on friday the 27th and saturday the 28th of january 2023, i watched our flag means death, a series set in 1717 about gay pirates. i then watched it again the next day, because i am AUTISTIC AS FUCK about these guys here's a page of everything i've ever said about them
🙶 Our Flag Means Death is an American period romantic comedy television series created by David Jenkins. Set in the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy, the series follows the misadventures of gentleman-turned-pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his crew aboard the Revenge as they try to make a name for themselves as pirates and cross paths with famed pirate captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi).
as someone who has watched the show i can confirm how true this is. however what they forgot to mention is HOW GOOD THE SHOW IS its literally like,, oh my god these pirates are gay. and im like oh my god those pirates are gay! and its like!!!! AUGH
ough
i have been thinking autistically about these pirates ever since i saw them
some things i have said about the show
SPOILERS AHEAD ! also probably none of this is coherent
on the scene where stede realises he's in love with ed:
🙶 it's funny really because all of the almost painfully romantic scenes (see: You Wear Fine Things Well) aren't the ones stede thinks of when mary is talking, but rather just the everyday, casual things. which is like 1) fucking idiot (affectionate) but 2) it's interesting to note how it takes the little things to show that he actually LOVES him. because it's obviously set in the early 1700s so the cultural idea of "love" was very different to that of today, in the romantic sense there wasn't really so much of a concept of "liking someone" romantically, it was "you date for love and for marriage", it was either you loved them or you didn't feel anything for them. and i was thinking about that and thinking "well then does he actually LOVE ed in the same way that we consider love today, or does he love him in the cultural context of the 1700s?". but seeing that the montage is not the grand romantic gestures but instead the little things reframes it to show that he definitely loves him in the way we'd consider love nowadays, and reveals that he did fucking twig but it wasn't "love" yet so nothing could come of it. (tl;dr stede isnt as silly as we initially thought)
also the moment where he admits out loud to mary that he is in love with him means SO MUCH to me because it's like! oh my god!!!! once again relating to the weight our culture places on "love" in the romantic sense, we as an audience were not likely to be calling their relationship "love" in that sense yet, so it's really cool that our realisation comes at the same time as stede's. and the actual speech itself! it's a weight off of EVERYONE's shoulders. mary realises that despite trying her best to keep their relationship alive when they were together, she couldn't have done anything, and it wasn't her fault. stede realises that hes in love with ed. the audience realises that hes IN LOVE with ed. and it's all like!!!!!! HES IN LOVE WITH ED!!!!!!! and THIS is the point where my coherent thoughts end
on queer romances on screen, prompted by ofmd:
🙶 you know what. i think queer shows with authentic queer romances are so beautiful. straight romances are so normal in media that everything has been done, so even if you get the most beautiful romance really well portrayed it's always been done before, so people don't even try too much at this stage. but whenever there's a (good-faith, not "sanitised") queer romance on screen it's there intentionally, and there's always room for new things so people bother & people care & i love that so so much
on the "his name is ed" scene (again. im fucking beast mode about them okay)
🙶 guys i just. im just going fucking feral about the "his name is ed" bit again. because its like!! this was 1717!!!! and so i think we were all expecting some period-typical homophobia but the fact is they CONSCIOUSLY CHOSE to make mary supportive and it's making me emotional because og my god. it would have been so so easy to make her reject him and write her off as horrible but actually they didn't do that. stede has an ally and that's so so important. BECAUSE IT MEANS HE HAS THE CONFIDENCE TO GO AND FIND HIS BOYFRIEND ED!!!!!!! THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE ED!!!!!!!!!!! but also not just in terms of the story but in terms of real actual life that scene is so important to me because there HAVE ALWAYS BEEN good people in history. and i think its immportant that we take a step back and remember that. AND I LOVE MARY BONNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
on the s2 trailer
🙶i just cannot believe that stede actually communicates to ed that he loves him. i know it's because i've just watched the most heartbreaking version of that [good omens s2] but it's like!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD
like!!!!!!!! they fucking COMMUNICATE
^ THIS IS LITERALLY IT^ ^ stede's reaction to finding out about straight sex (me too mate)^ thats an ABSOLUTE CALLOUT^ some stedes for your consideration^ izzy (pathetic little meow meow <3 i have such an attachment to this man and i do not know why)^ i absolutely need stede knowing nothing about boats in s2 (taken from the second draft of the pilot script)^ more from the draft pilot script^ Gay Ass Pirate blinkie
cast videos (panels, interviews, etc)
i'm constantly collecting these so PLEASE PLEASE send me SO MANY also i started collecting them not long ago so there aren't many but shush
shoutout to the person who sent something in this btw. i love you so much
the characters + my thoughts
there are two characters in particular that rotate consistently around my brain and they are izzy hands and stede bonnet. and this reason is that they are both pathetic (affectionate)
izzy hands is so babygirl
songs i want in s2
look i don't care anymore okay i'm making a list of songs i want in s2 what are you going to do about it (playlist here)
