, Izzy’s trying to drive Stede from the ship and out of Edward’s life. On another subtextual level, however: the heart’s moving through the return advances of the mutual seduction way faster than the head is ready to do.”

Izzy is banished from the boat. “...If Edward had just had the capability to be honest with Izzy from the very start, they might have avoided most of the tragedy. Because really? An overwhelming amount of the things Izzy says aloud to Edward can be subtextually read as: I am trying to get you dicked down how you need to be, even if I’m not the one who can do it for or to you.” 

We don’t move the plot along much in S1E7. Izzy’s gone, and the story can’t progress without him.

In S1E8, Calico Jack “is the thrown dagger that strikes the most true, and goes the farthest toward separating Ed and Stede. Forward momentum, healing, and growth all come to a dead stop here as Calico Jack does emotional manipulation on a level that Izzy could only aspire to at this stage in his evolution.” Izzy sends Jack as “a poisoned love letter” doing what it can to keep Ed safe.

On Ed and Stede’s kiss: “It’s an adolescent kiss, chaste and closed-mouthed and awkward – it’s not an erotic kiss in the slightest. Whereas everything (yearning glances, poses, swordplay, etc) with Izzy is frankly erotic as fuck and I don’t think we can blame that just on Con being Con…”

After his return to the ship, Ed doesn’t want to be Blackbeard anymore. Izzy is terrified, and he “[channels] all the fear into anger to use as a weapon to bring the mind back into compliance for the sake of their shared survival.” Getting Ed back to Blackbeard is a matter of keeping both of them AND the crew alive.

Ed doesn’t have his bare hands on Izzy when he’s choking him, but “Izzy does place his bare left hand onto Edward’s bare right as he’s being choked which, if I’m correct about the HIV/AIDS coding for him (and I’m confident in the evidence I’ll bring in the eventual extended meta conversation about it) is its own understated threat in return: what’s in me could kill you, too.”

“I’ll conclude for the moment with this: after so many rewatchings of the show, Edward flinging himself backward like a scalded cat feels excessive. It’s disgust at the mingled lust and joy and affection on Izzy’s face in the moment – and it’s so much more than that.”

More meta on Ed’s attitude towards Izzy in this scene:

Ed shifts back and forth on his feet, stepping in the tiniest little amount again. [...] why would Edward do that if he's actually afraid of Izzy?  Taika's a good enough actor to have chosen to flinch away instead, to reinforce the dialogue and textual energy of the scene. When the body language doesn't match the dialogue, it's a sign that the subtext is increasingly relevant. But Taika doesn't flinch away at all during the rest of this scene.  None of his body language serves up ‘terror’ to me -- all of it, when viewed with the knowledge of S2 and the lens of Izzy as HIV/AIDS-coded, serves up grief and loss.

Look at Edward's face. Look at the tears rising up in his own eyes. It’s not because precious little meow meow princess sweet as a peach Ed Teach is actually scared of Izzy, his own first mate for who knows how many years. We've seen Izzy angry at Ed in scenes before and if anything, Ed's been perplexed or even amused by it. 

(Total sidenote: there’s a difference between letting Edward get to be soft and gentle and vulnerable and display a range of emotions and enjoy fine things and feel tenderness and love… and completely woobifying/infantilizing a fully adult character capable of making his own choices, who happens to also be a man of color. Because frankly that second option comes across as more than a little gross to me. I hope that my writing always knows the difference and stays on the correct side, because I work to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.)

Continuing on: “We see Izzy as his “gaze travels all over Edward's face in a last caress of longing, back and forth between his lips and eyes at that close distance. Then Izzy leaves the scene immediately, before anything else can happen. Even the things he might want – especially the things he wants. Because he can’t ever let them happen, in order to keep Edward safe.”

The crew begins to chant (“it sounds almost like a heartbeat”). Ed reverting to the Kraken persona “is due to not one but two open romantic griefs and losses in close proximity,” and “the mind of Blackbeard moves on to protect itself, as it always has. Not from some fear of the crew now as I’ve seen in various lukewarm takes online… but from the possibility of ever being vulnerable again.”

Ed throws Lucius overboard. “Next he goes to hobble the dark heart, to maim and lame it, to keep it obedient and subservient again through terror and pain. He can’t kill or discard it entirely, because its emotions and bloodflow powers both Blackbeard himself and the plot of OFMD… but he can make it pay for its transgressions against him. And he certainly does… gloved in leather to protect himself from Izzy’s blood and flesh, in a scene that is overflowing with brutality couched in sexual framing.”

Jim (the killer) and Frenchie (the mender) are both mirrors of Izzy in some way.

Chapter 11: The Sacred Heart (Part 1)

“...In OFMD Season 2, Blackbeard’s heart is undergoing incredible growth and maturity through the application of terror and agonizing adversity – and by the end of it is bared and shining as the Sacred Heart of the show.”

When Izzy is the “hidden heart” in season one, he hides his pain (and a lot of people miss that said pain exists at all). “Only Izzy’s rage and jealousy is in the text; some emotional intelligence and/or sufficient media literacy to permit one to parse the show’s subtext on some level is required to understand the rest of his motivations. The lion’s share of this heart’s love that we can understand is on laser-beam narrow focus: Edward Teach, and the two-part entity of Blackbeard that this pair creates between them.”

In season two, “the Sacred Heart’s pain and fear are centered from nearly the first moment we see him in private; they overflow his previously immaculate control and are expressed almost entirely against his will. But because he’s expressing his emotions and more and more overtly protecting/shielding the crew from Blackbeard’s increasingly unhinged mind as well as all other lesser threats, his love for the crew is more obvious moment by moment also.”

Additionally, “Izzy’s rampant lust from the first season is dampened as well due to his wounds (loss of a foot/leg is often intended as symbolic loss of the genitals) so his expressions of affection to the crew are almost entirely platonic/agape love [...]. The final result is an opening of Blackbeard’s heart to the entire crew, where it accepts them all and is accepted by them in return.”

In Stede’s dream, Stede gives Izzy “a non-consensual stabbing.” He and Ed are reunited, but nothing too amorous can happen because “if the heart of the story is dead, there can be no blood pumping, no erections, and the head/mind itself will eventually die also. The bottom line is there’ll be no sexy stuff happening without it.”

In the wedding party fight, Izzy is shown placing himself between Jim and Frenchie and Ed -- protecting them from Ed. Izzy’s entire purpose without Blackbeard is protecting the crew.

Izzy is upset when Ed threatens to fire Izzy: “Izzy knows that his current position to Edward is one of scapegoat and punching bag. He’s blamed for anything that goes wrong, whether or not it’s truly in his power to prevent or fix it – and the price for every failure is another body part removed and most likely force-fed to him. If he’s not there to take that abuse… someone else will just have to take it instead.” Again, he’s protecting the crew.

Jim tells Izzy that his relationship with Ed is toxic, “and they’re right on a textual level (he’s abusing you) as well as a subtextual level: it’s often not healthy for two people to remain bound so closely into one entity (a two-part creature known as Blackbeard) but especially when one side of it has become entirely toxic and is regularly maiming the other.”

When the crew comfort Izzy, no one touches his bare skin.

Izzy returns to Ed, delivers the crew’s response, and asks Ed what Izzy is to him. “Almost every single line Izzy has in Season 2 is overflowing with subtext and this one is no different.The surface meaning is: what are we? What is our relationship? What do you truly want from me? The subtextual meaning is: have you forgotten I'm Blackbeard's heart? Have you forgotten that to kill me is to kill yourself? Don’t you understand that you do to me what you don’t have the courage to do to yourself: you kill me one inch at a time? You’re trying to make me stop loving you [...] and I can’t, because it’s a heart’s purpose to love.”

Izzy is afflicted with love. He is “quiet and sincere and utterly chaste,” until accidentally invoking Stede. Ed storms above deck and Izzy tries to rein him in.

Before he mentions Stede, Izzy is certain he’s going to die for speaking the truth, “because Blackbeard’s heart has always been the first to admit out loud what Blackbeard is feeling, long before his head will actually be brave enough to speak it.”

With Izzy out of commission, Frenchie is Ed’s next “victim.”

Jim gives Izzy one of his few skin-to-skin touches, and it’s to silence him when he’s screaming at them to kill him. Very tragic. It’s also Jim who tells Archie that Izzy is “their dick” (or their heart, since a functional heart is required for a functional dick). 

Importantly, “Jim’s also an Izzy mirror, may I remind you: Jim initially didn’t want to truly join the crew either, and had something of a minor battle to be accepted for who they were.”

Ed discovers Izzy: “He strolls in slowly, standing over an unconscious and completely vulnerable Izzy Hands – and gazes down at him for a moment before the scene ends. OOooh that had my heart pounding in terror and fury on first watch!” 

When Ed talks to Izzy, he’s looking directly at him (as he so rarely does). He tells Izzy that he dreamed he killed him “(When we talk about death, it’s sex. When we talk about sex, it’s death)”. Ed gives Izzy the gun.

“Parse Izzy’s expression here: that’s longing. That’s a man on his death bed looking at the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen in his life, that he thought he’d never get see again. So much so that, just before the shot cuts away, his eyes light up and he begins to smile sweetly. What is Izzy seeing? [...] Full on direct eye-contact with a fuck-me stare and the muzzle of the pistol hovering at lip level.”

In short, it’s a very horny scene.

“If Izzy’s not willing to let him die by giving a subtextual blowjob… Ed’s going to offer something else. He’s gonna let Izzy take him from behind.” But Izzy ultimately refuses after struggling with the power he has been granted over Ed.

Izzy tells Ed that he’s tired of cleaning up after him. “Side-note: I’ve seen some lukewarm takes in various spots on the internet that mean old Izzy was overstating his labor on Ed’s behalf, and I just want to remind everyone that at this point we have seen precious doe-eyed meow meow princess Edward only make even the most token of efforts to clean up his own mess exactly twice…”

Ed leaves Izzy with the pistol and the understanding that Izzy (the heart) will kill himself. Ed hears the gun fire and, thinking his heart is dead, he can admit the truth: that he loved Izzy the best he could. “Body language on the second half of that statement [best I could] suggests to me he knows he’s lying or minimizing, although I can’t pinpoint enough of the ‘why’ consciously to screencap it. He tosses it off as if it doesn’t matter, and that I can understand – in this moment, he’s only lying to himself.”

