#uhhhh hi. more izzy meta from me teehee. except this time it was completely on accident

[sunnibits]

lord help me I literally tried like 3 times to expand upon my thoughts as far as this vague post I made this morning and on this the third try (AS IN TRYING TO MAKE IT CONCISE) it got. so long. so uhh enjoy I guess lmao 😭

vico ortiz you’re fucking onto something!!! I don’t have Twitter but I am sending this to them via telepathic link 😤

Basically, I think the reason that Jim would actually be so perfect to get Izzy to open up is because of the fact that Jim themself isn’t at all comfortable opening up to people!

Like, I feel like there’s a really popular idea of having a character like Lucius, Stede, or the Conceptual Golden Retriever Boyfriend™️ forcing Izzy to open up and be a big softie, and while I live for that as much as the next person - trust me, I’m quite weak for a good tender Izzy fic where he undergoes involuntary therapy - I don’t think that’s actually what’s going to be the most effective approach when it comes to cracking open this stubborn oyster of a man.

As much as I love indulging in some fluffy scenarios of Izzy breaking down and sobbing about his unrequited love into Lucius’s waiting shoulder, I don’t think someone like Lucius, Stede or the Conceptual Golden Retriever Boyfriend is actually going to be able to get through to Izzy, at least not in the state he’s in now - for the sole reason that Izzy hates people like that.

If there’s anything we know about this little shit, it’s that he rejects softness! He rejects tenderness and emotion! Now does he need it and would it break him, absolutely, but he’s not ready for that yet. So instead: enter Jim. Jim, who is ‘normal secretive’ (not normal secretive), reserved, edgy, and very much closed off to most people.

Now here’s someone that Izzy can actually respect! Sure, Izzy’s not friends with anyone, let alone a member of Bonnet’s crew - that’s absurd! - but at the very least, with some time, I truly think that Izzy would come to respect Jim. They’re skilled, they’re more than ready to kill people, and they don’t worry about that mushy gushy feelings bullshit.

But here’s the difference between Izzy and Jim: while Izzy is pretty much completely closed off from everyone at this point, Jim isn’t anymore! They have Oluwande! They’re starting, bit by bit, to open up to this person - this one person that they love and trust, who’s been so patient with them, who has shown them that it’s safe to open up with people.

So, while Jim and Izzy have both spent a long time living by the rule of ‘trust nobody, let no one in’, Jim has already begun their exploration into the world of expressing emotions and trusting people. So!!!! Jim already kind of knows how to start! And they wouldn’t try to push Izzy immediately into any dramatic acts of trust or softness, because there’s no way he’s going to allow that right off the bat. But Jim has been where Izzy is. They know it’s scary to open up, that it’s all too easy to just keep bottling up all your sticky, messy bullshit. But they also know that it’s impossible to keep going like that forever.

Maybe, after a (mostly) friendly sword fight or two, Izzy really starts to respect Jim. And Jim, to their own surprise, kind of starts to respect Izzy too. They see a little bit of something else, deep down, and it compels them. Maybe they even see a tiny bit of themself, even if Izzy is a very different (and twisted) man. They may not trust each other, but Jim has the beginnings of an urge to start poking, and Izzy’s ready to listen. He’s not going to push them away - and Jim will make sure of that, never nudging him too hard. It’s not a fucking excavation after all, it’s not like Jim is interested in being his therapist. But maybe, maybe, they can chip a teeny little bit of his bitter, angry crust away.

Jim knows not to go too deep - they don’t even know how to do that anyways. They sure as hell aren’t interested in getting all goopy and soft. But they know what Olu taught them. They start with the little things. Little questions, little prodding. Leaving out some crumbs for Izzy to take, even if he doesn’t want to. Even if the first few times they ask about his name, or his tattoos, he doesn’t give them more than a grunt. But after a while, maybe, by the time Jim’s almost forgotten they asked, they hear a muttered, “Israel. My real name is Israel.” They take it without a word. Just a nod. They sit in a silence that is almost companionable.

Listen. Izzy cannot. handle. grand, open acts of affection. Vulnerability disgusts him, terrifies him. Even if Lucius or Stede or the Conceptual Golden Retriever Boyfriend were to offer it, Izzy is not ready. Not yet, not the Izzy we know. But!!! I think he could take little pieces, just starting small. Things that he can easily brush off, or ignore with another indifferent grunt. Like half of an apple cut by Jim’s knife, silently offered and accepted. Or a hand extended to him when he falls on his ass after being - very fairly, very skillfully - beaten in a practice duel. It surprises him, but he takes it, and lets Jim pull him up.

I think eventually, Jim could have a conversation with Izzy about opening up. Something along the lines of telling him that he doesn’t need to open up to everyone - just someone. At the very least, he needs to start by letting one person in. And it doesn’t have to be Jim - hell, lord knows they don’t have time to dig into whatever crazy shit he’s got going on under all that - but he’s got to pick someone. Because it’s worth it. Because eventually, everyone gets tired of you slamming the door on them, and they’ll stop knocking.

Of course, at some point when Jim reunites with the crew of the Revenge, everyone will get to talking again about how annoying Izzy is, and how they should just throw him overboard - for real this time. But Jim mumbles a little, “Oh, he’s not so bad when you get to know him.” Everyone looks at them like they’re crazy, but it gets in their heads, gets them thinking. If Jim can get along with Izzy, then there must be something half-decent about him, right? Right?

If you asked Izzy the same question, he might not be able to answer. But… maybe he’s ready to try and be half-decent, at least. He’ll die before admitting it. But it makes him consider. Maybe, next time someone comes knocking, he’ll let them in. Just a little.

#uhhhh hi. more izzy meta from me teehee. except this time it was completely on accident #izzy hands #jim jimenez #jim ofmd #ofmd #our flag means death #HELP the tonal change through this is so funny lmao #also. i know that Jim and Izzy are very different people and have completely different backstories (as far as we know) #and different reasons as to why they are the way they are #but I just think that Jim being the knife that can start to pry izzy open is GENIUS and just what he needs #mutual respect is the key to Izzy’s cold dead heart baby!!!!! and that’s on period!!!! #jim #<<<my tag for Jim rn lol i need to change it to their full name tho