comedy keeps not working for me...

[ratcreature]

Because of the fannish buzz I gave the first episode of Our Flag Means Death a try, but just couldn't finish it. My embarrassment squick didn't use to be on such a hair trigger. :/

Sigh.

Maybe I should try the Witcher tv series again, as I am on the lookout for something fannish.

Comments

[mific]

On the lookout for more gay pirates, only "realistic", I've fallen heavily into Black Sails and am charging through season 2 now. No embarrassment squick there but lots of gore and violence so be warned, if you haven't seen it. I had a reaction like yours to the first eps of OFMD but it does get better and by the last two eps of season 1, I was really into the show.

[ratcreature]

I haven't watched Black Sails, because I'm actually not that into pirates, but I like historical gay romance, and light with not too much realism sounded appealing too...

Just the humor, particularly that it seems to bebabout being inept at something while not really being aware (or willfully ignoring so that's funny? I didn't get far enough to be able to judge how much self awareness the main character had). Like the opposite of competence kink.

I guess I'd like them to be good at pirating (or whatever) while having a somewhat fluffy romance. I'm agnostic about gore/violence as long as it's outwardly directed from the characters you care about rather than interpersonal between major characters (in particular betrayal is very much DNW for me) but I don't want anything grimdark right now.

[mific]

OFMD does get less bothersome at season's end re the incompetence (Stede becomes less naive and pulls off a notable caper), but it doesn't stop being silly as far as Stede's crew are concerned, which is kind of the point, I think. They and he go on being quirky and camp in the face of the grimdark reality of ruthless pirating epitomised by Izzy Hands and by Blackbeard's dark side. It's going to be a redemption arc for Blackbeard I think, with Stede rescuing him from his inner darkness. But be warned that it's not resolved in season 1 and ends on a cliffhanger (boy meets boy, boy kisses boy, boy loses boy). I have no doubt that Taika will swing another season though, or that he'll finish the story somehow and not leave fans hanging.

Black sails is violent and bloody but mostly to other people, not to the main characters. But they're almost all ruthless bastards so there are some betrayals and double-dealing between the protagonists, to some degree, partly due to idealism and desperation in the main protagonist. The gayness is also not apparent yet, but I gather it's coming. It's not what I'd call grimdark in that not everyone is evil and I think the plot arc isn't going to be nihilistic. But it's very bloody and a prostitute who runs foul of one of the bad guys in a thievery con is gang raped. But there's also humour, drama, romance, and adventure. Overall, I'm really enjoying it, and there's masses of competence re 'age of sail' stuff like sailing tall ships, C18th commerce and the weird, democratic organisation of pirate crews. The writing and dialogue are excellent and the whole show's just enormously intelligent.

[mellowtigger]

I dropped Our Flag Means Death at first. I didn't like it either. I think I gave up after the 2nd episode. I finally gave it another try. It wasn't until about the 4th episode that I actually started liking it. Wait until Blackbeard shows up. That's when it changes.

[ratcreature]

Not sure I have the endurance to defy my embarrassment squick for several eps, when I bailed in the middle of the first.

[caiusmajor]

The embarrassment squick in Our Flag Means Death got a lot less after episode 1 in my experience, but then I got to Blackbeard and realized that the Big Romance was going to be between the two most annoying characters in the show, and bailed.

[ratcreature]

I haven't gotten far enough for that. I'd really like to find a new, lively fandom with a manageable canon. Other things that I see come across my dash are stuff like Critical Role, where I have no idea where to even start, or video games, which I don't play (though maybe with Witcher I could just stick to tv canon), or really sprawling franchises. Your icon reminds me of when I looked at a Transformers wiki because I came across a series that was tagged for kinks I really like, and wanted to know the gist about the two characters to read it... I eventually decided to just go with the porn on an "any two robots" level.

[mirabile]

I had the same issue but persevered and agree with the folks saying the embarrassment factor decreases pretty rapidly. If you can get through the first episode, you should be okay. Of course, YMMV, but I ended up loving the show despite the opening ick.

[ratcreature]

Maybe I could try again with something to fidget on hand and look away while cringing until the good bits start, if it's really just the setup episode and then becomes worth it. Hmm.

[roga]

Same as some others here! I didn't last the first episode when it first aired. Following persuasion to keep going till episode 4, I pushed forward till then, and from that point I both wanted to watch the next episode and enjoyed each episode more and more. And Stede does prove himself to be much more capable as the season goes on - it's a process.

The show itself is fun but likewise it's just fun to be in a fandom that's growing and people are excited about as it's happening. Who knows how long it will last! But for now - there's an element of worth it for that as well :)

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I'd very much like to soak up some vibrant new fandom energy.

[sealie]

i'm watching it, I'm on either ep 7 or 8, and it does get better as the series progresses. Notably, when Blackbeard pirouettes onto set. I think if it hadn’t been all over my dash, I wouldn’t have stayed with it.

But the ensemble cast of characters do evolve to become wonderful and the various characters are both nuanced and rounded it their own ways. The ensemble is kind of lovely to see, rather than the crowd solely existing to be foils for Whatshisface and Thingymabob.

But… do I feel fannish about it… nah. Not yet. It’s good as is it. I get fannish about things where I see room to play.

Most folk I know are involved in 911 (and ilk) but I can’t get into those series—I loathe watching and waiting for the emergency to unfold on the screen. I’m really only fannish about The Old Guard, at the moment.

[ratcreature]

I actually haven't watched The Old Guard, though I have read some fanfic that aligned with my kinks. Maybe I should look for that movie. Or give OFMD another try, while maybe finding something to fidget and look away while cringing until the good bits start.

[sealie]

I really enjoyed The Untamed tv series when it was on Amazon Prime [I haven't watched any of the cartoons or related media -- don't how to/don't ask/I should be able to figure it out]. I think that it is on Netflix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Untamed_(TV_series)

I did indeed enjoy Ragnarok TV series [only managed to watch season 1 so far]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnarok_(TV_series)

[sealie]

update:

I am now fannish about Our Flag Means Death.

[ratcreature]

Congrats for unlocking a new fandom?

[sealie]

hahahahhaha -- I guess :-)