#but this is what stede does

[avastyetwats]

Stede can you tell us what’s so different about you and Izzy((izzyeffinhands muns Izzy))versus you and Ed? I thought you were desperately in love with Ed but you seem closer to Izzy than you were to him? Why did you fall for Izzy? ((sorryifthatstoomanyquestions but I really like Stede and Izzy))

"Things... happened between us. I won't go into detail of what happened between Ed and I, but we wanted different things and he needed time on his own which I respect. So, he stayed behind while I left with the crew, continuing my life as a Pirate Captain. I wasn't ready to leave them, anyway, and knowing how hurt Izzy was, and because of me, I couldn't just... not be there for him. But it was during that time that we grew closer, Izzy and I. Much closer than either of us ever expected given our... rather hostile beginning." There's a smile now on Stede's face as he thinks about Israel - how far they've come and where they are now.

"Turns out, Izzy and I have a lot in common. We've bonded through our shared pain, our similar trauma, and our longing to just... belong. To belong somewhere and with someone and that's what I've found with Izzy. Belonging. We found comfort in each other, we found a home, we found love, we found acceptance, and just... so much more, so much that I never truly understood until Izzy." After all, his marriage to Mary had been one of convenience and not love, so there was so much Stede missed out on. That they both missed out on, but Stede had all of that now. And so much more.

"I've also shared so many firsts with him that I can't imagine having shared with anyone else. He's just... everything to me, to put it simply. Everything. I've found so much with him, and because of him, I've discovered so much about myself because of him and gods," He laughs, tears now spilling from his eyes. "This is what happens anytime I talk about him, or even just think about him. There just aren't enough words to explain what I feel for Israel Hands or why, but just know that I love him." He smiles, eyes shining with unbridled joy, no doubt or regret to be found. Never, "Not only is he the love of my life, but he's my light. The sun isn't the cause for my days being bright and warm, he is. Just as the ocean has no end, nor does my love for him."

Gods, he went on and on didn't he? It was easy to become lost in his thoughts about Izzy, to just talk about him with the happiest smile on his face. Every word was the truth. Every word honest and genuine. And they still had a lifetime ahead of them.

@izzyeffinhands

#wooo this got long #but this is what stede does #he talks and talks and talks #especially when it's about love/someone he loves #izzyeffinhands #this has to do with out stizzy/au so <3 #i hope you enjoy this!

[dekaja]

Yeah, they're so lovely together. I mean, they've known each other for twenty years, but they've never acted together in this way. The chemistry was there immediately. They made the other one feel safe. [. . .] Rhys has a wonderful vulnerability. He's a very good listener, and I think it makes Taika really comfortable. Taika gets very vulnerable and they're just very sweet with each other.

— David Jenkins, Metro Weekly

#our flag means death #ofmd #stede bonnet #edward teach #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmdedit #puppet makes gifs #sorry i read this quote this morning and almost blacked out #RHYS MAKES TAIKA COMFORTABLE...........OK............ #also not me realizing they always frame stede on the left and ed on the right what does it mean.........

[jannecapelleart]

so whos up for ignoring 2x08 with me?🫱🏽‍🫲🏼

#steddyhands #ofmd #ofmd2 #izzy hands #blackbeard #ed teach #stede bonnet #our flag means death #listen they are all gaygaygay for each other i know it #idc what djenkins does

[chronicowboy]

#sami rambles #none of u understand what that does to me liiiiike. #i had butterflies in my tummy and im not ashamed of saying it #i love them so dearly #ofmd spoilers #ofmd #our flag means death #ed x stede #ed teach #blackbeard #blackbonnet

[saltpepperbeard]

I'll take care of you, take care of you. That's true.

#OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #OFMD Season 2 #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Edit #ofmdedit #ofmdgifs #ofmd gifs #ofmdblog #ofmdsource #ofmdaily #tv gifs #television gifs #DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS SUDDEN GIFING BURST CAME FROM BUT Y'KNOW WHAT HSDLKS #I'LL TAKE IT #MAYBE IT'S ~*~THE MONTH~*~ #also the way my soul belonged to beach house all through may lol Send Help #ALSO also i feel like this is something of a Spiritual Sequel/Successor/Pair to my OTHER stede bunnet set hsdklsj #because in my eyes everything he's saying to that little bunny is essentially what he'd be telling stede #it's meant for stede #soooooo something something him vowing to keep that little bunny safe is also him vowing to keep HIS little bunny safe #AND HE DOES

[donniesdorm]

A modern holy trinity - might add more characters to it like a collage of tea drinking book loving characters and their partners so give me ideas if you have any ,,

Will be doing a Nandor, Ed and Crowley version next!

#aziraphale #good omens two #gomens #good omens #wwdits guillermo #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #guillermo de la cruz #stede bonnet #ofmd stede #ofmd #our flag means death #the new superwholock #donnie does art

[chuplayswithfire]

remember when we all thought lucius would be the wise mentor to babygay stede but instead s2e2 had stede hit lucius with the i'm older than you and i know more, i've fucked up my life and hurt people real bad, don't be like me

and he was right

and they both mentored each other, in a way, helping each other understand themselves and their relationships?

#stede bonnet #lucius spriggs #ofmd s2 spoilers #i have seen this episode so many times and i really just love what it does for the lucius and stede dynamic

[areyoudoingthis]

I am SO grateful that ed and stede exist as characters exactly as they are. I'm so grateful for these two men who are traumatized and messed up and struggle to even like themselves, who are terrible at communicating, who make enough mistakes between the two of them to fill an entire ocean. I am so grateful to watch them struggle and be seen and be loved and reach out for the things they want and are maybe starting to believe that they deserve. I'm so grateful that the show lets them fall in love and get together exactly as they are, that it doesn't say they need to wait until they've become some unattainably perfect version of themselves before they have permission to have that. i am so grateful for ofmd

#ofmd #there are no other shows like this one #I'm so tired of media that repeats the same idea that you need to hit a list of predetermined therapy milestones (determined by who???) #before you can fall in love #I'm honestly tired of fic that does this with ed and stede too #because guess what #you can live in the 21st century with access to therapy and dsm diagnosis and a bunch of different medications and you can be doing all the #right things and still be a trainwreck!!! #putting in the work doesn't mean you're gonna become perfect and never have problem again any more than falling in love doesn't mean you'll #never have problems again #I'll forever be crying on my knees levels of grateful for the unique writing on this show #for saying that it's okay you can be a mess you can take one step forward and three steps back and you'll still always be deserving #of love and grace and forgiveness #you don't have to do anything to deserve you deserve it just because you exist #i love this show with my entire heart #alex watches ofmd

[awholebunchobananas]

This is exactly how Ed and Stede’s first night as innkeepers would go.

“Fucking nature!”

#ofmd #my art #ed teach #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #ofmd spoilers #ofmd season 2 #like how would either of them know how to start a good fire #when’s the last time ed even spent a night on land #does ed remember what grass is #no Ed don’t eat those mushrooms

[gaytaikawaititi]

has someone done this already or-?

#honestly it should straight up be that everyone on the crew guessed the password including ed #with buttons 'does not own a computer' or sth #you know what i just might do that #ignore stede's three pixel picture im lazy #ofmd #our flag means death #ed & stede #txt #stede bonnet #edward teach

[chaotic-neutral-knitter]

I've seen metas about Stede being a coward and I think that, when you're analyzing a show about how there's not just one way to be a man, that misses the point a bit?

like. Stede definitely thinks he's a coward and other people call him a coward. in the same way that Ed thinks he's a monster and other people call him a monster. these are labels that they both grapple with because they don't want them to be true but when people keep telling you over and over that you are [X], then you'll believe it eventually.

and the thing that gets me about Stede is that his cowardice isn't in the areas that his bullies tell him it is. his plan to steal a hostage back from Izzy is dumb, but it's also brave. the man keeps putting himself in physical danger, ALL OF THE TIME. he's naive, but he's also brave.

his decision to go be a pirate is brave, and Ed sees that. I'd even say it's one of the first things he recognizes and likes about Stede. because Ed also wants to change his whole life (but is struggling with actually doing it) and here comes this guy who just went and DID it. what the hell. better talk to that guy, see what he knows. (maybe fall in love with him)

