What really gets me is that we basically never get to see Izzy in a safe environment. There are some brief moments that might count, depending on how you look at them (the "can't I just send the boys?" exchange in episode three and his ranting to Spanish Jackie in episode seven) but for the vast majority of his screen time he's constantly feeling threatened.
On top of the ever-present danger associated with piracy, he's on an unfamiliar ship surrounded by people he doesn't know. Sure, they're incompetent, but that doesn't mean they're harmless; that's why he's always trying to assert some kind of authority over them. (My take on his behavior in episodes five and nine is that he feels threatened by his lack of power on the Revenge and he's using the methods that used to work for him to establish some kind of control). He isn't even wrong to think they might pose a threat to him, given that they almost throw him overboard (as a result of his own actions, sure, but that's beside the point).
Stede is a threat to his already tenuous relationship with Ed, so he's never going to feel secure with him around. After Stede is gone, Ed decides to turn the Revenge into a floating circus, leaving them totally vulnerable to the British, the Spanish, other pirates, and pretty much everyone else. Obviously he doesn't respond well to that, given that he's been living in a state of constant anxiety for weeks (months?) and now the one person he clung to for safety has given up on the thing that kept them safe.
Anyways, that was a lot of rambling for me to say that I want to see Izzy feeling safe and secure. It probably wouldn't really serve the story at all but it would be so interesting to see what he would be like.
hmmm shit my izzy aplogism has taken over. no more "he's so awful i love him". he has never done anything wrong in his entire life ever. he was just in a silly goofy mood.
summary: You and Izzy got some time off and you decided to explore the town a bit.
warnings: cursing and probably ooc Izzy
Izzy and you finally got a day off after working on the ship for god knows how long. You were told by Lucius that he, Stede and Edward would go on ‘’an adventure’’, and that you could walk around for a bit. So, naturally you and your boyfriend Izzy would go get some alone time and relax. Who knows when was the last time you two could be alone and show love and affection to one another?
“Hey, whatcha thinking about?” you heard from your side, snapping you back to reality. It was your boyfriend, who was desperately trying to get you to notice him.
“Oh, nothing, just thinking about when it was the last time we got some time alone together.” you responded, looking up at him. He isn’t the same as back with the crew. There is not a single sign of anger in his expression
“It’s been fuckin’ forever, but now it’s just us.” he took your hand in his as you two walked down to the town, making sure you don't bump into other crewmembers.
after some walking, you spot Stede and Lucius trying to sell the hostage you had taken a few days prior. You shoved Izzy behind a stone wall and hid yourself with him, making sure Stede didn’t notice you.
“Oh my fuckin’ god you can’t be serious-”
“Shhhh, shut it before he notices us!” you whisper-shouted and looked back at Stede. He turned his head around to look at you two but you pushed yourself and Izzy through a door of some kind and hid there, your bodies stuck together. You heard Stede call out your name a few meters from the door. You held your breath as you felt Izzy tensen up. After a few seconds you heard Stede leaving with Lucius, and you finally allowed yourself to breathe, as did Izzy. You looked up at him and smiled as you took his hand and pushed him further into the building you entered moments before to hide.
“Hey- i can walk by myself!” he scoffed as you walked into the darkened room which only had a few candles here and there.
“Oh great, we ended up at Spanish Jackie’s.” he sighed and stepped further into the booze smelling tavern. You walked around a bit, keeping distance from Izzy in case you spotted a crewmate. A small nice-looking lady caught your eye, and you walked over to her table. You noticed she was selling trinkets and gems, and as your eyes skimmed through the stuff you felt Izzy lean against the table.
“Why hello there lads, would you like to buy anything?” she spoke but you barely heard her as your eyes spotted two matching rings with beautiful gems on them. You let yourself touch the cool steel and run your fingers over the stones. Izzy noticed you admiring them.
“Do you want them?” He asked as you nodded without realizing, and you started pulling out a bag of coins from your pocket, but Izzy stopped you quickly and put the coins back.