On to Ed’s final suicide attempt. Why does he tell Jim and Archie to fight to the death if he plans on killing them all anyway? “I think he is impelled to, by his current personal fixation. I think right now the mind of Blackbeard can’t see love without obsessing about destroying it. He carved off bits of his own loving heart one chunk at a time, because of it. Now that he’s been shown Jim and Archie have developing feelings for each other on his ship of death, he has to take the moment to destroy them first… Even when it gives his heart the chance to drag itself out of the pit of the grave and finish its sacrifice to stop him.”

Izzy returns during the reprise of Run From Me, “specifically the soaring siren vocals and bolero heartbeat pulse of its bridge and outro: the loyal heart is still pounding, still pumping blood to the rest of Blackbeard and the plot.”

The crew take Ed down “and Izzy, knowing what must be done to save the crew, making this final personal sacrifice on their behalf, stands by and lets them kill Blackbeard’s brain.”

Stede finds and boards the Revenge to find the crew eating a dead bird and “better than they had been under Ed’s reign of terror, but not anything close to their best.”

And then soup. “Now on the deck of the Red Flag, Izzy’s crew gets to have their soup. Notably, neither Izzy nor Lucius have any soup – yet everyone else did, even eventually Ed while down in the gravy basket, served up to him by his own former captain. So, subtextually, the bright heart and the dark heart of the show have not allowed themselves to be fed and warmed and comforted.”

When Stede starts to ask questions, Izzy responds with hostility in a bid to get Stede to focus his ire on him, once again protecting the crew. 

Stede asks who stabbed up his portrait and Izzy lies. Why? Because “the tender heart protects the head too, even though it’s currently beyond being hurt. Izzy’s protecting Edward’s legacy and the memories he leaves behind in Stede: this is Izzy as Ed’s scapegoat/Sin Eater, taking Edward’s sins on his own back to leave Ed utterly blameless in Stede’s mind as much as possible.”

Izzy continues to antagonize Stede to keep Stede focused on him. He’s eventually reduced to honesty and tells Stede that Ed tortured the crew (“the pain and suffering of the crew is the highest crime in Izzy’s mind”).

With the “doggy heaven” line, Stede reveals how close he was to Ed, and “that Stede heard every bit of this betrayal and forgave it, and continued on with love for Edward – to the point of dueling Izzy, to the point of fighting to stay with him despite Calico Jack’s manipulations, and everything that arrived afterward.” He realizes Stede might love Ed as much as Izzy does.

Izzy said he could never do that. “Con chooses to shut his eyes during this terribly tender, utterly vulnerable admission. Izzy can’t bring himself look at Stede, even merely the side of Stede’s face that is currently presented most toward him, while he bares so much of his soul.”

Why does he lie? Izzy won’t betray the crew by confessing, and he wants to buy them time to get away from Zheng Yi Sao. “There’s a third possible purpose: that it’s soothing to Stede. It’s a sweet little lie, and it lets him have a little hope for a while. In fact, if Izzy can be clever and discreet while dealing with Edward’s burial, Stede might get to spend the rest of his life chasing the fantasy that Ed’s still out there somewhere… and it’s possible to live your whole life loving a dream you will never touch again.”

When the crew is imprisoned after Ed’s body is discovered, Frenchie sits on Izzy’s left (the side of the hand with no glove). “In a more general way, Izzy’s positioned himself to block the cell door. Anything that tries to come through it will have to come through him first. Additionally, he’s switched the side his crutch is on; it’s not at his left hand to be used to support himself but at his right hand to be a bludgeoning weapon.”

Stede comes down and Izzy immediately speaks, “establishing himself as the target of blame.” Izzy insists that he is the one who’s responsible for Ed’s death, and he’s willing to be Stede’s scapegoat as well.

“And last… on some intrinsic level, Izzy Hands feels like all of this horror and pain is exactly what he deserves, from start to finish – the lack of love and affectionate touch, the physical and pseudosexual abuse, the agony on all levels of existence, even a final ignominious death itself as a traitor: give me your worst.”

Stede leaves. “We get a shot of Izzy shaking his head just the tiniest amount, and tears standing unshed in his eyes. He still doesn’t have Bonnet engaging how Izzy thinks he’s should – or rather, has been primed by months of enduring abuse to expect. Without a focus to Stede’s grief and anger firmly on himself, how can Izzy ensure he can adequately protect the rest of his family?”

“To stare deeply into Izzy’s gloriously beautiful pyrrhic self-sacrifice is to be able to look fully and directly at my own, reflected.”

After the escape attempt, Stede denies Izzy any gratitude for his apology. 

Chapter 12: The Sacred Heart (Part 2)

Izzy as heart continues and the analysis moves on S2E4. He is isolated and drinking, undoubtedly trying to numb the agonizing pain from his recently-amputated leg, ill-fitting prosthetic, and all of the additional bodily pain that would create. Mera suggests that, “if [they’re] right about Izzy being HIV/AIDS coded, [...] there’s every possibility that the extensive stress on his body from everything he’s endured lately (culminating in an amputated limb and a suicide attempt that at least rattled his cranium) has him experiencing an overall nerve pain called neuropathy.”

We can also infer that Izzy has “a lot of complex emotions about Edward’s return, no matter how necessary it is to the shared being of Blackbeard. If love could bring him back from the dead… why didn’t Izzy’s love manage it? Now that he’s returned from the dead… will the horrors resume? Stede and Edward have each other again… and Izzy’s on the outside once more, but now permanently damaged. Who would want him now?”

Stede comes by and does his best to be kind to Izzy, and “Izzy – suffering, isolated, terrified for a number of reasons once more, and drunk as a skunk… is asked to provide the deadlock-breaking vote on whether or not Ed should be banished.”

Izzy remains physically closed off to Stede. He’s vulnerable, and he associates captains with pain. When Stede says, “You’ve already murdered him once, seems like a pretty good payback,” Izzy visibly flinches. He’s glad that the blame is still entirely on him, but he’s still hurt. Izzy says that the rotten leg must come off, because:

Everything for Izzy right now is related to his maiming… and Edward’s toxicity was the rot that was eating the crew before Stede returned. 

If Ed can be removed from the ship, a few of the worst fears in Izzy’s life will be remedied: Stede most likely won’t hurt the crew the way Edward did; Stede most likely won’t hurt Izzy the way Edward did; Edward won’t be there to hurt the crew or Izzy; and, last but not least, Izzy won’t have to watch Stede and Edward fall in love all over again – this time as a changed, maimed, damaged, and (in his own mind, at least) defective man who is now unable to leave under his own power…

Izzy is offscreen for a bit, but it’s important to note that Lucius gets hit in the head with a sandwich, much like Izzy did in season one.

“The very first time we see Izzy after Edward’s banishment… and now it’s HIS vest that’s fully undone, his collar that’s unbuttoned, and his cravat and ring loosened from its usual high, tight position on his throat. Both of these men have been armoring against each other.”

Izzy saws the legs off of the headless unicorn. “Hurting people often hurt other people… and yet, our Sacred Heart has only taken out his pain on the unfeeling, inanimate object of the figurehead.” Truly a selfless hero. “Again, everything right now is reflecting back in Izzy’s mind to his own maiming: a figurehead is supposed to protect the crew. It failed to protect the crew, therefore it didn’t do its job. The price of not doing one’s job is the loss of limbs.”

Izzy’s prosthetic fails and the rest of the crew watch him with “horror and concern,” and “they move as one unit at last, immediately to try to surround Izzy and help him back up,” but he resists and crawls away. “This is disturbing, and it’s meant to be. This is heart-wrenching, and it’s meant to be. It’s the lowest point of the Sacred Heart – to be alone in all it suffers – and the blatant evidence of that pain and sacrifice is what draws the crew together in union again.”

In the next Izzy scene, he’s drinking alone in his bed. “Now that the unicorn figurehead shares his maiming and has been ‘punished’ for not doing its job, there’s only one entity left on board that he can still permit himself to harm, to vent the poison and rot festering inside his soul.” That person? Izzy’s reflection. 

“While Edward took his own pain out on anything that’d hold still long enough (mostly Izzy)… the karmic buck stops with Izzy Hands. He knows he’s wounded and toxic; he’s isolating to keep that toxicity from harming his family. [...] Izzy has seen the process of other people distributing their own damage to innocent new victims, just passing it on down the line; he has experienced it directly. He has decided he will have none of it himself. Izzy is resolved that it ends with him.”

The crew leave their gift at Izzy’s door and the attached note makes him weep. “His sobs are powerful enough that they continue to shake his whole body even as he draws himself upright again.” He calls them “cocksuckers, but “this response is intended to be subtextually read as a positive thing, indicating how touched Izzy truly is by the gesture.”

In Izzy’s next scene, he’s at the foredeck alone with his new leg. He pulls out the note and “the soundtrack sings: this world isn’t big enough to keep me away from you… from you… The song is right on two levels; even now, Blackbeard’s mind is returning to Blackbeard’s heart, courtesy of Stede… and Izzy will not ever be parted from the love of the crew.” Izzy allows himself a smile and a seagull (Buttons) goes by.

Buttons is a mirror to both Ed and Izzy. He’s weird, he has long hair, Ed wears his birdshit-covered jacket, the full moon is important to him, he’s a skilled first mate, “his mouth can be pretty poisonous, and his bites will leave permanent wounds,” and he changes a lot during the show. “Bottom line: if Ed and Izzy are two bodies that comprise one entity (Blackbeard)… Then Buttons is two entities (the Moon and the Sea)... that are united to some extent in one body.”

The Moon and the Sea change in regular and predictable ways; the Moon affects the Sea (tides), but the Sea doesn’t have the same power over the Moon. “The Sea is also the original source of all life here on Earth. The Moon is bright and remote and beautiful and sterile. It has a light side that’s always turned toward Earth due to its rotation and revolution matching up, and a dark side that we don’t often get to see (without some serious effort).” The Sea is barely explored (subtext) and the Moon is known (text). 

Before Buttons turns into a bird, he tells Ed, To love the sea as she must be loved… requires change. “To love Izzy in the way that Izzy must be loved… Edward will also have to change. He’s been given his directive. We don’t see it completed during Season 2, nor will I speculate how this will manifest in Season 3. What I will say is that this show has been and remains fantastic about showing the many different and equally valid forms that love can take, and I am excited for anything that results in Izzy Hands being truly loved.”

The next episode opens on Ed’s apology. His victims are there, and Izzy? “He is off to the side and not having to deal with Edward face-on. His bare and deadly left hand is toward the captains, with its threat that continues subtextually but has never yet textually been explained.” He’s ready to defend the crew from Ed if needed. 