go your own way - fleetwood mac (for ed + stede reunion?? bittersweet)
can't help falling in love - elvis presley (i don't even listen to him but do you know how much i would MELT)
good old-fashioned lover boy - queen
take on me - a-ha (i saw it in someone else's s2 wishlist and you see i would crumble to the ground if it were to be included)
tiny dancer - elton john (bonus points for the piano demo or the bbc sounds for saturday version because <33333) (IDK MAN I JUST FEEL LIKE STEDE WOULD LOVE IT)
starman - david bowie (and also like everything from rise and fall of ziggy stardust but)
oh daddy - fleetwood mac (izzycore)
california dreamin' - the mamas & the papas
don't go breaking my heart - elton john and kiki dee (no particular reason i just need this song to be in every show and movie in the world ever)
love of my life - queen (I'D CRY)(update 31st august 2023: i am looking over this playlist now and i changed my mind. this cannot be an ofmd song because in my mind it is now permanently and irrevocably a good omens song, i have made it about good omens; it's the same way i can't make the chain into a good omens song, except that love of my life was never actually in good omens, i just went insane over it in conjunction with good omens)
when doves cry - prince (we've all seen david's instagram post at this point. and i agree)
everywhere - fleetwood mac
material girl - madonna (i mean cmon you have to admit it would be SO FUNNY if that started playing in a situation where stede is being Rich and ed is just there)
edge of seventeen - stevie nicks (cmon it would fit SO WELL)
the bitch is back - elton john (for the lucius reappearance obviously)
it's me that you need - elton john (i'm surprised i hadn't mentioned this one already actually i don't know when or how it would fit in but by god i would kill a man for it to be there)
your song - elton john (again i don't know how i hadn't said this one!!! I WOULD START BITING WIRES I WOULD SCREAM I WOULD GO BESERK I WOULD FALL OVER I WOULD EXPLODE I WOULD CEASE TO BE HERE)
border song - elton john
take me to the pilot - elton john (we saw taika's post when s2 was announced and we know how this song was used in rocketman (2019) i'm just saying)
mona lisas and mad hatters - elton john (this is an odd thing to notice but all of his songs that are in C major are SO GOOD)
don't let the sun go down on me - elton john (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
saturday night's alright for fighting - elton john (someone on tumblr suggested this song to accompany izzy starting a fight in spanish jackie's and that is EXACTLY CORRECT)
goodbye yellow brick road - elton john (i'd sob and i'd wail and i'd despair WHAT EVENT WOULD HAVE TO OCCUR TO WARRANT THIS SONG!!! either way i do feel like gaining emotional scarring from s2 which is why i want this)
skyline pigeon - elton john (I DONT KNOW HOW OR WHEN OR WHY OKAY!!! BUT JUST AUGHHHHHHHHHHHH)
tiny dancer - elton john (i know i've said this already but you see it IS a stede song and i still couldn't tell you why at all and i NEED IT IN S2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
a tumblr poll about what elton john song you'd want in s2 made me go FERAL in a discord server because im autistic about elton john AND ofmd so do with that info what you will i'm right about these songs
the prophet's song - queen (obviously not the whole thing because its like 8 minutes long but specifically the bit at the end. it does sound quite fitting.)
mamma mia - abba (PLEEEEEEEASE PLEASE OH GOD PLEEEEASE AUGH)
go your own way - fleetwood mac (i know i have said this already and its the first song on the list but i just want to re-iterate to you guys HOW FUCKING MUCH I WOULD DO FOR THIS TO BE IN THERE. like especially in light of that recent twitter exchange from david [here] i would kill for this. this started because i loved the chain before ofmd but afterwards i went feral over it but i need you to understand before ofmd i already went feral for go your own way so like if it were to be in s2???? FUCKING HELLO????????????????? i would probably LITERALLY EXPLODE. i would BE ON THE FLOOR. like i've been dramatic before on this list but i'm being so serious when i say i would sacrifice all the songs on this list being in there if THIS ONE SONG gets in. I NEED THIS FOR ME. PLEASE AUGHHH I WAS SAYING THIS EVER SINCE I WATCHED OFMD AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A S2 PLEASE. LIKE THE FLEETWOOD MAC LINK WOULD BE THERE WHICH WOULD CALL BACK TO THE CHAIN SCENE. THE SONG ITSELF. FOR ME. AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
take a chance on me - abba
SOS - abba (someone on tumblr said this for the teaser and they were SO RIGHT
killer queen - queen
california dreamin' - the mamas and the papas
the great pretender - freddie mercury
heart of glass - blondie
lay all your love on me - abba
say you love me - fleetwood mac
who wants to live forever - queen
everywhere - fleetwood mac
i do, i do, i do, i do, i do - abba (i mean COME ON THE BRIDE FIGURINE IN THE TEASER????? FUCKING DECEASED WHAT THE FUCK)
if it wasn't for the nights - abba
rocket man - elton john
people i have made watch the show
when i watch something and go autism beast mode about it i like to try and make people around me watch it. in some cases this is rather unsuccessful at first (it took quite literally two whole years of campaigning for me to convince anyone to willingly watch any starkid show other than me forcing them to sit in front of the tv while i put one on) but sometimes it is very successful and thats what happened with these gay pirates ! so i thought i would make a list of people i have indoctrinated
zaphod (they had started it earlier on but i like to think i had something to do with his decision to pick it up again and finish)
that led to someone else watching it i think so i am counting that
pryor (i think me and zaphod joint effort accidentally convinced !!)
also pryor's mum i believe
my friend from school (okay yeah maybe i did just sit him in front of the tv and put it on but he enjoyed it okay. he wanted to continue watching it. it counts)
