#so many die though

[bet-on-me-13]

Danny is the Crazy Old Man™️ of Gotham

So, the events of Danny Phantom happened decades ago

Like, Phantom Planet was one of the first instances of Superheroes in HISTORY. Early 1900's, just the Fentons were Insanely Ahead of their Time!

Danny is still a Halfa, but has allowed himself to grow old and live his best life before fully dying so he can accept his Throne in the Infinite Realms. He decides to experience Life in the fullest way possible, partying, drinking, making long lasting friendships that shape the lives of everybody he meets, all that!

Eventually, Danny's Party Life leads him to Gotham. And this place is just amazing!

It has all the comforts of Home, with so much more! He can Party! He can Fight! He can do anything he wants and nobody bats an eye, because a crazy old man getting into a fistfight in the middle of the road is just another Tuesday for Gotham!

He decides to spend the rest of his Mortal Life there. And this is still Early On in the DC Timeline, like, Batman Year 1 is happening Right Now.

He hangs around, befriends the local Homeless Population, and mostly just has the time of his Life! And he takes up the stereotypical Homeless Old Man look because why fight it? That's literally what he's going for!

He also unintentionally sets up a bunch of future events

He teaches Kid!Jason on his to steal Tires as repayment for driving off some muggers with a Baseball Bat (honestly he was looking forward to being mugged, it's a new experience after all)

He pulls Kid!Tim into an Alley after Tim gets caught out at night and gets chased by some Punks. He hides Tim behind a Dumpster and tricks the Punks into mugging him instead (Yay! He finally got mugged!)

He becomes kind of well known as the Old Man who wants to experience everything before he dies. He says as much too, not like he really has a reason to hide it. He just tells people "I want to live my life to the fullest, it don't matter if I live 10 more years or 10 more minutes, I'm gonna experience every second of it!"

He once walked into a Cloud of Fear Gas to see what it was like. Later he said it was a 6/10. "Not the worst thing I've had injected into my body!" He says with no Context.

He traded places with a Hostage during an active Crime Scene because he wanted to know what it's like.

He was once dared to take Batmans Utility Belt by another Homeless Guy as a joke, so he walked up to Batman later that night in full view of everybody else and just asked for his Belt. He gives up after a few minutes, and one guy asked "Why not fight him for it? It's an experience after all.". Danny replys "Nah, I've fought Vigilantes before. It was fun though, gotta say!"

...

This got away from me, but all this to say: Imagine the Bat Families Reaction when they find out "Crazy Old Danny" is PHANTOM. You know, THE FIRST SUPERHERO!

I imagine Constantine is having a stroll though Gotham after finishing up some business with Bruce, and just bumps into a homeless guy by accident.

Later that night:

Batman: Constantine, Why are you calling? Is it to do with the-

Constantine: Why the fuck is there a Homeless God in your City?

Batman: Wait wha-

...

Or imagine they know before Constantine meets him, and it goes instead like this

Constantine: Why the fuck is there a Homeless God in your City?!

Batman: You mean Old Man Danny? He's just a homeless guy? What do you mean?

Constantine: I swear on what's left of my Soul, that is a God.

Batman, a little shit: I don't think so, I would know (fully knows)

#Dp x dc #Dpxdc #Dc #Dcu #Danny Phantom #Danny Fenton #Old Man Danny #Crazy Old Man #Crazy Old Man Danny #Crazy Old Man Danny AU #Danny is the next in line for the Throne #He just needs to die #Not like he's in a hurry though #His friends can wait a few more decades in the afterlife #It was them who dared him to do this #Honestly it was a good idea #He had made so many new friends #Like The President #Danny is the old guy who :knows: people #Imagine the Crazy Old Man on the corner is actually Old drinking buddies with the President

[airoarts]

Leader and deputy

[Image description: a digital painting of Squirrelstar and Ivypool from Warriors. Squirrelstar is a small dark red cat with green eyes, standing in front of the much taller Ivypool, a gray tabby-and-white cat with blue eyes and many battle scars. The background is dark blue. end ID]

