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#with Stede Ed is capable of being gentle
nicnacsnonsense · 1 year
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Something about how with Stede, Ed is allowed to be weak, and with Ed, Stede is capable of being strong.
At the French party, Ed is mocked and laughed at by everyone and immediately runs to Stede. And because Ed is so distressed, Stede finds himself easily able to tear down this roomful of people just like the ones who tormented and beat him down his whole life.
Ed is curled up having a break down in the tub (in Stede’s tub, under Stede’s robe), and Stede sits right there next to him assuring him that “I’m your friend.”
Then there’s the duel and Ed is emotionally right back to being a child watching someone he cares about, has a complicated relationship with, attacking someone he loves. And he’s just standing there, too weak to do anything (remember what happened the last time you were strong, remember how it destroyed you). But then, Stede wins. It’s okay that Ed was weak because Stede was strong enough to win. Of course he was, because Ed taught him how.
And then at the end of the season, we end with Stede, heroic and romantically lit, having finally found the strength to let go of what was holding him back and claim the life he wants, because of his love for Ed. We end on Ed, having put back on his mask of violence and aggression, sitting in Stede’s room, on Stede’s bed, staring at Stede’s painting, the one that had saved them and changed everything, allowing himself to cry.
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Even at his lowest point, when Ed would have been perfectly justified in thinking of Stede with anger, all he wants is to touch him gently.
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I was almost expecting some kind of angsty moment where Ed would, like, thow the cake topper representing Stede away from him, because that's what another show would do - the sad babygirl version of tearing up photos of your ex. But Ed has never, ever wanted to hurt Stede. He just wants him back. He just wants to indulge in a little fantasy of getting to touch Stede's face and chest with so much gentleness.
The way the cake topper looks later, smudged with what looks like the black makeup Ed wears, like Ed's been holding it against his face...the way Ed paints the bride cake topper to look like himself with so much care...all he wants is to hold the man he loves, and all he wants is to be the kind of person who is capable of being held in return.
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In conclusion: we need a season 3 because we NEED to see Ed's dream come true! He's spent season 2 learning that he really is the kind of person who can hold and be held, that his gentleness is nothing to be ashamed of. We know where this is heading, but we deserve to see it anyway.
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fuckyeahisawthat · 2 years
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The Kraken
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So I’ve been thinking a lot about the Kraken story, the way it’s told in episode 6, and the way the episode plays when you already know that Ed is not telling a tall tale about a sea monster, but a true story about killing his abusive father.
When you know that this is all a metaphor, a lot of lines take on a double meaning. The night I saw the Kraken becomes the night I understood my own capacity for violence--and in Ed’s own words, that’s the scariest thing he’s ever seen. When he says, “I learned something that night. Fear is the most powerful emotion,” I think what he is really saying is I learned that fear is powerful enough to turn a teenage boy into a killer.
In plenty of other narratives, teenage Ed killing his shitty abusive dad would be framed as cathartic, even heroic. “Abused person finally hits back” is a moment we cheer for in a lot of stories. You could make a solid argument that Ed was acting in self-defense and/or defense of his mother, because there was no reason to believe his dad would stop being violent toward them, and who out there protects poor people from violence? Fuckin nobody. Even though Ed’s life wasn’t literally being threatened in that moment, it’s not crazy to think that at some point with his dad it would have come down to kill or be killed. 
The narrative certainly doesn’t have any sympathy for Ed’s dad. But Ed killing him is still framed by Ed as something deeply traumatic, something monstrous, a part of him he’s afraid of and ashamed of. And I think this is one of the show’s core thesis statements: that violence fucks you up even if you come out on top.
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When we get to the scene of Ed hiding behind the curtains the first time we watch the episode, we think the reveal is “oh the man who said he doesn’t feel fear really is scared of a mythical sea monster.” But the second time through, we know that’s not what’s really going on. So, what is Ed really reacting to here?
There’s some clever editing to make it look like the thing Ed is staring at in terror is the fake Kraken tentacle banging on the window. But if you follow his eyeline...he’s looking at Stede. He’s thinking about the night he learned that he was capable of killing someone, and the fact that he just came very very close to doing it again, to someone he cares about. 