Ed delivers his “weasel-word non-apology.” It’s no good, but “the queer writers room as well as Taika himself with his specific cultural heritage are absolutely aware of how this comes off – superficial, insincere, and absolutely infuriating – and it’s intended to come off that way. It’s fucky on purpose, and not ‘bAd wRiTiNg.’”

Izzy seems calm, but he’s clearly not buying Ed’s apology. The blocking puts Olu in a protective position in front of Izzy, and “Frenchie and Lucius [are] getting to carry a lot of Izzy’s emotions here: Frenchie [by] being entirely unconvinced/checked out and Lucius [by] being overtly acrimonious by giving the finger.”

Lucius asks Izzy if he’s fine with it (the apology); this is the first time anyone has ever asked Izzy how he feels about something. There’s some ridiculous sexual tension and Izzy, “relaxed, open and almost entirely at ease,” graces Lucius with a nickname. “In the universe of OFMD this [the cigarette thing] is definitely an oral exchange. It’s at the very least a kiss by proxy but an argument could even be made that it's even something subtextually as significant as a blowjob…”

In the next Izzy scene, he’s shirtless and training with Stede’s good candles. His breathing is labored. Why? “Previous exertion, dealing with residual pain from his new and improved prosthetic, psyching himself up and/or oxygenating his blood for the strike he’s about to make, possibly a level of arousal from the pseudosexual nature of ‘swordplay’ in this universe – subtextually, he’s half-undressed and dancing with his own ‘saber’ in the dark with some candles around for some nice ambiance…”

A behind-the-scenes still shows Izzy’s back covered in scars. (“A few people elsewhere on the internets have mentioned how Izzy’s back looks like that… and yet Edward’s back is clean enough for a full back-tat and… I’ve got feelings about that also. Gotta wonder how that happened. Gotta wonder why.”) Mera says it’s a subtextual allusion to Jesus -- Jesus who was flogged, as opposed to Judas, who was hanged.

Stede enters and cleverly addresses Ed as “Blackbeard,” in keeping with Izzy’s preferences. Stede tells Izzy that Ed claims Izzy taught him everything he knows, which Mera is “about 75-80% sure” is a lie. Stede is trying to be encouraging and provide positive feedback. 

We move on to the training montage. “Izzy’s sardonic and still a bit brutal while attempting to teach fighting, rope-swinging, and target shooting… but never is he directly insulting or says anything like ‘you’ll never get it.’ He’s letting pain be a teacher to Stede also: don’t stop and ask questions, just hit. When you try to swing on a rope the wrong way, it’ll burn your hands. And when Stede’s missed shot brings a sail down, there’s no screaming insults, no degradation. Izzy’s being remarkably patient here.”

The training turns into discussion, with “Blackbeard’s Sacred Heart really starting to open up to Stede, both textually and subtextually: it’s quite a romantic heart, underneath all the leather and scars. The will to be contrary about this whole weird tangled emotional mess is starting to subside.” 

The crew lines up at the rail to inspect the ship they’ve sighted. The blocking is, as ever, important; Izzy stays “as close as possible to the least experienced member of the raid: Stede Bonnet.” He “also put himself between Frenchie and whatever might be aboard waiting to meet them.”

Lucius approaches Izzy while he’s whittling on the deck. Throughout the conversation, “Izzy’s so gentle in tone and expression, as calm as a bodhisattva; he never looks away from Lucius during any difficult moment. There's no flinch to tell us that he's still in any emotional pain.” 

Izzy claims that a shark took his leg; Ed has a shark tattoo on one arm. He smiles and says, “Served me right, too.” “This is Izzy again as Edward’s Sin Eater: he can put that pain and blame somewhere else, somewhere that it won’t weigh on Ed’s soul, and he does. It’s in the carving. (Its also a silent expression of his pain to match the prophecy referenced during the same relative timing beat/scene in The Last Temptation: ‘He has borne our faults; he was wounded for our transgressions -- yet he opened not his mouth.’)”

Izzy gives Lucius the shark he has been carving. “Izzy put his pain and trauma into the chunk of wood and worked at it for the entire duration of the episode when, for comparison, we don’t see Black Pete in S1 spend any time carving Lucius’s new finger. We’re given the visual textual signs that Izzy’s putting a lot of care and effort into this creation.”

During the red suit fiasco, Izzy is seen hanging out in Stede’s quarters. He’s relaxed and casual; he’s at ease with Stede. 

Stede gathers the crew to put an end to the red suit situation. Izzy is behind, watching; “he feels absolutely no need whatsoever to be close to the front to interpose his body between the captain and the crew protectively. He knows that Stede won’t be violent with them at all.” Izzy is also in Stede’s eyeline so he can offer guidance.

Chapter 13: The Sacred Heart (Part 3)

The next episode is Calypso’s Birthday. “This episode has been called Izzy's swan song, and respectfully I'd like to disagree.  This is when we see the Sacred Heart of OFMD most triumphant, most open, most freed, and most overtly/directly loving and loved in return.”

Ed is seen scanning the horizon and thinking about all of the awful things he’s done, beginning with his father’s death. (“Wow. Izzy shows up in there a lot. Like, disproportionately much.”) Izzy approaches, bottle in hand, immaculately dressed and styled but clearly a little drunk. Ed keeps his back to Izzy. “I think he’s staying turned away partially out of shame but also in an attempt to help Izzy feel safer during this interaction.”

Izzy absolutely didn’t mistake Ed for Roach; he’s not that drunk. He’s holding the bottle in his gloved right hand with his left closer to Ed. This is important because “as much as possible Izzy will keep his right side toward whoever he’s speaking with: it’s safer for them and also lets him access his sword easiest. So [...] right now Izzy’s walked up and chosen where to stand for this interaction: with his death-marked left hand toward Edward, empty of the bottle he’s carrying and still dangerous.” Ed trusts Izzy not to kill him; Izzy is still uneasy.

A new angle. Ed and Izzy, “the estranged partners,” are closer than they’ve been in five episodes. When Izzy calls Ed a “mopey twat,” his tone holds “mild animosity.” This is the closest he’s gotten to provoking Ed since season one.

Ed takes the bottle from Izzy (with his ungloved right hand) and drinks. Izzy is out of frame. “...For me, subtextually, it feels as if that removal of the conversational partner is intended to entirely visually replace Izzy Hands with his proxy. He’s no longer a person, for the duration of these frames: he’s the bottle itself, held in Edward’s bare grip.” It’s significant that Ed’s lips touch a place Izzy’s just were without disgust or hesitation. It’s sensual: “Ed’s taken a kiss for himself from Izzy’s bottle – and Izzy, his eyes shining with tears, fully knows it.”

Ed is yearning. Izzy is yearning, but “then does what he does with all big emotions: covers them up and vents them safely with an expletive. [...] But he carries Edward’s return kiss to his own mouth nonetheless: love you, too.” “Why is Edward willing to do something (trade saliva, even by proxy) with Izzy that Lucius reacted so strongly and negatively about, less than a full episode ago?” There was a point where we didn’t really know how HIV/AIDS spread. “Edward knows the rules about Izzy’s disease/curse. Edward knows how to stay safe; they’ve gone however long this separation has lasted without Ed ever catching it or dying from it.”

We next see Izzy when he approaches Wee John, applying makeup for his Calypso look. Izzy gives the makeup setup a “hungry,” longing look. 

Izzy sings at the party. When it starts he’s not entirely at ease, as evidenced by “the stiff body language and uncomfortable rigor of Izzy’s arms out from his sides, the shy and downcast gaze trying not to look at anyone just in case someone’s laughing at him.” His look included red, gold, and wavy lines, all evoking Sacred Heart imagery. 

“When he finally looks up, Izzy glances over at Edward, who does not look at all surprised to hear Izzy’s marvelous voice – and, if you want to hurt yourself today as some of us sometimes do, you can wonder how many years it's been since Edward heard it last.”

Izzy snuggles up to Wee John at the party. “Izzy’s got his right gloved hand under his left palm; he’s pressing both hands into John’s wrist but the glove’s between the naked left hand and John’s skin, keeping them separate. I think the depth of shadow under his fingers indicates they’re not making contact either.”

At the song’s climax, Izzy is off-centered in frame. Why, Mera asks, “would you put one of your three main characters so fucking off-center?” Look for the subtext. “We see Izzy’s deadly, death-marked ungloved left hand leave the shot early on… and stays out as he holds the rest of the note, as if it doesn’t belong in the same visual realm as the rest of Izzy's entire body and the concept of ‘love’. As of these last few paragraphs, I’m no longer questioning myself on the concept that Izzy's HIV-coding was completely intentional. I know for sure I’m crazy… but now I'm also 100% certain I’m not wrong.”

A cannon goes off. There’s been meta written about how “Ed always jumps in front of Stede during physical threats and Stede always destroys people who hurt Edward emotionally, which reminded me that Izzy has always been the third and quieter option: ‘figure out where the threat's going to be, put my body between it and the people I love, and always be ready to kill it -- no matter who or what the threat is.’”

After Lowe is dealt with, we see the whole crew, with “the Sacred Heart front and center, right hand toward his captains, death-marked left hand toward the threat [Ed], Frenchie and (further back) Lucius tucked safely behind him.” This pose is also very Last Supper. 

Izzy sings a reprise in French. “He’s singing to the people he loves in French, which for cinema’s purposes is the language of love. I know that we have the Doylist reason for two versions of this song because Con was originally concerned he wouldn’t be able to learn the French version well enough to do it justice… but I also think it added something from the Watsonian side: this is a deeper expression of the love he displayed before.”

Elsewhere, “with his heart returned, emotionally reunited with him, and vigorously expressing the love inside it at last… Blackbeard’s head finally finds the rest of its two-part body willing and able to accommodate his new lover.” Stede and Ed kiss directly -- a mirror of Ed’s indirect kiss with Izzy earlier in the episode.

“...It’s Izzy and his singing that takes us through the credits and claims the episode almost entirely for the Sacred Heart – and at the end his family joins in with him, raucous but affectionate and wholly good-natured. Then after they’ve cheered and applauded, midway through the credits [...] the crew chants “One more song! One more song!” Izzy cheerfully answers “I’ve got one more song!” to general acclaim. … But we haven’t yet heard it during Season 2. Food for thought.”

