What is going on inside Stede’s head at the party for hoity-toity people? That episode is hands down my favourite episode, and not just because of the “you wear fine things well” scene. And the reason for that is that I love Stede so much in this episode. But I can’t figure out what’s going through his head. So I’m going to ramble about it a bit.
So at this point Stede and Ed have agreed to help teach each other about what they know about piracy and high society. Now we all know that Stede has rejected that part of his life. Well, parts of it really. Because he does still enjoy fine clothes, he uses money not just to pay his crew but also on useless things like the treasure map. Because he can and that’s what he’s used to (although he does finally give all of that up in the end, but that’s not important for this). But he does not enjoy other rich people, because they are his peers, the people who have bullied him since childhood. While he’s never seen these people, they still represent the things he hate about belonging to high society, what he wanted to get away from.
He instantly says that they have no interest in the invitation to the party only for him to reluctantly agreeing to read it on Ed’s insistence. His immediate reaction is to mock the person who was invited, to really make sure that everyone knows he doesn’t want to belong to that part of society. But then Ed ignores him and says that they should check it out. We don’t even get to see Stede agree with it, Ed just walks away after saying that they’re going to the party. When they arrive Stede reassures Ed that they could leave anytime he wants, if he gets uncomfortable (something I doubt he was allowed to do himself when in similar situations) but Ed sees this as a challenge, as his dream coming true. He’s surrounded by fancy people, fancy clothes and people who doesn’t know him as Blackbeard, he is simply Jeff the accountant. But I don’t think it’s that easy for Stede. While he’s there under another name, he’s been at fancy parties before, he’s encountered people like this before and he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t feel comfortable, because he’s never fit in. And then he’s immediately thrust into the spotlight by two of the most obnoxious people ever. And he goes along with their suggestion of him palpitating her. And it’s from that moment that I really can’t make my mind up about what he’s thinking.
When Ed says that thing about having once killed a Prussian and Stede begging him silently to stop talking, that’s where Stede starts to be pushed aside. Antoinette pushes his hands away and he’s surprised or maybe even a little offended. And then it just escalates from there. Ed steps into the spotlight and they all seem to love him. And Stede is stood beside him, not being able to do anything. Ed has succeeded to charm these people in like 30 minutes, something Stede has never managed to do during his entire lifetime, not even when he’s playing a part. He tries to enter the conversation and he’s interrupted and mocked. Even Ed joins in on the mocking part and Stede forces a smile. And yet he stays by Ed’s side. He tries to tell Ed that even if they seem nice they’re not. And Ed doesn’t really want to listen, because he’s having a great time. It’s only after Ed played the piano and danced that we see them separating. With Stede eventually ending up talking to Frenchie about how he never were any good at these kinds of things. And I find it interesting that he told Ed when they arrived that they could leave whenever he wanted, but when Stede himself is feeling uncomfortable he doesn’t afford himself the same luxury. He just leaves Ed to enjoy the evening while he himself is sad about never fitting in. Then we ofc get the wonderful scene where Stede takes them down. And he does it with such confidence and he’s enjoying it too.
Now then, what is he feeling? I go from thinking he’s jealous of Ed being able to charm these people, something Stede was never able to do properly and then I think, no he’s afraid that Ed will end up with his feelings hurt, because Stede knows what they are like. And then I think that he’s feeling sad because Ed seems to enjoy their company, perhaps even more than he enjoys spending time with Stede, considering the fact that he joins the French in mocking Stede. But maybe he’s feeling all of these things, all at once, some emotions taking over momentarily before being replaced by another, but they’re all there during the whole party. Perhaps no emotion is stronger than the other, or perhaps sadness can be interpreted in all of these scenarios I’ve written about. Sadness felt when you don’t fit in, sadness when the one person you trust more than anyone sides with the people who are being mean to you, sadness when the one you care for ends up hurt and that sadness quickly turning into anger and an urge to defend. I don’t know. And I hate that I don’t know but I also love it. And I also think that this really shows a lot of Stede as a person. And why he does the things he does. Especially when you put it together with the scene where he goes back to his family. The way he deals with his own feelings, denying himself to feel certain things and acting on those feelings. Even if it ends up hurting him in the end. While he is dramatic and hysterical a lot of the time, he feels so much more than he lets anyone see. Because of the fear of being seen as weak.
The work Rhys put into that whole episode, but especially those scenes at the party are Oscar worthy! The looks, the forced smile... I feel so sorry for Stede in those scenes and I so desperately want Ed to see how much being there hurts Stede, how condescending they are towards him (something that also ends up happening to Ed). If I could only pick one scene that I love, from the entire show, then I’d choose the one where Stede is forcing a smile after he’s been mocked by the French, with Ed joining in. That scene lives rent free in my head.
Once again, hope this makes sense. Feel free to add your thoughts, I enjoy reading other people’s thoughts and it helps me to expand on my own.
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YOU SLEEPING ON A COUCH AFTER AN ARGUMENT 𓆝 ⋆。𖦹°‧
featuring. gojo satoru, geto suguru, toji fushiguro x reader
note. i hv so many ideas right now apart from what i'm actually supposed to be focusing on, so...pls excuse me.