#i havent read a new wc book in years (They are not very good) but have been keeping up with The Happenings recently cause its fun #when was the last time there was a female leader+deputy? leopardstar and mistyfoot??????? #anyway so happy forthem i hope they dont both die immediately #warriors #warrior cats #wc #squirrelstar #squirrelflight #ivypool #art #2023 #I have actually been doodling a ton of cat designs like in classes in the last couple months lol #havent posted them because theyre just Designs and so many people post those all the time but if i get one (1) ask about it i can post them #also just have not felt like posting art recently even though ive been doing it. LOL #worried about squirrelstar cause um. i know cat ages have been generally increasing but she is older than her dad was when he died #if wc wiki ages are to be believed #her husband just retired to be an old man and she took his job #well whatever... i dont even read the books... i dont care... tch #ALSO EDITED CAUSE I REALIZED I PUT HER WHITE PAW ON THE WRONG SIDE #the first few rbs will have the wrong version but whatever. its fine. its fine

[royalarchivist]

Phil: Doin' a lot of traveling around the New Years. Oh boy, oof. Oh golly, oh gee. But it should be worth it! It should be really good. I'm looking forward to it, Kristin's looking forward to it.

Random Chatter: What about Tallulah and Chayanne?

Phil: I told them already what's going on. I already told them. They already know when I'm getting back and all that stuff, so.

Random Chatter: The cookies though?

Phil: [Shrugs] So? I'm... physically not here? [Laughs] There's more things - there's more important things in life than feeding a virtual egg cookies, I'm sorry to say, dude. [Laughs]

Random Chatter: Get Tubbo to feed eggs cookies.

Phil: [Laughs and mimics the chatter in an annoying voice] "Get this person!" "Get that person!" ALSO IGNORING THOSE PEOPLE ALSO HAVE LIVES! Jesus Christ. That says a lot about what you think of your streamer. Oh my god, dude. Let them have a fcking week off man! Let the Eggs have a week off, you kidding me? They're people, too, they're admins!

Random Chatter: The eggs need to live.

Phil: They do! By having a week off! [Laughs] Leave them alone! Holy fck! Good lord... If I- if- Dude. If anyone in my chat is genuinely like gonna come into stream, and like - be pissed off that different members of QSMP are just not logging in, I'm banning you on the spot, 'cuz that is so fcking toxically online of you. That is SO chronically online of you. You need to take a break, and I'm giving you that break. I'm forcing you to take a break from your PC. Fckin' get up from the - look away from the screen.

#Philza #Phil #QSMP #For real though it's WILD that some people genuinely have that mentality #People forget that the ccs need breaks and so do the Eggs! #many of whom are in college #and hell even if they weren't #they still need a break! #Plus it's the holidays #Context for this conversation in case it wasn't clear: Phil was talking about leaving for the holidays and said others will be too #and some random chatters got annoying spamming about the Eggs and saying they'll die #I didn't catch this live but I'm watching the VOD #Idk. QSMP is almost a year old and people still get worried about the same stupid stuff #''The eggs are gonna die! No one will take care of this specific Egg unless I spam their name in chat 100000 times!'' #''Nobody cares about my fave and clearly I know better than actual members of the server'' #Like. c'mon man be serious #Everyone loves the Eggs #I feel like a lot of fans really do need to unplug and remember that it's not that serious #and this is coming from someone who bawled their eyes out at Bobby's death #real ass people's lives matter more. Let them take a break #Q's said so many times that they Eggs matter and he wouldn't just kill them all off for the hell of it #anyhoo #December 25 2023 #Q #Subtitles #Edited

[avatarofwar]

Hirata Estate - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

#hirata estate is just one of many reasons why patricide is cool #don't ask how long it took to get that fucking flower area coloured in a way I like. worth it though #and nooo I didn't kill the people in that flower section in the flower bushes so they wouldn't be in the gifset (yes I did) #sekiro #sekiro: shadows die twice #sekiroedit #gamingedit #dailygaming #gamingnetwork #gameplaydaily #dailyvideogames #videogameedit

[basu-shokikita]

Obsessed with the fact that we got a throwback to the iconic Vallhaska moment in the Army of the Doomstar movie.