Chapter 14: The Sacred Heart (Part 4)

“In this episode [S2E7], we will get to see Izzy as the show's Sacred Heart evince a personal yet non-sexual love to both of the show's other main characters, answering each of their needs.  We also do get to see one of Izzy's flaws repeatedly reinforced: that he tends to project his emotions, self-expectations, and personal traits on other people, for better or for ill. This serves to try to prepare us for his deepest example of projection in the final episode... that is also his last act of love to Edward.”

Ed sends his Blackbeard getup to the bottom of the sea, weighed down by a cannonball (the second time a cannonball has been used to kill Blackbeard). 

Back in the captain’s cabin, Izzy throws back the curtain to expose Stede and Ed. (Once again, someone says “Jesus” in response to Izzy doing something.) Izzy isn’t bitter, he’s merely reporting to his captain. He acknowledges Ed for the first time with his “well and truly docked” line. Izzy leaves.

“Couple of notes here. While yes, Izzy’s just needled both these men with his observation of their intimacy – it’s also some of the most good-natured jealousy I’ve seen him display [...]. There was no rage in his presentation as we’ve watched him evince before, not even repressed down so tightly that he would otherwise vibrate with it. But also… I think this is another of Edward’s fuckboi moments, being a bit shitty about his ex/estranged partner in an attempt to ingratiate himself more with his new one. (And it puts my hackles up that Ed treats Izzy's inability to have safe intimacy so cavalierly, but what else is new?)”

In his next scene, Izzy approaches Ed as he’s observing the fishermen. “Izzy’s returned to standing with his gloved right hand toward Edward; his bare left hand is angled to be on his sword hilt just below frame. The blocking and his posture says he’s feeling safe once more, and has forgiven Edward as much as he could be expected to.”

Izzy’s expression is somber when Ed says he feels “fucking great” about putting Blackbeard to rest. Ed fully meets Izzy’s eyes, and Izzy smiles. “This is the Sacred Heart giving such an intimate, incredible gift: loving in a way that can also let go. [...] Izzy at this time, his emotional development completed at last, can truly love Edward no matter what they are or become to each other – without requirements or demands.”

Ed pulls away and Izzy’s expression settles into grief. “The union of ‘Blackbeard’ will, Izzy thinks, dissolve and fade away. And they’ll have to find a new, healthier way to relate to each other – or maybe even leave each other completely behind, once and for all.”

Ed and Stede reunite and it quickly turn to fighting. “Astoundingly quickly, for someone who got such good dicking down just last night and was feeling strongly enough about it this morning to throw away his old life in favor of it. Or at least… he appeared to throw it away. Textually, he threw it away. And Blackbeard’s Sacred Heart, in an act of loving sacrifice, told him to listen to his feelings – no matter where they might lead.” But with Ed “disconnected from Blackbeard’s (now) more emotionally intelligent heart [...], he has only his own internal immature heart and its adolescent feelings to guide him – and he’s terrified about it.”

Stede doesn’t listen. “I’ll be 100% that bitch right here: Izzy would be fully listening, fully focused and engaged. Both of these men spin up too far in their own heads; they’ve never had to ignore their first adrenaline-soaked knee-jerk reflexive thoughts in order to coherently receive and respond to what someone else is saying/doing in an emotionally challenging moment.” Ed and Stede unconsciously use all kinds of “underhanded psychological tricks” on each other during the argument. 

Izzy and Stede talk (mirroring Izzy’s talk with Ed earlier), but only after Izzy uses his own formidable (not related to Blackbeard at all) power to order Stede’s companions away. Izzy is compassionate. He tells Stede that he balances Ed out, which may be some projection on Izzy’s part. 

“The sincerity here is killing me in the best possible way. Where Izzy’s previous conversation with Ed was almost sparse – they know each other so well and they’ve thrown so many words at each other across the years, they’re now down to the only ones that still matter – this one is verbose and more actively encouraging. And even here in this noisy bar that he doesn’t particularly like, he’s leaning forward to be sure he’s heard. His expression is open and caring, without a trace of sarcasm or insincerity. He remains kind on every single textual and subtextual level.” A feat, considering how tired and in pain Izzy must be by now.

Izzy tells Stede he was shot for saying he loves Ed, which is, of course, not true. “On one level it reads to me as a conflation of the idea of Stede Bonnet and love, in the mind of Blackbeard's heart. On another level it was a statement of love for Edward in the moment that was even weightier (and therefore unfortunately had more consequences) than his own love confession: you love him and I know it, so let's talk about it; let's find a healthy way to deal with it together and move forward. That's what got him shot -- the fact that Blackbeard's heart was willing (as it always has been) to admit to love far, far sooner than Blackbeard's mind was.”

Izzy puts his bare hand on Stede’s thigh (it’s fine, Stede is protected by leather pants). Izzy is seated between Stede at the direction from which any possible threat might come, right hand free to draw his sword. It’s not a perfectly defensible position.

Izzy tells Stede to get back to the ship. This is one of “many times Izzy’s been right and just… no one fucking bothered to listen to him or take him seriously.”

Stede confronts Zheng Yi Sao before Izzy can position himself to stop him. Izzy must decide to trust Stede in this; he’s smiling by the time he takes his spot at Stede’s back. Izzy realizes that Zheng Yi Sao is winding Stede up, and he’s not convinced that Stede, even with his remarkable luck, can win against her in a fight.

When Yi Sao drops Steak Knife, Izzy knows it’s best to make a run for it, “and if he wasn’t exhausted and in a fair amount of pain, he perhaps could have interceded in time and tried to broker peace. But Stede’s healthy, non-disabled, and full of vigorous venom; on this occasion he beats Izzy to the punch.” 

They’re all kicked outside to brawl. Izzy is positioned between Jim and Lucius, with Frenchie on Lucius’ other side. He’s clearly exhausted and in pain. This is interesting because, “after the end of S1, Con says [Izzy[ is ‘a little bit frightened’ of Jim, and ‘confused as fuck’ about Lucius – and here, in the penultimate episode of S2, he’s being supported and upheld by both of them in an affectionate fashion.”

Zheng Yi Sao’s ships explode. “Then a cannon ball comes arching out of the night, filling the frame headed toward the left -- therefore toward Stede, Zheng, or (less likely) Roach.”

On to the next!

#ofmd #ofmd meta #but like ofmd meta summary #izzy critical #not really but it's for that crowd tbh #i hope someone gets something out of this #even when you're izzy critical #it's good to see what's going on with izzy fans #i like writing meta with a jumping-off point

[papirouge]

NEVER forget despite what pathological liars say, mainstream medias were in their vast majority, pro Amber.

Social media/the people, on the other hand, was siding with Johnny.

That's why so many pro Amber freaked out at the actual hate movement against Amber : they simply cannot stomach the fact that media don't control people anymore and that the common citizen can now make their own voice heard (no pun intended) loud and clear.

It was very interesting to see pro Heard complain about "the media circus" surrounding this case, as if the "society of spectacle" wasn't already a well documented observation of modern communications dynamics for the last few decades - and most importantly, not exclusive to the Depp v Heard case or society's (alleged) rampant misogyny.....

They precisely act like legacy medias which, feeling their power & influence significantly lowering by the time, attempt to remove any credibility to grassroot reinfo movement, calling them conspiracy theorists, fake news, etc.

... this reminds you of something? Pro Heard obsessively called the movement in support of Johnny "PR smear campaign" or bots. It wouldn't remotely occur to them that Johnny Depp overwhelming support in the general public was genuine, and could be rationally explained by the fact he's been one of Hollywood's most popular actor for decades with iconic roles (Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, Cry Baby, etc.) and mostly importantly interpreted one of Disney live action movie most beloved character: Jack Sparrow. Heard was a literally a 'who' next to him, which explains why she would never be able to leverage support in such a conflicting case (so no, it doesn't necessarily has to be misogyny)

They are obsessed in controlling the narrative, even if that means lying consistently about factual reality.

Look at them obsessively keeping tabs on whoever liked Johnny Depp first post trial Instagram post, and making entire lists off of them to be canceled....

Unsurprisingly they also suddenly started cussing out popular jury who aren't "law professionals" just because the court decision didn't give the ruling they expected... Those activists pretending to care about the people are actually the biggest elitists.

Their coping about "the tide is turning" or "I can't wait for the documentary exposing how we all wronged Amber Heard" never fails making me wonder: "who's the we?" Mainstream media were and are still in their vast majority pro Heard. The general public? They mostly moved on and rejoiced at Depp winning his case. They will never apologize or feel sorry for Heard because they don't think she deserves any apology. People don't owe nothing to celebrities. Crime of thought or opinion isn't a thing.

This is the internet: Amber Heard is not the first, last, or the only laughing stock it collectively decided to pick on for any season. And the internet will never feel sorry. Deal with it.

Tbh I also blame the #freebritney movement that made too many of you believe that TMZ and paparazzi harassing celebrities represented regular citizens and that people actively sought out to ruin her... Zoomers don't seem to grasp early 00s people were much more removed from "field reportreport" as we are today, which means they had a more apathetic perspective on celebrity struggles. If media decided to milk this repentance shtick regarding their collective coverage of Britney antics back then to revamp their image, that's on them, but expecting this dynamic onto random people (not media news) who didn't have any say on media narrative is wishful thinking....

Amber Heard is none of your friend, sister, wife or mother. None of you know her. None of you talked to her, and never will. So it's weird to me how some of you are hellbent acting like we owed anything to her.

Why elevating your parasocial involvement in a millionaire celebrity civil case as a cautionary tale for ALL women?

#just some thoughts before going to sleep #papi watch #Amber Heard #Johnny Depp

[bebx]

Hello 👋🏻 This is my first ask in Tumblr cuz I couldn't control myself, so I apologise beforehand for any mistakes and I only developed the courage to ask because you said you won't bite...... Well, two days before I somehow gave a shot to Pirates of the Caribbean and now I regret for not doing it too soon. Because I was very disinterested in Pirates concept but I just came upon the trailer of the movie and the impression the Captain Jack Sparrow gave was not the one I had in mind about a pirate. So I watched the trilogy and the whole plot was not what I expected. This is the first movie I watched with Johnny Depp and now I can say he became my favourite Hollywood actor without a doubt. Then I searched the tag about him and your blog popped up! The thing is it would be very helpful if you could recommend movies of him or series or whatever entertainment content related to him. His acting deserves a huge praise!! Thank you very much for your time and Good Day/Night to you! ❤️

hi!! there’s no need to apologize for anything, anon. I don’t see any mistake in your ask and I’m glad you decided to drop by! also glad to know you enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean!

okay, as for the other projects of Johnny Depp, my gosh, there’re so many and everything he does is just amazing in my opinion. but I think some of my most favorites are;

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Corpse Bride

The Lone Ranger

Sleepy Hollow

Dark Shadows

The Tourist

Rango

Alice in Wonderland

Secret Window

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Edward Scissorhands

there’s also this new movie of his that’s just been released, Jeanne du Barry. I haven’t had the chance to see it yet, but I’ll definitely watch it as soon as I can ❤️

#my inbox is open #johnny depp #hollywood #pirates of the caribbean #jack sparrow #captain jack sparrow #tim burton #potc #film #films #movie #movies

[srta-htinha]

I was thinking about PotC recently and remembered an HC I have about Jack's mother. She's not "nobody" but someone very powerful.