(Side note but I think it’s clear from the beginning that he never really wants to kill Stede. I think stealing his identity was a random idea that pinged across his brain at some point around the time he noticed they were similar enough in size and build to wear each others’ clothes. Then he needs something to keep Izzy on the ship (because at the end of the day, he needs Izzy for the role he plays in maintaining the Blackbeard mythos) and so the vague passing idea becomes a scheme he tells to Izzy like it was his master plan all along. But we see from the look on his face when he turns away that he already doesn’t want to do it. But then Izzy keeps pressing the issue, finally backing him into a corner by saying Stop being soft. Do it or I will. And so Ed works painfully hard to psych himself up for it, and yes in the end he can’t do it. But he comes damn close.)
So the second time through watching this episode, it seems like Ed’s panicked moment when he crawls into the bathroom is more about Oh God, I’m a monster and I almost killed my friend.
But when Stede knocks on the bathroom door and we get our next insight into what’s going through Ed’s head, we flash back to this moment, which we haven’t seen before:
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I think it’s worth noting that what takes us into the flashback is a sound cue: Stede’s fairly gentle knock on the door (which still makes Ed flinch), which echoes the banging of the fake Kraken on the window, which in Ed’s head maybe echoes something like the bang of an angry man’s fist on the table before he throws a plate against the wall. I think it’s up to interpretation whether you think Ed has been having like, an actual PTSD flashback since the fake Kraken made its appearance. In any case, I think it’s clear that in this moment what Ed is remembering is being a victim of violence.
There are a lot of things to love about Stede and Ed’s conversation in the bathroom, but there’s one particular thing that Stede does that’s very important, although I don’t think he realizes how important. As soon as Ed confirms that he’s not going to kill him, Stede immediately relaxes and moves on to comforting Ed. In an episode that’s all about how Ed believes himself to be a violent monster, as soon as he tells Stede that he is not going to hurt him, Stede believes him. Part of this is just Stede’s tendency to be weirdly chill about people trying to murder him, but for Ed, it must be world-shifting to have someone see what he considers to be the rotten core of him (that he’s a monster, a killer, and also a scared little boy hiding in a bathtub) and discover that that person is neither afraid of him nor trying to hurt him while he’s being vulnerable.
(And then, after that moment of extreme vulnerability that’s met with comfort and safety of the kind Ed has had precious little of in his life...they go out on deck and Izzy immediately challenges the person who provided that comfort and safety to a duel.
Izzy doesn’t know about anything that went on in the bathroom, of course. But what a harsh reminder of the kill-or-be-killed world that’s still out there. Remember this for later.)
I think episode 6 is really key to understanding the double-edged blade of Ed’s trauma, and how the pain of being a victim of violence and being a perpetrator of violence are so deeply interconnected in his experience that they’re essentially the same trauma--the trauma of being in a situation where it’s kill or be killed, abuse or be abused, dominate or be dominated, with absolutely zero space in between.
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Which brings us to episode 10.
Ed is once again in a super vulnerable emotional state. He’s heartbroken, and rejection has already brought all his insecurities and trust issues to the surface. He’s starting to move in the right direction with the support of Stede’s crew, but he’s still in a pretty fragile place. And this time, Stede isn’t around.
Who is around? Izzy fucking Hands.
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I think it’s an essential component of this scene that Izzy both provokes Ed until he responds with violence and threatens him. In just a handful of lines, he is able to land a direct hit to both sides of Ed’s worst fear, saying both You are a monster and you always will be and There is always someone waiting to hurt you.
I think it’s open to interpretation how deliberate and premeditated this all is. I tend to think Izzy knows he can get this kind of reactive violence out of Ed if he finds the right button to hit, because he doesn’t look particularly surprised when Ed shoves him against the wall. I think he looks satisfied. He got exactly what he wanted. 
The violent, dominant version of Ed is the one that Izzy wants. (And in his logic, I think he thinks this is the only version of Ed that can survive in their world. Edward, soft and emotional and too visibly queer, is gonna get himself fucking killed.) And we see by the end of episode 10 that Ed is perfectly capable of being that violent, dominant version of himself. He just hates it.
Maybe he liked being that person at one point. Maybe in his younger days it felt great, in the way that being powerful and feared can feel great when you’ve only ever been powerless and afraid. But by this point in his life, he hates that version of himself, and I think he knows it’s terrible for him.