#army of the doomstar #army of the doomstar spoilers #aotd spoilers #metalocalypse #toki wartooth #skwisgaar skwigelf #skwistok #so many people predicted it when the trailer came out but holy shit dfjhsjhfd #and of course the receptor has to be a bitch about it #the skwistok way #i also think its amazing how toki (death depresentative) just kind of assumed that even though they were all gonna die skwisgaar would stil #be around like out of all of them he only talked to skwisgaar #something something toki deep downs know abt the powers that connect them #idk its just like so impressive to me that pickles tried to comfort toki and all for toki to walk to skwisgaar about seeing him #in the afterlife it just like #speaks volumes to me #bitches be fated and they know it #basu post

[ghostdrinkssoup]

say what you want about basil but he took being a ride or die friend seriously and I respect that. he’d actually help you hide the body and that’s not even a joke. when asked those late night hypotheticals where it’s like “would you still be my friend if you found out I killed someone and needed a place to stay?” his answer would be yes. absolutely. you’re my friend. I will lie to the government for you. and that’s not just him giving an obligatory answer to make you feel good, that’s actual fact. he’s 16 and loves flowers and would have a criminal record if he was ever caught. when he made those friendship bracelets and said you’d be friends forever that was a threat and a promise. he’s crazy but he’s free

#what he did for sunny was fucked up but I’m not about to be a hater he did what we’re all afraid to do #he’s a king that FOLLOWED THROUGH #so many ppl say they’re ride or die but don’t really mean it 😔 not basil though he’s a real one #the best friend of All Time #omori #omori basil #omori sunny #omori sunflower #ghost speaks

[lusinzak]

Me, living casually and purposelessly:

Also me, randomly remembering one of my favorite characters, who should not have died, especially in such a stupid and preventable way: *punches a nearby pillow with all force*

Also me: *goes on living in the same way*

#there are so many of them to tag #like really #I can't even name them all #it's though every good character has to die #harry potter #stranger things #percy jackson #they both die at the end #dead poets society #the secret history #six of crows #the hunger games #the maze runner #game of thrones #marvel #house of the dragon #the song of achilles #the hobbit #lord of the rings #little women #it 2019 #shadow and bone #the book thief #breaking bad #kaz brekker #naruto

[ishmerra]

#tbhk #jshk #nene yashiro #yashiro nene #minamoto teru #teru minamoto #akane aoi #terunene #teru x nene #jshk rarepair #comic #art post #this kinda sounded better in my head whoopsies #i hope that my motivation doesn't die if this flops though because i have so many terunene ideas 🙏🙏

[caffeinatedopossum]

Hey guys did you know that I've been in so much pain that it forced me to recontextualize not only my definition of being okay but also my judgement and avoidance of that pain and now I'll never go back to the understanding I had before this? :3 me neither (until recently)!

#for those confused this is a positive thing #but its also something i dont think many other people will understand at all #and with that always comes a feeling of loneliness and isolation #ive come to accept that a life without happiness does not have to be worth less to me than a life where i am happy #and as with many things this healing isnt linear. so i doubt ill stay in this mindset for long. but rn im here and its nice #rn im okay even though im unhappy and i cant believe i ever will be #the only thing i expect from life is to die so everything else is a bonus really

[okmcintyre]

Bellamy Blake Appreciation Week: Day 6: Favourite Head!Bellamy Moment- ‘Saving Clarke in the Rover'

#the 100 #bellamy blake #clarke griffin #bbaw23 #4x06 #THE TRUST #like they both really went ride or die 😅 #I had to do 2 today even though I hate capping action scenes lol #he had so many great moments #but couldn't choose between these two from earlier eps #HE'S ALWAYS BEEN SO DAMN SMART! #bellamyblakeedit #the100edit #t100kt

[busymatches]

#arcane #jinx #arcane jinx #league of legends #lov her #jinx is one of those characters where i want to draw them all the time but the second i think about the braids i die inside #i saw so many amazing cosplayers at comic con though its got me back in arcane brain rot

[oneluckygoose]

Ok, guys. A lot of people have their fan casts for a Rat Grinders spinoff series, but hear me out.

What if season whatever of Dimension 20 was with the intrepid heroes, but Brennan didn’t tell them what their characters were. They get into the dome, The background is the normal Fantasy High background. The DM screen is the normal Fantasy High DM screen. They all sit as if they would for their Fantasy High characters. Brennan does the introduction, everybody’s smiling everybody’s happy, then he starts with the first scene.

But Nobody has a character sheet nobody knows who they are. “Strange, how do you play if you don’t know who you are playing?” A sentiment throughout the six heroes. The scene moves on, and he does it through one of the players perspectives, and it becomes clearer and clearer, slowly, that that person is playing their Fancy High characters antithesis from the Rat Grinders. Brennan hands them a character sheet.

The scenes go on, each hero getting their own. The character sheets are handed out. Horror: screams are heard throughout the dome, yells and shouts for Brendan to do unspeakable things. All the players are befuddled. All the players are filled with wishes for revenge.