But first I want to talk about another powerful lineage in the movie series.

I've always thought Captain Blackbeard was too forced for a human, but rereading PJO I came across something interesting. Uncle Rick wrote Blackbeard as the son of Poseidon,

Period. Let's consider Edward a demigod. That explains the connection with the sea, because he is feared and the most powerful.

But that's not all. He knows spells, curses and the future.

Anyway, in the book, he was imprisoned by Circe.

"Circe was a sorceress goddess in Ancient Greek tradition. The deity, like many others in Greek mythology, had a dualistic nature: she was the goddess of the New Moon, of physical love, of enchantments and dreams that reveal the future, but also of revenge, curses and black magic"

This is Uncle Rick's story. And it's not because PJO is from Disney that PotC has to follow this narrative. Let's go back to the movies, another universe.

The voices in the head then said and defended this concept. Blackbeard is Poseidon's son, but instead of Circe imprisoning Edward like a guinea pig, he had a daughter with her, and Circe taught him a few tricks.

This explains why they can put ships in glass bottles, how Blackbeard can control his ship with his sword, how they can turn men into zombies and make voodoo dolls. And I think Angélica has futuristic dreams (I even think she was the one who dreamt that Barbosa would kill her father and lied to protect herself).

Now for the most important point, which is Jack's mother

I have a HC (Head Canon) that Jack Sparrow is the bastard son of the Queen of Atlantis and now I can explain with proof why.

Let's just reinforce that in the same way that Teach can't be the most feared pirate just because he's human, Jack can't be the most important pirate of all because he is, without a special nature.

Are you saying that a human can't do what Jack and Teach did?

I am! They're both connected to the sea, and to magic, and that's why they're so successful in their adventures.

Jack is a son of Atlantis (almost like Aquaman kkkkk)

And the main point is a scene from the first movie. In the scene, Jack and Will are at the bottom of the sea, with a simple boat capsized and yet with breathable air. For physics, what Jack did is impossible, mainly because of the pressure of the water.

So, since physics can't explain it, we're left with fiction. Jack was able to unconsciously create an air bubble and walk under the ocean safely, because the nature of the royalty of the people of Atlantis allows it.

#pirates of the caribbean #jack sparrow #angelica teach #blackbeard #edward teach #Will Tunner #Pirates of the Caribbean at worlds end #Pirates of the Caribbean: dead men tell no tales #Pirates of the Caribbean: on stranger tides #Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

[beardedmrbean]

"Dead in the water" is, sadly, not the title of Margot Robbie's upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie — it's the status.

The Birds of Prey and Barbie actress has been attached to a more female-focused film in the fantasy-adventure franchise since 2020, but Robbie now says the pic is not moving forward at Disney.

"We had an idea and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led — not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story — which we thought would've been really cool, but I guess they don't want to do it," Robbie tells Vanity Fair in a new cover story.

A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Screenwriter Christina Hodson, who worked on Birds of Prey, was set to write the new Pirates movie, EW had earlier confirmed. The idea wasn't to do a formal spin-off but rather a separate origin story with new characters. This would've been completely different than the long-in-development reboot of the franchise that was first reported back in 2019.

Orlando Bloom's Will Turner, Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann, and Johnny Depp's (Captain!) Jack Sparrow were the central focus of the first three movies — 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean, 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Depp returned with Geoffrey Rush's Hector Barbossa for 2011's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which added Penélope Cruz's Angelica and Ian McShane's Edward Teach. In 2017, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales reunited Bloom and Knightley while introducing even more new characters.

The future of the franchise is unclear at this point. During the defamation trial between Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp testified that Disney cut ties with him after Heard published her 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse, though she didn't mention Depp by name.

Depp denies Heard's allegations of abuse. A jury sided with the actor in the defamation trial, determining that Heard intentionally and maliciously defamed him with the op-ed. Heard won a counterclaim that stated Depp defamed her through his lawyer by calling her abuse accusations a "hoax" in the press, insinuating that her friends had set up Depp.

#nunyas news #shocker #maybe disney looked at the ghostbusters reboot #and then the other ghostbusters reboot #and saw which one made money

[adiarosefandoms]

Hocus Pocus 2

Review: *Spoilers start at the end of paragraph 3

Look, I am a witchy girl. I love black cats, and medieval/Victorian fashion, and all things magic. With this I have also fallen in love with witch-themed movies and books. Wicked, Practical Magic, and Harry Potter I all love. But little else signifies the transition into the Halloween season for me quite like Hocus Pocus. Me and my family have been watching this movie every October for, I don’t even know how many years. So, you can imagine that I was very excited, but skeptical, when Disney announced that they would be coming out with a second movie. And all I can say is, I am pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure how bad a movie can even be with the Sanderson Sisters at the helm, and while the first Hocus Pocus is superior, this one was still loads of fun to watch and I have zero regrets. I don’t care about the new teen leads. I had no emotional connection to them, I didn’t care about them, they didn’t matter. They were a means to an end to get this second movie made. But every scene with the Sandersons or Billy, pure childhood nostalgia. To start with the real stars of this movie, lets discuss the witches. I remember vividly just transitioning from wanting to be a princess one day, to wanting to be a witch the next. They’re stories always just end up being much more sympathetic, and they just seem like more fun. Seeing the sisters on the screen, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy just looked like they were having so much fun. The dynamic between the three girls is as amusing and entertaining as it has always been, but they added an extra emotional element by giving us an origin where Winifred was almost taken from her sisters. And the ending where Winnie sees her sisters die, and without a second thought says that she doesn’t care about her powers, she wants her sisters back, it was just beautiful. But it was made even greater when revealed the sisters weren’t returning, she was going to them, and Winnie just had the most content smile on her face. You just can’t not love those witchy sisters. Next: Billy. I always liked Billy a lot. Next to Sarah he was my favorite character. But he just became even more lovable in this film, and even more like Johnny Depp Jack Sparrow/Edward Scissorhands character, so that I fully fell in love with him. I was skirting the edge of that pond before, but now I’m completely submerged and have zero regrets. I don’t know why actors focusing on physicality makes me fall for them, but every jerky movement Billy made just made me fall further and further. I also just loved the way he talked, and his insults to Winifred. Doug Jones was just fantastic in this role. I didn’t care for when the Sandersons appeared and did the musical number in the forest, because that’s meant to bewitch people and there was no one they were trying to bewitch. I was suddenly super afraid they were just gonna Disney Channel-ify the whole thing, but their cover of “One Way or Another” was super fun to watch. Also, I’m a little confused. Winnie plainly stated in the original movie that her book was given to her by Satan himself, so either that witch in the woods was Satan in disguise and Disney thought that Satan is too scary for kids, or the writers just forgot a key part of the canon they had to follow. I’m hoping it’s the former. I also really enjoyed all the callbacks to the original, including the fourth wall break of two guys actually watching a scene from the first Hocus Pocus. We had another black cat (though nonspeaking), Sarah’s song was reprised several times, and we got a random town’s lady in the mothers iconic Madonna costume. There were also mentions of Sarah’s hidden rat tails, talk of the spell that would one day be used on Binx, Mary riding a vacuum again (but this time two roombas), the use of water to trick the witches, the sisters saying “Buh-bye”, and Sarah gleefully shouting “Amok! Amok! Amok!”

Overall, the movie was just a good time. The Sandersons were fabulous as ever, most jokes landed, Billy was amazing, and it was about time that a book shed a tear after all the times they’ve made me cry. Is there going to a third one? The post-credit scene sure made it look like it, but I would be satisfied with this movie concluding the Hocus Pocus story. I was incredibly impressed with the writers’ abilities to not only emulate key characteristics of the witches, but also add more depth to them. If you’re looking for a high-quality feature, this movie isn’t for you. But if you want to have some fun, experience a spin on nostalgia, and get into the season, it’s a really good and quick watch. After all, it’s not meant to be a life-changing thing. It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus.

#hocus pocus #hocus pocus 2 #movies #halloween #halloween movies #disney

[high-supernatural]

I have an entire week to marathon write 🎉 🎉

Pls read below for what fandoms I’ll write for, what I’ll write & what to include in your request:::

List of shows/Movies I’m including: Doctor Who, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, The Originals, The Sopranos, Salem, American Horror Story, some Depp Movies

Requests are now open for:::

Doctor Who

All doctors (9 & on)

Companions of doctors 9 through 13

Some of the aliens?

Supernatural

All characters

Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Caroline, Elena, Bonnie

Stephan, Damon

All Mikaelsons

MARCEL!!!

Jeremy, Enzo

Hate-takes on Matt & Tyler

Basically all characters except Matt & Tyler

The Sopranos

Anyone

Salem

Anyone

Pirates of the Caribbean

Jack Sparrow

Jack Sparrow’s dad

Will & Elizabeth & Angelica

Barbossa, Blackbeard

Tia Dalma

James Norrington, Cutler Beckett

Other Depp Movies

Alice in Wonderland

The secret window

Edward scissorhands

Mortdecai

-

What I’ll write:

Headcannons, stories, conversation scripts & short “imagine”

Smvt, fluff, friendships, angst, etc.

Lgbtq, best friends, friends, enemies, characters with mental illness, autistic characters, characters of all different sizes, cultures, backgrounds, genders, etc.

Character on character (ships)

Literally anything as long as it isn’t mentioned in my “what I don’t write”

What I don’t write

Underage characters, inc3st, inter-species (human/animal)

What to include in your request

Description of what you want me to write

Headcannon or story?