“How much for these?” he asked as he picked up the rings and some other stones as well
“Oh no you don’t have to-”
“Shut up. How much?” he cut you off and the old woman smiled
“Oh, why aren’t you such a gentleman? You can have them for free, they were’t going to sell anyways.” She spoke softly, but Izzy shoved a small bag of coins into her hands
“Take ‘em and buy yourself something nice.” He mumbled and took your hand as he walked back out of the building. It was already getting kind of dark, but you didn’t mind. He led you to a nice spot away from other people and turned to face you
“Izzy you really didn’t have to buy those for me...” You whispered, smiling slightly. He raised your hand and put the ring on you. He brought your hand up to his lips and gently kissed it, earning a smile from you.
“But l did, love. It suits you so well.” He blushed as you took the other ring from his hand and put it on his finger, smiling up at him.
“Never knew the fearful Izzy Hands was such a romantic person” You giggled as he pulled you closer by the waist, kissing you softly. You hently kissed him back, staying there with him like that for a moment.
“My my, i never expected you two to be found like this together” You heard Lucius say as you both pulled away from each other, noticing that he, Stede, Ed and Frenchie were standing there in awe.
“What the fuck- FUCK OFF!” Izzy yelled and pulled his dagger out.
‘What were you going to do with this man’ you thought to yourself as you grabbed his hand and followed the other back to the ship. You were both embarrassed to death and the teasing would not come to an end, even after Izzy cursed them off multiple times. You walked up to him and gave him a small kiss
“You know i love you, right Iz?” you asked as you kissed his cheek. In an instant he calmed down and kissed you back.
“I love you too, my darling pet” he whispered and leaned against your touch.
Sorry not sorry. Here's another Izzy Hands post because I literally cannot stop thinking about Izzy and Ed and how their relationship functions.
So, we have the greatest pirate in History, Blackbeard, right? This absolutely larger than life, terrifying, powerful, bloodthirsty monster of hate and rage. His legend has made it where literally ships will surrender the moment they see his flag. Everyone is so scared of being so thoroughly devastated by him that they would give up and pray for a quick death. But, under all of that, we see Ed. Just Ed. This broken, deeply lost man who is so far gone in self-loathing and depression that he can't find it in him to just... be Ed. He's so "bored" (Don't get me started on that word choice in the script. I can spend days on that.) that dying seems like an adventure. He isn't sure who he is or where he stands. He talks about Blackbeard as if he isn't him, as if it is another person. But, ultimately, he can't separate the man from the legend internally either. (See the "You'd always see me for what I am." line in Ep.8)
Then, you have Israel Hands. Blood, violence, and rage seem to be all he lives for. He's ready to kill for Blackbeard at a moment's notice and would not blink twice. He'd probably die for Blackbeard just as quickly. He is the most devoted worshiper of the god and legend that is Blackbeard. Beneath that? You see an increasingly frustrated and angry person who just wants to protect his friend and doesn't know how to communicate that without lashing out. He tries to support Edward has because that's the only support he is going to get in a world where someone would slit your throat for glory and a few pieces of gold. He's seen all the ugly, squishy underbelly and knows that he needs to be armor to stop someone from killing what is possibly his only real friend.
There is a symbiotic yet parasitic relationship between the two. And it's all about Survival. They need each other and they are also going to kill each other.
We don't know how long they've been together. But, we know they have been together for a while. Izzy talks about the things he's done in Blackbeard's name "for years". I may be assuming here, but I'm sure that the legend reached Izzy before Blackbeard ever did. He has this idea in his head of the man he's sworn to follow and kill and bleed and die for. But, that's Blackbeard, not Ed. He's grown to understand what is beneath the smoke and mirrors. And he still stays and prays to the God he's chosen willingly to follow.
No one talks about why he stays. No one talks about how we have seen Blackbeard -and even "Edward", honestly- manipulate Izzy into staying time and time again, how a few pretty words and side looks is all it takes to make Izzy not climb in the dinghy, how he uses frankly abusive tactics just to keep him from leaving. Whether Edward does this knowing it's actually toxic and abusive or not, we don't know. But, that's what it is. No one talks about how Izzy needs Blackbeard just as much as Edward needs him. This man made a promise to serve Blackbeard to the best of his abilities, no matter what that is or who he has to cut down to protect him. Because he needs him. Whether that's as a purpose for living or self-preservation, I don't know.