The Intrepid Heroes, beloved of the characters they play called The Bad Kids, now play what they hate the most.

They are the rat grinders.

#brennan lee mulligan #has big #sam reich #energy in this post #he’s being crafty #this would be so amazing though #imagine the energy in the room #insanity #fantasy high #dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #the bad kids #the rat grinders #the intrepid heroes #d20 #idk if the intrepid heroes would be bias or not #all of them are commited to the bit #it would work for before JY or durring or after #whatever happens after Ig #ally beardsly would play the shit out of Lucy Frostblade #IMAGINE MURPH HAVING TO HATE RIZ AS COPPERHEAD KETTLEFUCK #OR WOILD SIOBHAN PLAY HER??? #so many possibilities #i would die to watch that first episode #gonna be like when brennan was killing that dog in season 2 #hes all the villains #i think one of them would physically rise and attempt to throw hands over the table #if I keep going these tags are going to go to the 9th layer of hell #maybe they’ll see Bill

[bumblingbabooshka]

Child, returned from the Kahs-wan.

#His name is Strelkulkaulk and he's the main character in a romance I'm writing~! #This is him as a child though - he has other things to worry about #The kahs-wan ritual of sending small children out into the desert alone fascinates me #How many kids die out there or just vanish? Do you as a parent go find them if you sense they're injured? #Strel (above) was mauled by a wild animal so his older sisters went out and found him #vulcan oc #star trek ocs #beas ocs #bea art tag

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 16 second half thoughts (after Defiant interlude, 16.7 to end):

I'm very glad I split this arc where I did cause WHAT THE FUCK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

Tattletale . . . the entire time . . . in secret!

And Coil's whole crazy plan at the town hall debate!

And and and Rachel held Taylor's hand and it was gay BUT IT WAS SAD GAY!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the bug box (I'm sorry, "The Famine Engine") what the fuck

And Taylor was shot and almost lit on fire and she become a fucking terror demon scary bug monster and got away from all the people and set off some grenades and and

passes out

...

ALSO MY DAUGHTER KILLED COIL! SHOT HIM RIGHT IN THE HEAD!

Taylor sees her dad and argues with his friends a little and realizes that things aren't as clear as she thought they were maybe but whatever I just want to get to know Lacey better. For reasons.

I knew something would happen at the town hall. Once Dragon was taken care of I figured it would be Coil but I wasn't sure what he would do and I didn't expect this. I thought he would mostly be trying to take out Skitter or something.

Happy to see Uber and Leet again, even if they are working for the asshole. They are fun.

Getting more info on Leet's power and I'm even more fascinated then I was before. He couldn't make the teleporter work if it was putting the target into instant danger, like a bomb or a vat of acid. Wild. I wanna know more.

ALSO COIL LEGIT CONSIDERED DROPPING SKITTER INTO A VAT OF ACID!

He really did go full supervillain right at the end. Monologuing, using cheesy lines, stopping the execution of his enemies when one of them yells "Wait!" and letting them talk. Crazy elaborate plans. Good for him I guess.

The Wards new "teleport without swapping matter" tech is quite fancy and it can apparently do a heck of a lot of people at once! Which I could see becoming a big deal. I had initially assumed it was Kid Win who made it (since he did the same with is guns before) but with how stuff has bounced around I'm legit not sure.

OH AND I KNEW I LOVED CIRCUS FOR A REASON, WHAT A WONDERFUL LITTLE GENDERQUEER! THEY GET A PASS FOR STABBING SOME PEOPLE CAUSE THEY DESERVE TO GET TO STAB A FEW PEOPLE.

I had fully called Coil being Thomas Calvert by now, so that itself wasn't a surprise. But I hadn't expected Thomas to have gotten back to working with the PRT. Makes sense if he can make it work, that is a wonderful source of power.

Too bad Tattletale pulled the fucking rug out from under you Thomas!

Taylor leaving her dad at the hospital without stopping to see him is unfortunate I guess, but not really unexpected. I've kinda given up on their relationship getting repaired. Besides who needs Danny when shes got me!?

Oh and I guess Taylor can't really see now. Cool. I'm sure that will just get better right away with no issues! /s

I mean it isn't really a huge deal for her vs most people. But still.

