@follows-the-bees comments here made me think about how Ed frames so much of his life and his understanding of the world as stories. He turns himself into a fantastical sea monster to kill his father, he imagines Stede as a fantasy creature who crosses the line between life and death. Blackbeard himself is a myth and a legend whom Ed initially invents as a form of pageantry and protection, and who escapes from him and starts being taken over by racist white men and an imperial power caricatures and horror narratives.

With Stede's letter, Ed finds himself written into another story, but this time it's a love story. It's Stede's dream about him, about connecting to him across an ocean, about being intertwined with him. It is the first time someone has put Ed down on paper not as a monster or a myth, but a human being who is deeply loved. It may be the first time sees himself through someone else's eyes and realizes that he is loved, not feared.

Stede has drawn and written Ed, over and over, as he sees Ed and as Ed truly is--not a ghoul, not a monster, not a racist caricature, but a beautiful, lovable man. There are no lies about him on that paper or in anything Stede writes or draws.

The physical act of writing their love into the world--and Stede also metaphysically writes their names on each other--helps Ed to accept himself as someone who is loved and who can be loved. Stede tells Ed their story.

This? Perfect.

Inspired by this @celluloidbroomcloset post about Stede yelling GREAT and scaring all the birds:

I was rewatching the scene where Stede realizes that running off again maybe didn't feel good to Ed, and comes back. I was struck by Taika's delivery of "Buttons turned into a seagull!! Yeah! He flew off!!!"

Not sure if it's because Ed is high, or because he's been through rather a lot in the last couple of days, or because believing he's seen someone violate the laws of physics is a Really Big Deal, or because he's been so moved at the thought that he can change that he's a little choked up, or because he's so delighted that Stede did come back, but this line has some of Stede's usual excitement markers: higher pitch in particular, but also, I can hear the smile in it. And it hits really hard because it immediately follows the world-weariness of "People don't change, Buttons, not into birds, or otherwise."

It makes me think of how much effort Ed often puts into obscuring the dorky enthusiasm that he and Stede share, and what a relief it must be to stop masking again.

The intimacies we don't see are as powerful as the ones we see, btw.

There are countless intimate moments between Ed and Stede we never get to see and I think that's beautiful because we don't need to see them. The emotions carry through.

something i have not seen discussed before is when stede asks ed to come back to the ship and ed says "might be nice" in a little voice and stede yells GREAT there's one awkward beat further where ed says ".......yeh.." in an even littler voice so little perhaps that many of us have overlooked it

🥺🥺🥺 they're back

Edit: also now we know this was improv 🫠

Send Off

A comic I made a few weeks ago. Feels a bit weird though. I just thought I should post it here as my Good Omens art may become more rare.

Just struck by the silliest mental image where Ed shaves his s1 beard either a little earlier or it’s an AU where they don’t get caught or something and he and Stede have a whole Beauty and the Beast interaction about it. Stede being like, gasp, who is this stranger? And Ed is like Stede, it’s me! And Stede gets a little closer pets his hair a little and then looks deep in those big brown baby cow eyes and is like oh my god it is you!

No, even if Izzy had survived, he would not have been involved in Stede and Ed's relationship in any fucking way. He'd have remained on the Revenge with the rest of them.

Christ, let those two men have each other without the interference of the man who abused them both and whose continued attempts to involve himself in their relationship only made things worse for them.

i wrote this down last night tell me what you think

jotting this down to write later… kitty daycare center, kitty playdate, something along those lines. stede’s orange maine coon named oscar (she is a girl) meets ed’s black kitty kraken. gay middle aged men and their lesbian cats. blah blah blah meet cute

Stede just bopping along to the music in the jam room, Lucius getting close to rocking out.

Of course Ed doesn't order the delicious-looking double chocolate cheesecake because this is their first date he doesn't want to fuck this up and anyway it's not like he's been staring at his date (Stede, weird guy, weird in a cute way though), enviously for the past five? minutes while Stede eats a big slice of double chocolate cheesecake and listens to Ed (cheesecake-less) (lied and said he didn't want dessert) (tummy un-cheesecaked) bitch about work.

And then Stede's like "Would you like a bite of this?" and Ed almost stops breathing for a second but then he nods (just one bite!!!) and the next thing he knows Stede has fed him half of that really fucking amazing slice of cheesecake and then Stede orders another slice and they share that one and Ed relaxes and gets pleasantly full and they split the bill and Stede drives Ed home and they kiss at Ed's door and Ed (full of cheesecake) goes into his apartment and just sinks against the door giggling.