‘Our Flag Means Death’ Got Me Back into OTPs

Back in the halcyon days of Tumblr, I used to love a good OTP (“one true pairing”) tag. This was was when you would take a line from your favorite couple on a show or in a franchise and use it to tag all the content of them that you created or shared. The last big OTP tag I had that I actively used was Clara Oswald/The Doctor from Doctor Who and it was OTP: I’m Not Your Boyfriend in 2014, and I left my Tumblr days behind me with it. Then along came HBO Max’s surprise hit pirate romcom  Our Flag Means Death and it is taking everything in me to not make a new Tumblr and just reblog everything with the tag OTP: The Gentleman Pirate and Blackbeard. Or maybe OTP: Do You Fancy a Fine Fabric?

I’ve tried to stop thinking about “Blackbonnet,” the canonical romantic pairing of Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard and Rhys Darby’s Stede Bonnet. I outlined all the most romantic moments in the show that I adored and why they worked so well,and then I tried to move on to other shows and move on with my life. And yetI keep returning to Blackbeard and Stede and their relationship and the power it has over me.

If you weren’t on Tumblr in its heydey or recently made a return, a big part of the fandom experience there involves  being so obsessed with a fictional pairing that you’d fight for their honor. It is a time-honored tradition that has brought us an intense focus on popularpairings like Spock/Kirk, Frodo/Sam, Dean/Castiel, Kara/Lana, Finn/Poe, Wei Wuxian/Lang Wangji, Sherlock/Watson, Steve/Tony, and many, many more  throughout the years. But no show that inflamed fandom  followed through canonically in quite the same way that Our Flag Means Death now has. The show’s celebration of queer love and its diverse casthas made many of us want to return to a world of shipping online that we may have left behind.

And that’s fully me right now with Blackbeard/Stede. I wish I was kidding when I say that I stayed up on YouTube until 1 in the morning just watching fanvids of them set to sad songs but I am not! This has fully consumed my life. And I’m not alone. The show’s fandom has absolutely exploded, with an endless proliferation of art, vids, fanfiction, cosplay, memes, commentary, and much more. It’s beautiful to see.

The power of Our Flag Means Death

Starting Our Flag Means Death means you’re starting with a slow burn that will, eventually, blossom into a romance on a show that  will then take over your every waking moment. At least that’s been a widespread experience for many of us. When you stop thinking about the pirates who all fall in love with each other, you then spend the next hour thinking about how you stopped for a second and you’re right back where you started.

It’s all down to the show’s ability to give audiences what they promised. As our Kaila Hale-Stern wrote, the show delivered a fatal blow to queerbaiting in its final episodes by actually delivering on the queer romances that it kept alluding to.

Fans weren’t left to fanfiction and fan art alone to get the satisfaction of a relationship (but that doesn’t mean they aren’t inspired to make it).  Blackbonnet’s progression actually felt like watching an OTP (several OTPs, actually, there are three queer relationships on the show) from the days days coming to life onscreen in the way we’ve always wanted. Many of us have been inspired to head back to Tumblr or to create new accounts there just to talk about them all day long.

I sometimes thought that this was an aspect of myself that I had grown out of. I thought that I wouldn’t ever want to go back and reblog gifs or look at art. I didn’t want to spend nights watching fanvids on YouTube and yet, here I am. And the thing is that it feels wonderful, like rediscovering a part of myself while also being excited to see where the powers that be will take this show in its uncharted waters.That’s the power and impact that Our Flag Means Death has on fans and it is honestly lovely to see. Now give us that season two announcement, HBO Max.

(image: HBO)