Name you want to be used if it’s not a character on character story or a HC (ex. y/n, ‘her’ ‘him’, basic pronouns w/o a name, a specific name, etc…)

First person or third person or second person

#doctor who #doctor who imagine #doctor who smut #supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural smut #dean winchester #sam winchester #the vampire diaries #tvd #the vampire diaries imagine #the originals #the originals imagine #the sopranos #salem #american horror story #johnny depp #pirates of the Caribbean #potc fanfiction #potc imagine #potc smut #alice in wonderland #mad hatter

[an-idiot-in-fandoms]

an essay about my type of man: a half assed self-study

i have noticed a trend in my taste of men, and in this self proclaimed ted talk i’m going to try and dissect it properly.

starting off, we’ve got Han Solo, who was basically my movie crush. what is he like? charismatic, pretty, witty, impatient, realistic, short tempered, self confident (to a certain extent) and funny. now at first i just assumed that i just liked people who could start a conversation with me so i didn’t have to do the hard work.

but turns out; it’s deeper than that.

secondly, we’ve got the man, the myth, the malewife, the murderer: Anakin Skywalker. what is this (disastrous) man like? i’ll tell you what, nearly the exact same as Han, except he’s indefinitely more emotionally unstable, can’t really ‘socialise’, and has a shit ton of mummy issues.

then, we’ve got Jason Todd, my favourite sack of muscles and trauma. again we can apply all of the adjectives above (he can be charismatic when he puts his mind to it, trust me). it’s clear that this is a pattern here.

let’s add on Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice to this list and whamo, i think we have some type of coincidental thing here. except Darcy can’t socialise for shit.

but what type of pattern? i’ll tell you what, it is the pattern of the Byronic hero.

in the words of dictionary.com:

‘A Byronic hero is a type of fictional character who is a moody, brooding rebel, often one haunted by a dark secret from his past. The term describes the type of main character found in many fictional works by Lord Byron, who is said to have had this type of personality.’

and here’s more damning evidence:

‘Often the Byronic hero is moody by nature or passionate about a particular issue. He also has emotional and intellectual capacities, which are superior to the average man. These heightened abilities force the Byronic hero to be arrogant, confident, abnormally sensitive, and extremely conscious of himself.’

are we seeing this? are we understanding it? of course we are, i know my audience isn’t stupid.

we can apply lots of popular male characters in media to this trait: Loki, Kylo Ren, Jack Sparrow, Battison, (possibly Edward Cullen if you stretch it...), Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights (if we must), Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre (again, if we must) and Snape (we’re going off of criteria here).

point being, there’s often trends in the most unlikely places, and they usually have a name. i didn’t really consider this until a couple of days ago, so you learn something new everyday, and occasionally, something new about yourself.

in my case, i learned that i’m attracted to emotionally damaged man-whores. but what can you do?

#jason todd #jason peter todd #mr darcy #george byron #lord byron #han solo #anakin skywalker #taste in men #a half assed self study #byronic hero

[havithreatendub4]

#Oscar #award

"Johnny Depp, one of Hollywood’s most talented and beloved actors of all time. It still comes as a surprise to many fans that he actually still hasn’t received an Academy Award. Here's why Johnny Depp deserves to finally win an Oscar.

If the Oscar is given to the best-performing actor of a certain year, Depp should have several statuettes by now. Depp is a multi-talented star, adding talented musician and an incredible painter to his already impressive acting resume. A prodigal son whose talents were discovered and put to use, the great Nicolas Cage was the one to encourage Depp to take on acting. One of his first successes in the industry was his role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, an American coming-of-age drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, following a young Gilbert who lives with his obese, depressed mother and his siblings. Depp’s talent is completely tangible through his performance in this movie, where he tries to balance his youthful dreams and hopes with his responsibility towards his mother and his mentally disabled brother.

However, it was not until his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl that he was finally nominated for the first time for the Academy Award. The Disney fantasy was an immediate box office success, reaching $654.3 million following its 2003 release. The story follows pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp) and blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) as they attempt to save Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), who was kidnaped by the cursed crew. This particular performance established the genius of Depp and drew the picture of his talent very clearly in the minds of viewers and cinema fans. He acted the role with everything he had: his voice, his facial expressions, his funny body gestures, and his emotions. Although the movie falls under the genres of fantasy and adventure, the viewers’ attachment to the character of Jack Sparrow reminded us of the kind of influence that characters in drama movies have. His talent alone was able to hook millions of fans without having to resort to dramatic effects, and complex dialogue.

Usually, when someone rises above the competition, it means that they are confident in their talent and what they bring to the table. Depp has always been different, not only in his clothing style but in his views and beliefs. In 2005, he told Vanity Fair that he doesn’t “want to win one of those things, ever” in reference to an Oscar, because it would mean that he was in competition with someone. Competition can be a great motivation for some, but others, only need to be in competition with themselves in order to move forward. Depp thinks competition is a negative form of motivation and refuses to enter the race. His high-self esteem does not allow him to measure his success by how heavy his trophy case is."

"One of the best is his titular role in Edward Scissorhands, which was a success both for the critics and financially. He played the role of a soft, and timid creation of a scientist, and his journey towards finding real connection and love. Although the character doesn’t get to say many lines, Depp is wonderfully successful in communicating his feelings, aspirations, and deepest needs for acceptance. This performance is just another reason why there should be a golden statuette in Depp’s hand by now.

He played The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland with equal ease; with that amount of makeup on their face, only a handful of actors could pull off a fictional tea party quite as Depp did. He has also performed incredibly well in movies like Donnie Brasco, Finding Neverland, Ed Wood, and Black Mass.

Depp's fans might be outraged by this apparent lack of recognition, however, one must always hope that his Oscar is only being saved up for his next performance."

#article #excerpts

[pasque-flowers]

1-50 right the fuck now! 😈wanna know all the details about you

💌

1. do you have a crush on anyone? Yeah, my boyfriend (and zendaya)

2. what’s your favorite candy? I’m more chips kind of gal and salty snacks but I love anything with caramel and strawberry flavor

3. favorite love song? Mac de Marco “together” or “wanna be yours” by arctic monkeys

4. what was your first kiss like? I don’t even remember it so I guess no fireworks

5. what was your last kiss like? Full of affection and care

6. sexual/romantic orientation? Bisexual, but heteroromantic

7. do you prefer poems or love letters? Love letters seem more authentic to me, less “made to sound good”

8. favorite fanfic trope? Idk I don’t read fanfics but I love hopeless romantic stories based in 18th century or so

9. have you ever been in love? Yes, I am still

10. favorite milkshake flavor? Strawberry or peanut butter

11. dinner dates or brunch dates? Dinner!!!! But brunch dates are cute too

12. favorite flowers? Pink roses, lilies, daisies and other wild flowers

13. favorite perfume/cologne? YSL „black opium”, Viktor&rolf „Bon bon” or Cacharel „Yes i am”

14. favorite candle scent? Vanilla, jasmine or something clean

15. what’s your ideal first date? With the right person, first of all. Dinner, drinks, making out to steamy music

16. favorite love story? “Pride and prejudice”, “little women” and all of that

17. what’s the most attractive thing a person could wear? A tuxedo, rings or birthday suit

18. chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet? Red velvet

19. snow, rain, or sun? Sun!!!

20. sweetest romantic memory? Hmm there are so many, every little surprise I get from my boyfriend is romantic. Him making me coffe everyday, dancing with me, doing silly things, comforting me when I cry. The last anniversary was very romantic I think

21. favorite dating sim (and favorite character)? Wait what??

22. fictional crushes? Edward Scissorhands, jack Sparrow, raven from teen titans, billy from stranger things

23. what’s your dream wedding like? Lots of candles and flowers, a harp of violin, wearing baby pink dress and having a dog to be a ring bearer+ obvi my bf as a future husband

24. what makes you blush? Compliments, being bossy with me and orgasms

25. do you believe in love at first sight?I do, I’m pretty sure I’ve experienced it

26. do you believe in soulmates? I do!! But I believe we have more than one

27. denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomber jackets? Leather (but only artificial!! Hurting animals is not acceptable) or denim

28. what’s your sign? Gemini

29. are you single? No

30. do you prefer to charm, or be charmed? To charm, I don’t have to do much to be fair, but I like both

31. guitar or piano? Piano

32. favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)? Ohhh god so many of them: pride and prejudice, notting hill, Bridget jones diary, 500 days of summer, atonement, how to loose a guy in 10 days, so many of them I can’t count

33. do you fall in love easily? I used to think I did, but now I’m not sure if I ever loved someone before my boyfriend came along

34. valentine's decorations: yay or nay? Yay if not tacky

35. would you prefer to propose or be proposed to? what’s your dream proposal? I’d prefer to be proposed to and have my moment ahaha. Definitely nowhere public, maybe on holidays with some amazing view? And the stone on the ring MUST BE PINK

36. cloud gazing or star gazing? Star gazing definitely

37. do you like to dance? I love love love dancing

38. what’s your OTP? That’s a hard one…. Hm… I guess Lexi and rue in euphoria

39. kittens or puppies? Both!!!

40. coffee, hot chocolate, or tea? Tea, always

41. favorite soda? Sprite I guess (but with jagermeister lol)

42. do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window or lying dramatically over the sofa? Laying dramatically and cry to sad songs

43. favorite ABBA song? S.O.S, voule-vous (excuse my French), money money, gimme gimme, the winner takes it all

44. fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of your choice) YOU DIDNT NAME ANY

45. favorite pajamas? My bfs t shirt and his boxers or a sexy nightshirt👼🏻

46. favorite liquor? White wine, jagermeister

47. do you think about love a lot? I do

48. a walk in the park or a walk on the beach? On a beach with a sunset

49. hand kisses or nose kisses? BOTH, but forehand kisses are superior (or neck kisses if ya nasty)

50. what’s your dreamhouse? With a big garden and flowers, a bit modern but not too much, big windows high ceilings, fireplace, mirror on a ceiling in a bedroom, would love some colors in pastel and some accents, lots of posters and art

GOD MY THUMBS HURT

[pinkieloveheartpastel]

TW: a former fan’s complaint about johnny depp, also white supremacy, grooming mention, marilyn manson mention, rant on being absolutely disappointed, why celebrities shouldn’t be idolized, EVER, no matter how “genuinely nice” they appear:

So I just need to rant about this dude, cause this whole thing just disappoints me so very hard.

Growing up, I used to be a HUGE HUGE HUUUUGE fan of johnny depp. I loved his acting and took so much inspiration from him alongside Tim Burton.

It was because of him that I felt proud of being weird, creepy, outlandish, off, all of the wonderful things that make you an outcast. Because of him I loved being creative, vibrant, enthusiastic, and I loved dressing up and doing my makeup any kind of way. I LOVED going absolutely WILD with it.