OH AND SKITTER'S DEAL WITH COIL WHEN HE WAS GOING TO KILL THEM ALL INCLUDED "Ta

Oh and Skitter's deal with Coil to turn off the dead man's switch included "Take care of Bitch's dogs!" GAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

And "Tattletale gets to live!" like ya ok sure it was all so she could get Tattletale here and such I get that but whatever, it is also GAY! GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY!!!!!!!!!!

But for real Tats has been coming in with the fucking long con OH MY GOD. I legit didn't see it coming. Coil losing this arc? Sure, maybe not likely but possible. Coil dying? Again, was surprising but not shocking. But Tattletale having payed off have the mercs in a carefully planned coup in the works since Arc 3 at a minimum? Blindsided me. Just hit by a bus. HOLY SHIT!!!

Fake Skitter shot Bitch!!!! AHHHHH!!! But she was ok. And the speed of her accepting that real Skitter didn't do it and not staying mad at her!!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

Seriously though Skitter breaking out of the house she was teleported into and getting past all those troops? God. Using the swarm speech for physiological warfare? Chef's kiss

I wonder how Cauldron is feeling with Coil dead? I don't know exactly what they needed him for but he sure ain't doing it now.

And Dinah at the end!! Just me sobbing.

I'm sure the whole thing with Noelle (or should I use my cape name for her when she's on a rampage - Traveler in a Vault, or TiaV) will just blow over and won't be a bigger deal than arc 8 in the end. Everything is fine.

Marquis interlude thoughts:

TINY PRISON! I love tiny prison.

Look I'm sorry I don't make the rules but Marquis and Lung are totally gay for each other. They are both terrible people. I don't ship them because I want to, I ship them because there is no other option. I do what I have to do.

Glaistig Uaine is my new favorite. She is terrifying and I love her. Forget Bonesaw's passangers or Coil's agents, they're called head fairies now.

I'm sure Amy and Glaistig Uaine working together in the future won't be bad at all.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #Taylor Hebert #Lisa Wilbourn #Rachel Lindt #Coil #Wolfspider #Chatterbug #Smugbug #SO MANY EMOTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Mainly gay ones but lots of other ones #SHE HELD HER HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #WOLFSPIDER WOLFSPIDER WOLFSPIDER WOLFSPIDER!!!!! #GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Just aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #Endbringer 2 more End more Bringer #If Glaistig Uaine got Coil's head fairy that would be wild. I think they have to be close to her when they die though? Fuck if I know #I hope I get to see more Circus. I was sad that they were gonna leave town and retire but if Coil is dead than maybe not! #Oh fuck I completely forgot about Ballistic ditching the Travelers! That happened too!

[izzysillyhandsy]

Death and Change in OFMD

"What if it's not a death? What if life just begins again?"

For a show that's obsessed with change as a result of talking things through, sitting with yourself and healing through community, a lot of change is attempted by death - death of the old self, a stand-in for the old self or a symbolic death.

We see this shortcut to "a better (or more endurable) self" over and over, and depending on the additional work put in, it works - or it really doesn't.

Putting this post together, I was surprised by how often death is used in this show as a catalyst for letting go of the past, for splitting off parts of their own selves that certain characters have outgrown and/or want to escape from.

And how rarely actual people die in these transformative deaths.

Killing Blackbeard - 1 - Ed wants to retire

Although it is unclear if this was actually Ed's plan all along or if he just made it up for Izzy on the spot (S2E4 seems to point to the former, interestingly), here we have the first instance in the show of Ed trying to kill Blackbeard.

Ed wants to leave his old life behind (mainly out of boredom, it seems), and at this point he thinks that all he has to do is convince everyone else he's gone.

This is a very superficial first try - basically stabbing a Blackbeard puppet with all the outer signifiers (clothes, ship) but completely ignoring Ed's inner Blackbeard.

This could never have worked, of course, even if Stede wasn't such a charming guy. But the fuckery set events into motion that would, possibly towards the end of the show, lead to Ed leaving Blackbeard behind for good.

Corpses: 0 Success: not directly - Blackbeard is still very much present in Ed. But the foundations are shaken and Ed&Izzy (a.k.a. Blackbeard) will never go back to who they were before.

Killing vulnerability - 1 - Izzy wants Ed safe (and all to himself)

Izzy goes for a 2-step approach here - the duel and the British Navy (talk about escalating!). All of this is a very complicated and mixed bag of emotions - Izzy's love and jealousy, his fear of change and his extreme confusion about what's actually happening.