GOJO SATORU. arguments with gojo are a pain in the ass, he's petty and everything will be a mess. he's so stubborn that it actually baffles you sometimes — and he calls you rock head?
being a sorcerer is never an easy job. gojo wakes up every day, not knowing whether he'd die in a mission or get to live another day. so when you brought up your concerns about it to him, the male didn't take it lightly. things have been tight for him, and you're walking on eggshells for the past few days.
the slightest thing angered him, like how his sleeve got stuck on the door handle, or the way he curses out loudly when he stubs his toe on the coffee table. it puts him in a shitty mood, so when that happens, and you try to talk to him about his job.
gojo gets very pissy about it.
frankly, you understood where his anger comes from. and it was part of your fault to bother him the moment he came back from work exhausted, it was bound to happen so you weren't really blaming him at all from the projecting of his anger to you the night before — he didn't say hurtful things, gojo knew better than that. all he did was tell you to leave him alone and get out of his sight for the night.
and you did. sleeping alone on the couch, all sprawled out, an arm dangling on the edge; while a string of drool dribbled down the corner of your lips.
you seemed to not mind having to sleep on the couch (under your own want). but your boyfriend did, the moment he knew your bed time strikes — he came out of the room and eyed your sleeping form. guilt washing over him when all you did was care about his being and how dangerous the jujutsu world is.
gojo approaches you and gently carried you in his arms, an arm right under your bottom and his other arm around your waist. hoisting you up like a baby as your cheek leaned onto his shoulder, letting the drool blotch his shirt. he doesn't care at all.
the male tucks you in the bed, pulling the covers over you before slipping next to you, chest pressed to your back and an arm resting on your hip. gojo will never let you sleep a whole night on the couch, he will bring you to sleep with him and apologize the very next day for being such an ass.
he also, tried to make it up to you by cooking a classic english breakfast. which ended up in chaos — and you both decided to order take out instead.
GETO SUGURU. geto is usually calm and collected; he doesn't really get angry at anything. even if he does, he mostly keeps it to himself unless it really bothers him. but since humans have certain capacities to their own emotion — geto is not spared from being angry, no matter how calm he is.
after the death of amanai, you could feel him change. your geto. it was traumatizing for him, and you understood. always being there for him, never leaving him alone. the dark circles under his eyes were apparent, and it looked like he hasn't had a good night sleep for what seemed like . . . weeks, or months, if that's even possible.
geto appreciated your company, really. but sometimes, he also wanted to be left alone to dwell on his feelings. he didn't want to end up saying hurtful things to you because he was so angry at himself. but he did, and god was it horrible.
he was already feeling like shit before the argument— which if you see, wasn't really an argument at all. it was one-sided, geto was telling you off and you didn't say anything back. because you knew he didn't mean it. he almost desperately begged for you to leave him alone because your presence was "annoying" him and he couldn't stand it.
although geto said it in a heap of moment. he didn't mean it, and before he could say anything else, you tell him that you were going to be sleeping on the couch, so if he needed anything he was free to come to you.
geto didn't stop you. he was busy hating on himself for telling you that — and believe me when i say that he, right there, almost cried out of frustration.
he tossed and turned on his bed. where you were usually on too, beside him, holding his hand whilst he sleep. your hushed voice lulling him into a peaceful slumber; but you weren't there today, all because he told you to leave him alone. geto sat up, his eyelids heavy, but no matter how long he shut is, they always open back up.
with slow and heavy steps, he approaches you on the couch. and geto had always knew that you were a light sleeper, so his footsteps awoken you. seeing your eyes flutter open, geto slid on the couch, laying himself on top of you — head on your chest, arms clutching onto your shirt like he's desperate for your presence, and his legs intertwining with yours.
getos' hushed apologies were heard as he leaned into your warmth, and you told him that you were never angry. brushing his hair, massaging his scalp using your fingertips before lulling him to sleep, and geto did. almost immediately. and so did you.
he could never sleep without you. whether it being on the bed, the couch, or anywhere else — as long has you were with him, he will find the ability to drift off.
TOJI FUSHIGURO. is an ass. let's face it — he wouldn't give a fuck if you decided to sleep on the couch after an argument, at least for the first couple of hours. toji is a blunt man, and he's a sole believer that nobody could bear sleeping on the couch when there's a bed in the house.
but you were there to prove him wrong.
after an argument going south, he finds you grabbing your pillow and then seeking shelter on the couch. and he clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing you'd come crawling back on the mattress after a few hours — because who'd choose the couch over the bed?
you. apparently.
he slept without a single care, thinking of words to say when you finally decided to come back on the bed. but when he woke up at three am, his arm searching to find your body, but realizing all he was catching was air — he finally realized that you weren't coming back onto the bed.
and it annoyed him. he was angry that you weren't there. and at three am? he was already wide awake, walking out of the room angrily. but his gaze softened when he saw you asleep, the constant flashing light from the television panning on your body; toji walks over, snatches the remote and turns the device off.
letting out a soft sigh, toji squats down, flicking your forehead. and the action was enough to make you grimace lightly in your sleep — although not enough to wake you up completely. the male chuckled and prepped an arm under the hollow under your knees, and an arm across your shoulder.
with ease he brought you into your shared room and he laid you down on the bed, covering your body with the blanket before he slips into his own portion of the bed. scooting closer to you as you instinctively nuzzled into his chest, seeking for comfort.
toji wouldn't admit that he was the one who brought you into the bed and would end up saying how you came crawling back at three am. you always find out the truth though, and toji tells you to forget about whatever he did because he won't be doing it again (he will).
© CHURIPU 2024 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE
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