Of course I was inspired by Tim Burton as well, these two working together always made me happy, and I smiled so much every time he was on the television. I basically idolized him.

And if I’d known what autism was, I would’ve headcanoned every single weird character of his as autistic, because I related so hard to them. Edward Scissorhands, Mad Hatter, his version of Willy Wonka. I also liked Jack Sparrow.

And so to find out that he is actually a massive fucking predator is… actually not that surprising, considering it is hollywood. I’m disappointed, actually, because I expected so much from him. I wanted him to be a genuinely good person, and to find out that he’s actually not is extremely disappointing.

Another thing that not only disgusted me, but also fucking terrified me, was the fact that he is BEST FRIENDS WITH MARILYN MANSON. ISTFG. WTAF?????!!!!!!

But then I also found out that he is not only a white supremacist and a misogynist, but also groomed women while they were still minors, and it made me realize that people, especially celebrities, don’t deserve to be idolized. At all. Because no matter what you think of them, no matter what they show you, be it in movies, shows or interviews, you don’t truly know them, and you never will.

They portray their own character for the cameras and show their true colors behind closed doors. Celebrities are shit people.

I sometimes feel bad that I’ve taken so much inspiration from this predator, that almost everything I do and enjoy is because his characters allowed me to feel comfortable in myself and my weirdness. But I realized that he doesn’t own weirdness, nor is he the gatekeeper of it. Anyone can be weird. Anyone can be creative, vibrant and over the top. And it’s not my fault, nor is it anybody else’s fault, that they had no idea who the person behind those characters truly was.

What matters is what you do now that you know. What are you going to do now that you’ve seen them for who they truly are?

Cut them tf off.

I stopped being a fan of him, because I refuse to idolize a predator, misogynist, and a white supremacist, and became what I wanted to see in the world as the proud, creative and vibrant weirdo that I am. I try to be a good person and to set an example, something he was never capable of doing in the first place, and it truly disgusts me that so many people STILL act as though he’s some kind of harmless little angel that can do no wrong when he’s pathetic, disgusting, and a predator. And it disgusts me that I even idolized him in the first place. I feel icky.

Anyways yeah fuck johnny depp. He is a prime example of why you should idolize no one. Because people aren’t meant to be idolized. One way or another, they will disappoint you.

[glowyjellyfish]

I finished setting up an 18th century downloads folder, and proceeded to play a vaguely BaCC Pirate Shipwreck game I had some loose ideas for. Did not get very far. Probably should have rolled the lads some skill points to begin with. An since I was just having fun, I didn’t thoroughly record all their traits and LTWs and what have you, I just want to show off what I did manage.

1. Captain James Teague. He wouldn’t stop sunbathing on the beach and became quite sunburned.

2. Quartermaster Henry Flintheart, a slightly nerdy fellow, but don’t let that fool you; the scar on his face betrays his badassery.

3. Ship’s cook Billy Butcher (...I didn’t realize where I got the name from until after, and now it has stuck!), conversing with Cabin Boy Jack Threepwood. Billy was responsible for cooking meals and keeping an eye on the only goat that survived the wreck; the goat nearly died of dehydration but is doing fine now.

4. The other Cabin Boy Silver Sparrow, clearly an assumed name, but pirates don’t care about that. A skinny, private lad, Silver found himself in charge of maintaining the carrots they had to plant in order to have foo for the winter.

5. Carpenter Underwood Bones, on a trip to the nearby forest to gather food and supplies, trying his luck with a beehive. He didn’t succeed, but did manage to fell a tree before the round was through. That’s awfully important, as my loose rules want walls to be purchased with wood, and the ship needs 200 wood before it’s seaworthy again. (...but I will need to figure out exactly how to do anything with that concept!)

6. A view of the wrecked ship, and the beach where the crew has set up camp.

7. A freshwater pond in the woods not far from the beach; I worked very hard to try and make it look properly wild.

8. Quartermaster Henry Flintheart getting a tad inappropriate with Cabin Boy Silver Sparrow. Not that Silver seems to mind.

9. First Cabin Boy Jack Threepwood practicing his navigation skills on the wrecked ship, supervised by the Quartermaster.

10. Overview of the wilderness, as Crewman Hitchcock Jones and the two cabin boys arrive to see what they can find.

11. First Mate Edward Moray (if I remember correctly), a hotheaded, rough, scoundrel of a man, but a loyal first mate, dedicated to ensuring the crew’s survival under the captain’s direction.

I always forget to update the in-game camera resolution, but it all managed to look pretty nice anyway! The main ideas here are to have the crew slowly scavenge crops and livestock from the forest, meet the natives of the island, and gradually split off to their own households with actual houses. I’m also planning to use some ship mechanics I made up a long time ago, if I can make them work--once somebody owns a functional ship lot, they can hire a crew and sail the seas again with this island as their base. They’ll work on skills, and I’ll do a couple of shipboard ROSs--one for small daily events, another for if they attack a ship. I’m hoping to have as much sailing and piracy as honest labor. Either way, it will take a long time and appropriate community lots to unlock careers and schools and things. Oh, and I’m not tying new sims to community lots; the crew can encounter the native population with an ROS, and once sailing starts happening, ships can find refugees and new ships can come in with new sims looking to live on the island.

I’m just excited I actually finished the setup and got to play with it! The medieval setup took WAY too long and still isn’t done!

#the sims 2 #sims 2 #simblr #18th century sims 2 #sims 2 bacc #sims 2 pirates #ts2 #sims 2 pirate bacc

[don-dake]

Edward Scissorhands Nendoroid! (≧▽≦)

BG differs depending on which merchant it is purchased from, if I understand correctly. Reg.: Dinosaur Topiary, Amazon: Mansion, Goodsmile: Ice Sculpt.

Update: He's ¥9,000! (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻ (｡•́︿•̀｡)

#First Jack Sparrow now Edward? #Not to mention all the other Hollywood movies' #Nendoroid #Being announced lately…Goodsmile shifting their sights to focus more on the Western market now? #Anyway…if the pricing is reasonable of course #This would be awesome to have! #Love the little details like the scars on his face and the brass and bolts of his body #Hoping (sort of) there would be an Ichabod Crane one but I highly doubt that will happen #Ichabod doesn't have the cult status unlike Jack or Ed #Edward Scissorhands #Western Movies #Movies

[only-johnny-deppp]

“Whatever I’ve gone through, I’ve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...” 

 Johnny Depp’s NEW INTERVIEW!

Last saturday, August 14, The UK Times, released a new interview with Johnny for the Sunday Times section. It was realized sometime earlier this month, in London, probably on the same day he and Andrew Levitas were recording for the Q&A for the “Minamata” release in UK. This is Johnny’s first interview since the UK trials in London last year, and released three years after Johnny’s major interview for the British GQ Magazine. Here Johnny and Andrew Levitas speaks about “Minamata”, his future as actor and a thing or two about his personal life, although he cannot talk about the court case.

For those who couldn’t read yet, here is the FULL interview:  Enjoy.

***

“I’M BEING BOYCOTTED BY HOLLYWOOD”

Johnny Depp has a new film out this week. In the opening scene his character, the real-life photographer W Eugene Smith, says, “I’m done. I’m tired. My body is older than I am. I’m always in goddam pain. I can’t trust my f***ing dick any more. Constantly in a foul mood. Even the drugs bore me.”

I ask Depp if Smith’s despair resonated with him. Depp stops. Rocks back and forth. “That’s interesting,” he replies with painful hesitation.

“I didn’t approach playing Smith in that way… Although you bring your toolbox to work and use what is available. Having experienced...” He stops again. Depp takes any questions that might refer to his calamitous libel case last year slowly, in a mumbly, croaking drawl. “A surreal five years…”

In the film Smith needs to revive his reputation. In real life Depp’s task is even more daunting. Thanks to the judgment, everyone can call him a “wife-beater”. Now he must convince a Hollywood still convulsed by #MeToo that he’s not toxic — and that any attempt to rebuild his career is a risk worth taking. This is Depp’s first interview since the case.

We are speaking over Zoom, Depp in his London home, in front of a gold-framed painting. The 58-year-old is wearing a lot of clothes. Earrings. Floppy hat. Sunglasses. Bandana. Scarf. Checked shirt over a T-shirt with an indiscernible slogan. If you saw him on the Tube*, you might think he was off to work at the London Dungeon*, to play most of the characters.

PS. For those who are not familiar with British words: * Tube = British slang for London Underground, the subway trains. * London Dungeon = is a walk-through experience that recreates scenes from London's scary history in a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides.

Depp resumes, talking in broken sentences about the new film, Minamata, in which Smith, via Life magazine, exposes the brutal mercury poisoning of Japanese villagers in the early 1970s.

“How do we do this?” he asks rhetorically, meaning how to speak about the elephant in the Zoom. “Well, there’s no way one can’t recognise the absurdity of the mathematics.” He grins. “If you know what I mean?” No. “Absurdity of media mathematics.” He talks in riddles. “Whatever I’ve gone through, I’ve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...”

He trails off again. He is holding a big brown roll-up of some sort. “What the people in Minamata dealt with? People who suffered with Covid? A lot of people lost lives. Children sick...Ill. Ultimately, in answer to your question? Yeah, you use what you’ve got. But what I’ve been through? That’s like getting scratched by a kitten. Comparatively.”

Last July, I went to the High Court in London to watch Depp on another screen — a video from the socially distanced court where the Hollywood star was losing a libel action against The Sun after it called him a “wife-beater”. It was the grottiest showbiz trial of the century. There were photos of the actor passed out in a foetal slump, socks on show. One lengthy exchange involved faeces. Another urination, inside or outside a house, after a violent night with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

This had all been going on for a while. In 2016 Heard applied for a temporary restraining order against him. The couple had long endured a narcotic, booze-filled, childish relationship, but that does not matter — 12 incidents levelled against Depp were proved, said the judge, and abuse is abuse, regardless of how badly they both behaved. Depp wanted to appeal, but the court said no. Next April in the US he has a $50 million defamation case against Heard relating to an opinion piece she wrote about being the victim of domestic abuse. It may be his last roll of the dice.

In the 1990s Depp was a sensitive heart-throb. Cooler than DiCaprio, edgier than Pitt. In this past year he has been stripped of his status and dignity. On day three of the trial Sasha Wass QC, representing The Sun, asked Depp about daubing a penis on a painting. He could not remember. “That would be quite a big thing, painting a penis on a picture?”  Wass asked. “Quite a big thing?” Depp asked.