But I think the primary reason Izzy tries so hard to go through with killing Stede is fear of (Ed's) vulnerability and the danger that the "new Ed" might bring to both of them, and specifically their relationship. They've worked their way up for years and Izzy is more than aware of the dangers of piracy (and possibly the danger Ed is/was to himself).

Izzy gets it all wrong of course - the change in Ed has already happened and his attempts to kill Stede (and everything that happens after the Navy plot) make Ed the most vulnerable (and unstable) he's ever been.

Corpses: 0 Success: none - Izzy thought that killing Stede would undo what he "did to Ed's brain", but there was so much more at play here. Izzy's misguided attempts actually helped emotionally opening Ed up for Stede, and put Edward further out of Izzy's reach.

Killing the married state - 1 - Mary wants to be free

When Stede comes back and threatens the new and better life Mary has built for herself, she is very quick to turn to murder to keep on growing. Stede as a symbol of her old and unfulfilled life must go.

As soon as they actually talk about it though - and in an honest and open way (which is very unusual for Stede), another option presents itself.

Stede must die for the widow Bonnet to exist. But maybe it doesn't have to be a death?

Corpses: 0 Success: almost there - because they talked it through and discovered they actually wanted the same thing!

Killing the married state - 2 - Mary and Stede want to be free

Both Mary's and Stede's life changes for the better - they've both made peace with each other, recognized the needs of the other and acknowlegded how they were stifling each other's progress.

(the whole thing is made easier by the lack of (obsessive) love on both sides though)

Corpses: 1, but he doesn't mind Success: 100%, both are now free - long may they roam

Killing vulnerability - 2 - Ed wants to be the unfeeling Kraken

Ed is finally convinced that he is fundamentally unloveable by the combined efforts of Stede and Izzy. It's very unlucky for Lucius that he is the perfect stand-in for Ed's vulnerability. Overboard he goes.

Lucius death marks the turning point for Blackbeard - he is now 100% Kraken to everyone around him as the crew (and especially poor Izzy) quickly have to find out.

Alone, Ed is still vulnerable and in pain - but no one else can hurt him anymore. The way he treats Izzy in particular- I don't see a lot of hesitation and regret. Ed himself calls it "the nasty dark stuff" later.

So, for what Ed actually wanted, I'd say he was partly successful. He is firmly on the path to appearing to be an uncaring monster, and he is doing his best to stop everyone from loving/caring for him.

Corpses: 1 (for now) Success: 50% - Ed did change radically in his attitude to the outside world, and only his next death and resurrection-by-Stede snapped him out of it.

Killing Blackbeard - 2 - Ed wants to see the world (and himself) burn

This time, Ed is all in. Literally. He's not only attempting to kill Blackbeard, he feels there isn't anything else left which is worth saving.

As per usual, Ed is outsourcing the job to Izzy, this time clearly telling him what to do. Unfortunately, Izzy is the absolute worst choice - he is the one person who, in a way, loves all aspects of Ed and could never kill him.

As soon as Izzy's gone though, all bets are off. Ed's backup plan works out as planned (finally).

Corpses: 0,9 (an almost corpse) Success: it's a very good start. Ed dying and coming back was the first step to permanent change. He made some progress in the gravy basket - but he also realized that he still has a long way to go.

Killing Blackbeard - 3 - Izzy wants to sever the bond with Ed

Again, Izzy goes for a 2-step approach. First, he tries to kill himself after, for the first time, refusing to "clean up Ed's mess". Again, as always with Izzy, there is a lot at play here - his whole life just fell apart, and he's not thinking clearly - he just wants everything to be over.

But by killing himself, he kills the Izzy half of Blackbeard. And in the end, he doesn't even have to die - when his suicide attempt fails, he drags himself up on deck to save the crew and to break up with Ed. And this time, it's final.

Izzy shows Ed in an absolutely unmistakable way that they (and with them, Blackbeard) are over.

Corpses: 0,5 (a part of Izzy dies here) Success: 50% - Izzy's half of Blackbeard is dead. Izzy has finally acknowledged that this close, obsessive bond and all that it entails has to be cut. Until his own death, he will not be alright again though, and he still loves Ed and suffers for it. The severance isn't complete. But Blackbeard (as in Ed and Izzy) is finally over.