But here is Izzy to tell him that he has no fucking choice. If you’re weak someone will come for you. If you trust people they’ll end up betraying you. You’re surrounded by monsters, so you’d better be the bigger one. It’s kill or be killed, hurt or be hurt, so you’d better be ready to hurt someone. That’s Ed’s fear: that he’s capable of becoming just as much of a monster as the monster he killed, and that he’ll have to in order to survive. And if you know someone’s worst fear, you own them.
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I just KEEP seeing the take that Stede happily burned down a ship while being upset to hear Ed did the same and. Yall. Besties.
Thats not what happened.
We'll start at the beginning I guess?
Stede has no actual problem with killing. He doesn't. He has a trauma response to the crew's excessive violence because it calls back to his father insisting he was weak for not wanting to watch (or participate in?) him butchering small animals. (More on Stede’s views on violence in a minute!)
When he kills Badminton (And he does. It's unintentional but his intentional actions directly result in Nigel's death. That's manslaughter at least and Stede is still at fault) his freak out is directly linked to the trauma he received as a child watching his father kill/butcher small animals. They juxtapose these scenes for a reason. And his being 'haunted' isn't even over the guilt of killing Nigel either! They say this! Explicitly! Textually! ('Do you feel badly that this man is dead?' 'No, I don't.') Stede is aware that he is responsible for the man's death and he doesn't feel bad about it. His guilt is over his abandoning his family, which Nigel brought up. Nigel brought up Stede’s past and his family and that is why Nigel is haunting Stede.
Now, as far as Stede’s views on violence? He doesn't actually mind it! It initially reminded him of his trauma from his father but we see later that this isn't the case as the show progresses. When they're learning how to raid his only comments are to 'Note the gusto!' and to point out how clever it is that they don't waste any potential riches (by way of pulling out a dead man's gold teeth). The next time we see him show any kind of reaction beyond 'fascinated glee' is when Ed is threatening someone (or ordering to have them skinned with a snail fork).
Now, there's A Lot to unpack with this. I certainly won't say my interpretation of this is going to be the 'right' one but this is how I see it:
1. His initial impression of Ed is that he's friendly, gentle even, and clever. These are the first instances of violence he's seeing from him and honestly? I think he's turned on by it and he's trying to come to terms with that since it's not something he's experienced before. He's not horrified at Ed, he's horrified at himself. Again, he did not have these reactions to any of the rest of Ed's crew committing acts of violence, just Ed. Who he is attracted to.
2. This could potentially be read as me contradicting myself wrt my first point but I don't necessarily think they're mutually exclusive points: He is shocked that the man who told him he was 'thinking of packing it all in' and that this way of life was 'a bit of a grind' can still be capable of this much violent enthusiasm. He's trying to reconcile 'You ever feel trapped? Like you're just treading water, waiting to drown?' With 'Next one goes through your fuckin eyeball!' And 'Lash him to something very heavy and throw him overboard (. . .) skin him first, use the snail fork.' Especially when his own response to that same feeling was to shut down and to run away.
So. Stede doesn't actually have a problem with physical violence. He enjoys it, even. Especially when used in response to the kind of violence he'd see in his old world: passive aggression. He wanted to hurt Badminton. He enjoyed that moment right up until the sword went through his eye and he was reminded, again, of his trauma. He happily watches a ship full of people burn down because they hurt Ed with their violence. (And here we see Ed with a very similar expression to Stede’s when he was trying to reconcile with Ed's violence. It's not the act, it's who's doing it and why.) Stede isn't stupid, he knows he killed those people but he doesn't care because he enjoys violence and they deserved it.
(Sidenote, re: the snake: Both Stede and Lucius were disturbed by that because it was an incredible overreaction brought on by his growing frustration. It's kind of an outlier in all this.)
Now. Stede’s reaction to everything re: Calico Jack is, first and foremost, fueled by jealousy and an intense dislike of Jack as a person. His first introduction to the man is he and Ed carelessly destroying Stede’s things and, of the two, only Ed shows genuine remorse. Stede knows what fake remorse looks like and Calico Jack is not a subtle man by any means. Jack then continues to insult him, passive aggressively, 'real pirates, not like these store bought types' while looking directly at Stede, again, not a subtle man. Stede responds in kind because he is picking up what Jack is laying down, his own brand of violence.