It was a well-delivered line, but Depp was on show. Performing. Now he is more timid, less lucid. His people say he cannot talk about the court case given the looming US trial, yet it hangs over everything. The director of Minamata, Andrew Levitas, is also on our call — as a pub trivia aside, Levitas is married to the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins.

The two men clearly get on. “With regards to journalism, it was important for us to put across in the film the power of truth,” Levitas says. Depp nods. “The responsibility of journalists to look after citizens of the world. [Our film] coincided with the moment important publications had to put Raquel Welch on a cover to get enough eyeballs to sell enough ads in order to put something meaningful inside. A result of that is clickbait — it’s destroying the purpose of journalism,” Levitas continues.

“You said it beautifully,” says Depp, one of the world’s most pinned-up men, who built a career on magazine covers. “I couldn’t say it better than that.”

Last month Levitas wrote to MGM, which bought Minamata for the US market but decided not to release it. He accused MGM of being concerned that “the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them”. Then the letter got really strong. Levitas accused MGM of failing in its “moral obligation” to release the film and said it needed to explain to the victims “why you think an actor’s personal life is more important than their dead children”. He then attached Smith’s photos of ghastly deformities that shocked the world 50 years ago.

“It’s important that the movie gets seen and supported,” Levitas says. “And if I get an inkling it’s not going to be, it’s my responsibility to say so. Where it goes from there? I don’t know. But we have responsibility to these victims . . .”

You can see why he’s passionate. The film is good. MGM bought the film because it is good. Depp is good too. He disappears into the role, far from his more recent pantomime parts. It’s being released worldwide, just not in the actor’s homeland.

Depp, who also produced the film, interrupts. “We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.”

“Some films touch people,” he adds. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything…” He pauses, as he does. “For Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?” He trails off. “But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that…” Again, he trails off. “To bring things to light.”

The fact, as I think Depp knows, is that for his career, the court that matters is not one of law, but public opinion. On social media, where a lot of minds are made up, Depp’s good reputation will always outweigh the bad, thanks to his frequently blinkered fans.

Outside the High Court, as Heard arrived, I saw Natasha, 30, yell: “Get hit by a truck, Amber!” She is extreme, but the persistent way his fans demand that others think their idol is a saint shows a career revival will happen. After all, most filmgoers do not follow his private life at all. To them, he is Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands. To them, he is a star — and a star can take an awful lot of heat before it burns out.

“They have always been my employers,” Depp says of his fans. “They are all our employers. They buy tickets, merchandise. They made all of those studios rich, but they forgot that a long time ago. I certainly haven’t. I’m proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth they’re trying to get out since it doesn’t in more mainstream publications. It’s a long road that sometimes gets clunky. Sometimes just plain stupid. But they stayed on the ride with me and it’s for them I will fight. Always, to the end. Whatever it may be.”

Depp will talk like this for ever — about his “truth”. Minamata is the last film Depp has listed on the industry site IMDb, where actors usually have half a dozen in development. So, yes, fans of the actor can see Depp in a new role now — it is a return, but is it a relaunch? The film was finished in 2019, way before last year’s court case. Is that it? His last film? He thinks and looks off to his bookshelves, at biographies of Betjeman and Olivier.

“Er...no,” he says, eventually. “No. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way. Because once you’ve...Well, look. The way they wrote it in The Wizard of Oz is that when you see behind the curtain, it’s not him. When you see behind the curtain, there’s a whole lot of motherf***ers squished into one spot. All praying that you don’t look at them. And notice them.”

I would ask him to explain, but I am not sure he is an explainer. Watch this space, I guess, but he is already taking a first step back. After we speak, it is announced Depp is getting the coveted Donostia award at the San Sebastian Film Festival next month. Some people are just too famous to fail.

~ Interview by Jonathan Dean, in London, for The Times UK (released on August 14, 2021)

#Johnny Depp #New Interview #Interview #Minamata #Justice For Johnny Depp #I Believe Him #Johnny Depp is Innocent #The Times UK

[piratestrash]

Okay, i know that this is probably cringe and terrible and it's the first time I do something like that (and I am not even good at english, lol) but I can't get it out of my mind, so:

TEAGUE

We don't talk about Sparrow, oh, oh, no

We don't talk about Sparrow,

But!

It was a busy day (Quickdraw: it was busy day)

The noose was ready early, and there wasn't a rogue outside (no rogue's allowed in his sight)

Sparrow walks in with a mischievous grin (Murder!)

You telling this story or am I?!

I'm sorry, my brother, go on

Sparrow says, "This is unfair" (why didn't he trust us?)

In doing so, he went to them

(Edward, go grab your guns!)

The rogues then were all set free

(Jack was almost killed

but anyway)

We don't talk about Sparrow oh, oh, no

We don't talk about Sparrow!

BRANNIGAN

Hey, learnt to live in fear of Sparrow stuttering or stumbling

I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling

I associate him with the sound of dripping rum, *gling*, *gling*, *gling*

It's a heavy lift being a man so clumsy

Always made the Keeper and the family angry

Wishing for a life they would never understand

Do you understand?

UNCLE JACK

A hairy, drunk frame, trinkets in his back

When he calls your name, you can smell the rum

Yeah, he robs your dreams and feasts on your screams (hey)

ALL

We don't talk about Sparrow, oh, oh, no

We don't talk about Sparrow!

HAZEL

He told me I'll lose in dice, the next day, lost! (oh no)

PATRIARCH

He told me I'd lose my girl and then she was gone! (oh no)

MATRIBUTE THE VIOLENT VISIONERY

I saw that he will burn Teague's ship

Now, she's not docked in the Cove (oh, no)

ALL

Your fate is sealed when you two get along!

VALERIE

He told me that the life of my dreams

Would be promised, and someday be mine

He told me that my family glows

Every time I walk by their side

GRANDMAMA

(Oi, Esmeralda's on her way)

TEAGUE

I was told that my one, wayward son

He will never come home

He's now an EITC captain!

It's like he's with me now...

VALERIE

Hey kid, (Teague: It's like his with me now)

I want not a sound out of you (He could be with me now!)

(???)

Um, Sparrow

Yeah, about that Sparrow

I really need to know about Sparrow

Gimme the truth and the whole truth, Sparrow

UNCLE JACK

(Cap'n Edward, your lady's here! Hahaha!)

ALL

Time for dinner!

U.J: A hairy, drunk frame, trinkets in his back/T&Q: It was a busy day (it was busy day)/B: learnt to live in fear of Sparrow stuttering or stumbling/V: He told me that the life of my dreams

U. J: When he calls your name, you can smell the rum/T&Q: The noose was ready early, and there wasn't a rogue outside (no rogue allowed in his sight)/B: I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling /V: Would be promised, and someday be mine

U. J: Yeah, he robs your dreams and feasts on your screams/T&Q: Sparrow walks in with a mischievous grin (Murder!)/B: I associate him with the sound of dripping rum, *gling*, *gling*, *gling* /V: He told me that my family glows

T: You telling this story or am I?!/G: oi, Esmeralda's on her way/B: It's a heavy lift being a man so clumsy, always made the Keeper and the family angry/V: Every time I walk by their side   

Q: I'm sorry, brother, I'll go on/B: Wishing for a life they would never understand. Do you understand?/V: I'm fine

Q: Sparrow says, "This is unfair". Why didn't he trust us?/T: I was told that my one wayward son he will never come home/V: He told me that the life of my dreams/U. J: A hairy, drunk frame, trinkets in his back

Q: In doing so, he went to them /T: He's now an EITC captain/V: Would be promised, and someday be mine/U. J: When he calls your name, you can smell the rum

Q: Pirates, go grab your guns! /T: EITC captain! And I'm fine /V: And I'm fine

Q: The rogues then were all set free/T: And I'm fine, and I'm fine/V: And I'm fine and I'm fine

Q: And Jack was almost killed, but anyway /T: I'm fine! /V: I'll be fine! /U. J: Yeah, he robs your dreams and feasts on your screams 

ALL

She's here!

Don't talk about Sparrow

(Why did I talk about Sparrow?)

Not a word about Sparrow

(I never should've brought up Sparrow!)

[Uncle Jack said "Your lady's here" because Teague was always calling Esmeralda "a lady". Also I can't decide who is Mirabel, so imagine a pirate who is looking for Jack between tpof and tlotbc]

WAIT WHAT IF ESME OR JACKIE WERE MIRABEL

#Encanto #We don’t talk about Bruno

[twistedtummies2]

Happy Birthday, Johnny Depp!

I don’t care what anyone else says, Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors. And so, in honor of the sensation “I know I’m out of state, but whatever, I need to celebrate this,” here’s a quick rundown of my Top 20 Johnny Depp Characters/ Performances. Now, I know some of these choices will be controversial, for one reason or another. Just keep in mind that’s why opinions exist, folks. Also, I’d like to give an Honorable Mention to his role in Funny or Die’s “Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal.” Consider that a Number 21 spot.

And now, we’re off!

20. Ichabod Crane, from Sleepy Hollow. (I feel REALLY bad about placing this one at the bottom of the list, but...yeah, after much deliberation, he loses out. Sorry, Ichy. I do still love you, I promise.)

19. Willy Wonka, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

18. The Wolf, from Into the Woods. (Certain...ahem...PERSONAL INTERESTS may or may not be part of the reason why. I’m not saying one way or the other.)

17. Donnie Brasco.

16. Agent Sheldon Sands, from Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

15. Officer Tom Hanson, from 21 Jump Street.

14. Rango.

13. Gellert Grindelwald, from the Fantastic Beasts films.

12. The Mad Hatter, from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. (BUT ONLY FOR THE FIRST FILM. I think he was sleepwalking through most of the second.)

11. Inspector Frederick Abberline, from From Hell.

10. William Blake, from Dead Man.

9. Victor Van Dort, from Corpse Bride.

8. Whitey Bulger, from Black Mass.

7. J.M. Barrie, from Finding Neverland.

6. Sweeney Todd, from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

5. Edward Scissorhands.

4. Ed Wood.

3. Raoul Duke, from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. (This movie and I have a love/hate relationship, but he is great in it.)

2. John Dillinger, from Public Enemies.

1. Captain Jack Sparrow, from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. (At least the first three or four. Again, I think he was sleepwalking through most of film five.) Happy Birthday, Mr. Depp! And thank you for all your great work! Not that I imagine you’re reading this, but...the sentiment remains. XD

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