GENERAL. blackbeard is a legend, a myth. his name is either spoken with wonder or with fear and the british navy has tried to bring him to justice for many years. the image he paints is that of a blood thirsty and ruthless pirate, when in truth edward teach has grown wary of his own fame and the pirate life at large. and besides, he doesn't even actually kill people (maiming is okay for him, however). life at sea trudges on as always, until one day, utterly bored, edward seeks out the gentleman pirate: a new player in the pirate scene and with peculiar ways of running a crew. edward gets more than he bargained for when him and stede bonnet get ever closer.

APPEARANCE. face and body lined with age and a life at sea, yet still undeniably handsome. especially when edward shaves off most of his infamous long beard, showing more of his face. tall and lean, with strong arms and back. plenty of ink covering his body, most notably along his arms. reference. he also wears jewelry: long earrings at his ears, hands decked with rings, as well as the occasional necklace. the clothing most often associated with blackbeard is dark, full of hot uncomfortable leather, but as edward starts to distance himself from that persona he is shown favouring lighter and colorful clothes, as well as longer robes and nice fabrics.

themes. while ofmd has a distinct comedic tone, some of the topics it touches on are everything but. my portrayal of edward includes: domestic abuse, violence, oppression (edward is of maori descent on his mother side), references to corporal punishments, drug use, suicidal ideation. he is also actively suicidal for the first part of season 2.

PERSONALITY. beneath the mask of blackbeard, edward can be charming, vulnerable, seeking the warmth of true affection he has so rarely felt throughout his life. having suffered at the hands of his father, the navy and his former captain, he responds to pain (or the threat of it) with anger and the instinct to respond in kind. hunger has a similar effect.

NOTABLE TRAITS. edward is disabled. a fact that carries through each verse i have for him. the pain in his knee is chronic and doesn't really go away, only fades to a dull ache that comes and goes on good days. on worst ones it's so bad that it actively affects his mood. it's also significantly better when he takes good care of it and wears his knee brace.