They then go on to enjoy violence directed at small animals. Stede doesn't have a trauma response to this but he's obviously uncomfortable because they are small animals. (He does take issue with violence where he views it as 'undeserved', small animals, children, etc) He doesn't freak out though, he removes himself from the situation and when prompted gives an explanation it's 'just mean'. When he tells Ed 'I don't like who you are around this guy' it's because Ed isn't mean but when he's with Jack he enables and engages in Jack being mean.
So. Stede doesn't like Jack, doesn't like his brand of violence because it's mean.
Stede still has no problem with his or Ed’s brand of violence. His reaction to Jack's story of Ed burning down a ship is because he thinks one of them is lying. His tone when he says 'I thought you'd given up the killing' isn't shock at a violent act it's 'did you lie to me?' He doesn't like or trust Jack and so he is asking Ed to explain or refute it. And Ed does explain. And Stede drops it.
Ed gives an explanation that tells Stede he didn't lie to him (He told him he hasn't killed 'directly' since the first time, and again, Stede isn't stupid, he'd understand that Ed would have a looser definition of 'directly than he does) and Stede accepts it. He also sees Ed is uncomfortable with the conversation and instead of pressing the issue he let's it go when he gets the explanation he needs.
Stede is indeed a bizarre little man but he's really not as much of a contradiction as people would like to think.
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shiplessoceans · 1 year
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Today obsessing over the scene of Ed explaining to Stede that Jack can come off a bit rough but that as far as Ed's concerned, it's all posturing and he's just a big insecure teddy bear deep down and that he and Stede would get along.
I am FASCINATED by what this says about Ed and what attracts him to a person. He's had physical liaisons with Jack, gets a bit giddy/silly around him in general and he's also fallen head over heels for Stede.
I think maybe what both men represent for him is a way out of monotony. Jack because he causes chaos wherever he goes and cannot help but engage that part of Ed that seeks drama and passion and emotion. Any feeling, even fear and danger is, in Ed's mind better than nothing.
Stede also represents a break from monotony but this time not through destruction or chaos, but through the simple act of putting himself in a dangerous situation and refusing to change or bend who he is to match the culture.
Stede is violently himself and does not know how to be different. In fact he imposes his attitude to life on others. Dress how you want! Express yourself with freedom! Don't ostracise anyone who wants to be included! Be kind! Be compassionate! Relax and practice some self care! Engage with stories and fancy preserves and nature walks and just...do what makes you happy. Even if others mock or scorn you for it.
And that's the thing. Ed had never considered what might make him happy. Since he was young his focus has only ever been what will help him survive and be safe. It's not his fault no-one told him he's incredibly smart and an overachiever and naturally he rises to the safest position there is. One where people fear you so much you never need to fear a challenge.
Reminds me of a verse from a song I love:
It's cool being the only one, but it's lonely
I could have fallen in love a thousand times before it only someone had known me
They say there's someone for everyone,
Oh but the word will be never done
When all you need is to be met halfway but nobody tries
Don't be surprised
Ed has all the riches he wants, people flee at the mention of his name and he could do anything. He knows how to survive, not thrive. But he has been on this 'grind' for decades with no relief in sight except for the occasional dalliance with a fellow pirate, alcohol and scaring rich and fancy people who think they're better than him.
Stede shows him another way of living. And Ed cannot help but gravitate to him. Fascinated, hopeful and immediately enamoured.
Stede is just as enamoured with this man he heard stories of who turns out to be a gentle soul with a big bite who seems to need reassurance and kindness and understanding and is so smart and capable and hot and against all odds, likes him and wants to spend time with him and, god forbid actually admires him for the things others mocked him for.
Stede cannot help but love Ed and Ed cannot help but love Stede and his gentle, kind optimism and foolish bravado. The way he pursues his own happiness doggedly but wants to afford others the opportunity to seek that same happiness for themselves.
They make each other happy, because they both truly see each other and love what they see without reservation.