Killing vulnerability - 3 - Stede wants to be a real boy

When Stede kills Ned Low, his first intentional murder, he leaves the part of himself that he (and his father, the Badmintons, etc) perceived as weak behind. This sets him firmly on the way to become a "real pirate", his driving ambition since episode 1.

This season, we didn't have enough time for the full ramifications of this event. My feeling is that his first kill irrevocably changed Stede. He is a pirate now (although not a good one, yet). Is this really what he wanted? In what ways did it change him (apart from being more assertive with Ed and a show-off at Jackie's)?

Corpses: 1 (probably, not 100% sure; also, an evil walk-on character) Success: I truly cannot tell - I'm hoping for S3 to pick it up again. It should have been a "success" and a life-changing moment though.

Killing Blackbeard - 4 - Izzy wants to set Ed free

"I wanna go."

Even though Izzy doesn't get mortally wounded deliberately to set Ed free, he is very quick to accept his death and to use the opportunity to do what he thinks is necessary - free Ed from his oppressive past.

I think that Izzy's half of Blackbeard was already killed in the third attempt. He wasn't egging Ed on anymore - and he wouldn't have done it again in the future, ever. The only thing that remains is Izzy's love for Ed - and that is impossible to kill.

But Izzy lets himself die anyway, so Ed's part of Blackbeard can die with him. Maybe he thinks that Edward needs a clearer cut, a proper, unmistakable death (or sacrifice) to finally be able to let go. To free himself of this thing they've built together and that has taken over Ed's whole self at some points in their lives.

He attributes 100% of Blackbeard to himself here - maybe because he's seen change in Edward, but not enough. It is an incredibly selfless thing to do.

Corpses: 1 (a main character) Success: maybe, it all depends on Ed now - but also (objectively) overkill. Izzy's half of Blackbeard was well and truly dead since their breakup. Was Izzy's real death necessary for Ed to move on? Maybe. But maybe there could have been another way.

So, what worked and what didn't?

Killing the married state: perfect execution, perfect background work, actual talking and mutual understanding. Both got the change they wanted, and it didn't even have to be a real death.

Killing vulnerability: with Izzy and Ed, all attempted murders were committed out of desperation and without looking at the deeper issues. This resulted in making the situation way, way worse.

With Stede and Ned Low, it was a total mess - Stede wasn't prepared for that kind of life-changing event, and Ed and Stede had a breakdown in communication for most of the season. So I expect conflict arising out of this in the future - generally, killing vulnerability seems like a terrible idea in any case.

Killing Blackbeard: I've seen people argue that Izzy's death was necessary from a narrative standpoint because he represents Ed's dark side, and without Izzy dying Ed would never be able to let go of his Blackbeard/Kraken persona. I couldn't disagree more.

The first attempt was of course much too superficial. We've realized, episode by episode, how deep-seated Blackbeard is in Ed's mind. It (combined with the fuckery) set things in motion though.

Ed's and Izzy's death and rebirth were definitely transformative - they set both of them on the right path - so in this instance, both their deaths were necessary (and beautifully written). Again, neither of them really had to die for it. But without the two of them actually coming together and working things through, it wasn't a full success - both would (and did) continue to suffer.

Unfortunately, there wasn't time for a proper reconciliation and for working things through.

So the show and the writers themselves used "death for self-realization" right at the end of S2. And although Izzy's half of Blackbeard died with Izzy shooting Ed, they wanted to give Ed a dramatic and emotionally significant moment to, for once and for all, draw a line under Blackbeard and move on.

This makes Izzy the only character that actually dies as a result of a character needing change, out of the 9 events described here (Ned Low might still be alive, and even if he isn't - he wasn't personally significant to Stede or anyone else).

I've kind of made peace with it though - it fits Izzy's character that he'd use his death to give Ed the clear cut he thought Ed needed. And with Ed, who is a highly imaginative kind of person who loves his rituals and metaphors (the Kraken with the makeup and the goth room, the pink dressing gown, the piece of red silk, "I dreamt that you killed me" etc) this might actually have worked?

Still, I wish they had gone the way of Stede and Mary, talked it through and listened to Lucius: "What if it's not a death? What if life just begins again?"

(and maybe it will - Izzy definitely deserves his own Gravy Basket)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta #izzy hands #stede bonnet #edward teach #lucius spriggs #ned low #why are my posts always so long #this is not a “Why did Izzy have to die” post #these characters love to take emotional shortcuts though #I've even left out some deaths there are so many