And honestly, I think that is why Izzy stays. He cares about Edward, in some sort of messed up way. But that's not who his loyalty is to. He just wants to protect him, even if that means saving him from himself. And what Stede brings out is something soft, something weak, something that will get Edward killed if it shatters the Blackbeard persona entirely. Yes, he does some really manipulative and fucked up things to do that, but so does Blackbeard. He strings Izzy along with just enough hope and attention, just enough to keep him sated and close at hand. Because he realizes how much he does need Izzy. He needs someone to keep him afloat. And Izzy has been that someone for years. Izzy even says that he has put up with all of the shit because he swore to protect his Captain. Fuck, he sells out Stede with the promise that Edward is free to go, to protect him, when Edward chose Stede over him.
Now, suddenly, Izzy is no longer the tether Edward is clinging to. And Izzy is just lost. He's been loyal. Devoted. He's watching his God die. He's watching Edward die. And he doesn't know how to save him from this. A bullet? A stab wound? Physical trauma that can kill? Yeah. He knows how to deal with that. But all that armor, smoke, and mirrors that is Blackbeard being removed for one man Edward has known for a month? He can't get the attention back on him so he can save this stupid, reckless man from himself.
Yeah, you can take it as jealousy. And you wouldn't be wrong. However, you wouldn't be right either.
Neither of these broken men would know how to survive without each other. They don't have the skills to save themselves or each other from this deeply toxic spiral made out of a need to survive. They are horrible to each other, but Izzy does try to be patient and good to Edward. And it deeply saddens me that people make Izzy out to be this horrible person who gets off on manipulating Edward.
No fuck you, I do relate to Izzy Hands because I too am a diminutive, rage filled, black clad, can of whoopass, surrounded by incompetent idiots and maniacs, trying to get through the day while also loathing all of my needs and desires out of fear of never really being allowed to hope for them and yes I am going to make that your fucking problem because how will you know to hold me if I don’t!
And I think I deserve a redemption arc and to be petted and told I’m a good boy doing his best too.
Not an Izzy apologist but here's why Izzy Hands is only mildly homophobic and not unforgivably so. Not proofread, please don't stab me
Izzy has no issue with Blackbeard/Ed being gay, he just doesn't want him in a caring, gentle relationship because if anyone is going to have that relationship with his captain he wants it to be him, but it's not going to be him so no one else is allowed to dull down the sexy knife of a man that is Blackbeard. Izzy loves Blackbeard but only the idea of him that he has in his head, the way he appeared in the past, and will try his hardest whip Ed into that familiar shape to restore the tight bond of loyalty that they once shared. This loyalty is the closest he's gotten to a committed loving relationship with Edward. In the stabbing scene, he wasn't truly disgusted by thinking Ed and Stede were having sex, he just doesn't like Stede and was upset and grossed out to hear that Blackbeard would have chosen him. Izzy has no apparent problems with Lucius or Fang or Pete's sexuality: in that scene where he tries to expose Lucius as a cheater, he actually only addressed the non monogamy. It wasn't the gay part that he thought was bad, but the unfaithful part. This is because that's how he sees his relationship with Blackbeard (he desires loyalty) and he was projecting the anger and insecurity he would feel/feels when his Edward is romantically into someone else. There was also seemingly no issue with calico jack, who he sent after Ed and he would presumably know that the two of them had "dalliances", but he doesn't care cuz he knows jack isn't competition. And in the scene where Izzy says Blackbeard isn't some "namby pamby pining for his boyfriend" once again he isn't disgusted by the gay aspect of it, but can't reconcile his ideal of Blackbeard with someone soft who is emotionally attached to another person. Particularly Stede, who he hates.
Anyway Izzy isn't homophobic, he's just losing the man he loves to another, while also watching Edward move away from his sexy dominant personality to a more balanced affectionate one and Izzy and his weird internalized homophobia is not emotionally equipped to handle this.
