Guys… guys.
As hilarious as all the “how oblivious ARE you?” jokes about Stede are, I think we’re missing the big picture. This isn’t about obliviousness, it’s about trauma.
Stede isn’t ignorant of the fact he’s in love with Ed. he’s been abused his whole life for his queerness and is having trouble conceptualizing that he’s allowed to be.
Notice how Stede immediately has the instinct to walk back his comment of Ed being “lovely”? This is the same man who didn’t even pick up that his very obviously mutinous crew was planning a mutiny, that shit was learned behavior. He’s speaking as a little boy was tied to a boat and stoned for picking flowers, and as someone who was told mere days ago a man falling in love with him was “defiling a beautiful thing.”
Homophobia/ heteronormativity is alive and well in this world and Stede, being forced to live in the conservative circles he does, would’ve absolutely been painfully aware of it. The fact that he feels the need to ask a woman what it’s like to be in love with a man speaks volumes after he’s already been happily kissed by one and has roleplayed being married to him when lonely. He’s not just casually making conversation then has a eureka moment when he happens to notice the description applies to him and Ed too, he asked specifically to compare them.
It’s him testing the waters and thinking that maybe “they” were wrong. Maybe he’s not broken or pathetic, maybe he never deserved to be treated as such. Maybe he didn’t “seduce” Edward, or “ruin” him, or “defile” him. And maybe his feelings for Ed are just as loving and romantic as Mary’s feelings are for her boyfriend.
It’s such a beautiful moment when he slowly smiles, let’s out that little breath like a sigh of relief, and tells his wife of an arranged marriage with nothing less than wonder in his voice that what he’s found at sea is in fact love. Fuck, it gets me every time.
There’s an absolutely gorgeous through line of queer liberation in Stede’s half of episode 10 after this scene. How he refers to Ed as his “newfound love”, confidently says they’ll “all be great”. He smears the blood on his face himself, breaks his own flowers, all to reach someone who sees him as perfect and beloved exactly as he is. What a fitting ending to his days of crying himself to sleep because he cannot be what everyone’s failed to beat him into.
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* ― OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH PROMPT .
* prt three. spoilers for episodes 5-6 , tw vulgar language ,discussion of murder / death change pronouns / wording as needed .
❝ you are not to engage. you are simply here to observe. ❞
❝ quick question: how violent do we expect this to get ? ❞
❝ have you checked this body yet or what ? ❞
❝ write that down in the ‘useful tips’ section. ❞
❝ the number of bad habits i’ve identified is frankly humbling. ❞
❝ you could try a little more oomph. ❞
❝ you’re right, no need to get riled. ❞
❝ pirates, they attack with force. the upper crust, they strike with cutting remarks disguised as politeness. ❞
❝ that’s fucking diabolical. ❞
❝ yeah, but, i mean, fսck i care. whatever. ❞
❝ oh, i see, you think you’re cute. ❞
❝ actually, i think i’m just so-so, but i’ve decided to carry myself like i’m cute. ❞
❝ your lot days of lyin’ around doing fuck-all, it’s through. ❞
❝ i’ve got just the job for you… bitch. follow me. ❞
❝ little psycho. ❞
❝ i like the name ____ , and accounting sounds fancy as fսck. ❞
❝ how does one win this interaction ? ❞
❝ i’m gonna stop you there. it’s not really the, uh, crowd for skull talk. ❞
❝ this is deranged ! i don’t clean things ! ❞
❝ have you ever been sketched ? ❞
❝ are you saying you’ve tasted human flesh ? ❞
❝ aw, lighten up. you’re just sore ‘cause they like me more than you. ❞
❝ i’m gonna kill that twat. ❞
❝ hang on. that’s, that’s passive aggression. ❞
❝ from my experience these things are meant to make you feel like a bit of a jackass. ❞
❝ i don’t know, i panicked. and then, they laughed at me. ❞
❝ you’re in over your head. these are my people. i’ll deal with it. ❞
❝ and what if i don’t? you’re not my captain. ❞
❝ heh-heh, nice. ❞
❝ when you cut loose, you really cut loose. ❞
❝ i think you’re very sophisticated. ❞
❝ well, sometimes the old things are the best things. ❞
❝ you wear fine things well. ❞
❝ if you wanted, i could teach you a more advanced trick of the trade. ❞
❝ stab me. ❞
❝ this is it. i’m gonna shoot you in the face ! ❞
❝ i stabbed you, you nut ! ❞
❝ i think the scariest thing i’ve ever seen would probably be the kraken. ❞
❝ fear is the most powerful emotion, turn your enemy’s worst fear against them, you’ll own them. ❞
❝ be careful what you ask your god for, she might just answer. ❞
❝ ow, you bit me ! what the fսck ?! ❞
❝ as I like to call it, the art of fuckery. ❞
❝ sorry, you triggered my fight or bite response. ❞
❝ you seem to know everything about everything in the whole fսckin’ world ! ❞
❝ you left me hangin’ up there for 20 minutes. not bloody optimal. ❞
❝ the fuck is this ? ❞
❝ you’re in too deep, ___. best thing to do end it quick. ❞
❝ we’ve got a fuckery on our hands ! ❞
❝ i went out on a limb for you, you little shit. ❞
❝ because it’s my job to make sure that ___ is content. and he adores you. why, i’ll never know, but… he does. ❞
❝ yeah, he’s reimagined things a bit, all right ? ❞
❝ maiming’s different. love a good maim. ❞
❝ and tonight, i’m supposed to kill … you. ❞
❝ is that still on the cards or … ❞
❝ listen, what if what if we just pretended that whole murder idea never happened ? ❞
❝ i fսckin’ challenge you to a fսckin’ duel. ❞
❝ that was a warning. ❞
❝ oh you cheeky bitch ! ❞
❝ no ! stab him, for fucks sake ! ❞
❝ shut up ! don’t you ever shut up, you rancid rat ! ❞
❝ not for nothing, but that guy really is a dick, huh ? ❞
❝ i’m used to death, but, um… but not, um… your death. ❞
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