Stede's only a coward when it comes to emotional stuff. there was probably a middle ground between "suffer in this marriage forever" and "run off to be a pirate" but leaving in the middle of the night was a way to escape hard conversations. there was also DEFINITELY a middle ground between "go to China with Ed and be eaten alive by guilt over abandoning his family" and "leave Ed without saying goodbye" but that would have meant talking to Ed about it and my man Stede does not talk about his feelings, wants, or needs. because emotional honesty is scary. (and when you're Stede, emotional honesty has always ended up with getting yelled at, shut down, or worse).

but it's frustrating, because people will say "oh Stede's a coward" and point to all the people saying he is one and Stede himself believing it, and ignore all the times he is shown to be very brave. or they'll say (and this one haunts me) "Stede wasn't bullied as a kid for being obviously queer, he was bullied for being a coward."

and idk dude but I think the point is that sometimes the things we believe about ourselves because we've been told them over and over are just... not true?

your childhood bully wasn't right about you, they were a fucking bully. your shit dad wasn't right about you, he was just shit. these people don't know you and they don't want to know you. their opinions are worse than useless. and Stede's season one arc is about him grappling with that and deciding he isn't a coward, he isn't inadequate, he isn't a waste of space. he is in fact worthy of love. that's the whole point!

#at what point will people stop believing nigel fucking badminton's take on stede #that's all I want to know #does Stede need to symbolically leave behind the ghost of ANOTHER childhood bully? #sorry this got much longer than I intended it to be #our flag means death #stede bonnet #ofmd meta

[batwynn]

Something something Werewolf and Mermaid Ed and Stede. (Dark and fluffy versions)

#gentlebeard #blackbonnet #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #OFMD #ed x stede #doodle #sketch page #mer!stede #werewolf!blackbeard #I don’t know I was watching this movie from the 90s and started loosing focus on it #because I got too captivated by drawing this #lol no idea what happened in the movie #oh well #not a fan of films that kill cats in general #but especially for shit reasons/no reason #so I already checked out a bit #anyway anyway #always check does the dog die if this kind of thing upsets you #10/10 would recommend

[edsbacktattoo]

thinking about the message in a bottle and thinking about how impractical it really is. it's like a last hope kind of thing. it's so improbable. such a tiny and fragile thing, left adrift in the vastness of the whole ocean on the near impossible chance that it's picked up by someone, by anyone. it's almost never found by the person it's intended for, and certainly never at the right time.

thinking about the red silk in the same way. thinking that, no, maybe it wasn't intended for anyone necessarily. but maybe just this once it'll show up at the right time.

thinking about both of them sending hope out to the sea just to see where it ends up.

#does this make sense?!???! #like they’re both just sort of. doing what they can #just doing whatever they can to make it #to find each other or get to the other side or survive or WHAT #but they’re both doing whatever they can #and OOHGGGGGG i love that #stede what does the note say bud #STEDE WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE SAY #ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #oh we thinkin?

[petercapaldi]

😌

#ofmdedit #our flag means death #ofmd #blackbonnet #blackstede #edward teach #stede bonnet #[you wear fine things well] #* #shows #is this anything #i dont know idk #it's like #they're releasing a breath they didn't know they were holding? like it's a relief #does that make sense #honestly i didn't know what else to use instead of sigh. it's not perfect but my first choice turned out to not even be a word lmao #also i don't have an actual caption for this so fkshfksk

[milkovichy]

what a difference one season makes

#what kissing blackbeard does to a mf #stede bonnet #our flag means death #ofmd

[girlbossblackbeard]

you know what im just gonna say it. i want to see still pissed, tension-filled, not-yet-reunited/made-up ed intimidatingly stare down stede directly in the eyes and make the demand "kiss me"

#ofmd #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #edward teach #stede bonnet #it's like a challenge for stede to prove himself #what does stede need to prove you may ask? #well my dear readers thats really up to him to decide I think #i just like the drama of it all okay!! I will not apologize for that!!