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johannestevans · 2 years
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For the snippet prompts: something with leather care/bootblacking? Could involve Blackbeard or Izzy from OFMD, but original characters would be super cool too
filling short-form requests for specific kinks Stede/Izzy/Ed, 800 words.
Ed had brushed it off as not much of a big deal, just a thing that Izzy did for him from time to time, and Stede hadn’t precisely known what that had meant at the time. He’d thought it funny, but interesting, that Ed should bring it up, hadn’t been able to envision it as something he ought be jealous of.
Perhaps that was why he asked to watch.
Not that he doesn’t trust Ed – of course he does – and while he doesn’t trust Izzy, it isn’t as though he thinks Izzy would do something untoward to Ed, either. He’d simply been curious, and now, that curiosity is being rewarded.
Stede sits back on the other side of the couch, his book in his lap ostensibly to hold his concentration, but he isn’t so much as glancing at the page, chin resting on his hand as he stares down at Izzy at work.
Ed is sitting back with his arms over the back of the couch, and he’s staring down at his first mate with a smoky look in his eyes, but Izzy isn’t looking back – Izzy is concentrating on the work, his jaw set, a sort of solemn look on his face and his brows furrowed. The silence in the room is thick, the air pregnant with it, and Stede has to keep reminding himself to breathe – the only sound is the whisper and gentle scrape of Izzy’s brush on Ed’s boots.
“I thought he’d look a bit happier about it,” says Stede to Ed. It’s not idle, exactly, but it’s not as catty as he’s capable of being, as catty as he often finds himself being where Israel Hands is concerned even before he’s thought about it, more just conversational, and Ed looks over at him.
That scary, grim look he’d been wearing to look down at Izzy fades slightly, the eyebrows going up and the lips going down, and then he constructs a different mask, sort of sly.
“You think I should make him happier?” he asks. There’s a rumble in his voice that Stede really doesn’t hear very often, not directed at him, and Stede’s mouth is dry.
He glances at Izzy, who’s leaning further forward, rubbing the brush in circles over Ed’s boot, still. The stuff smells, and Stede really doesn’t care for it, but he likes Izzy like this, Izzy quiet and concentrated and really almost-tame, even if there’s a darkening flush showing in his cheeks, underneath that kiss tattooed on his cheek.
(Not a kiss. Ed’s signature. When Edward had thrown that out, so casually, it had only been a few weeks after their reconciliation – Izzy had stiffened up like a corpse, and Stede had broken the sherry glass in his hand, had snapped the bowl and the stem as his fist tightened all of a sudden.
They’d never fucked, he and Ed. Edward had told him so. But Izzy had known precisely what Stede would think of it, even though Ed hadn’t given it a thought.)
“Just that I thought he would be, that’s all,” murmurs Stede. “Isn’t this an indulgence? Letting him black your boots like this.”
“Would you rather do it?” asks Izzy.
Ed moves so fast Stede just sees him as a blur of black, hand whipping out, but he hears the sound of it, the sharp crack of Ed’s palm across Izzy’s cheek and the way it rings in the room, his head snapping to the side.
He’s breathing heavily, and the new redness blooms from the smack rather than the blush Stede knows Izzy would never admit to.
“Are we fucking talking to you?” asks Ed.
Izzy sets his jaw.
“Still think I should make him happy?”
“You’re indulging him,” Stede says resolutely, feeling a sort of warm anticipation gathering within him, one that’s rather unlike the anticipation that goes with him into the bedroom with Ed, but isn’t entirely different. “Why not indulge him all the way?”
Izzy stares at Stede, his eyes wide and his lips twisted, and Stede gives him a warm, honeyed smile that he knows (Ed’s told him, often whilst on his knees or scrambling to get into Stede’s breeches) doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Go on,” says Stede when Ed looks at him too, and Izzy hisses as Ed extends his leg, pressing the heel of his boot against Izzy’s crotch, and Izzy’s hands tremble, his eyes fluttering closed, his lips open. “Did the captain tell you to stop working, Mr Hands?”
“Fucking… Hell,” mutters Izzy, but he opens his eyes, breathing heavily, and puts his trembling hand back to finishing up, brushing in smooth little circles.
“Is this alright?” asks Stede in a sudden whisper.
“Shut up, Bonnet,” Izzy retorts.
Stede takes that as a yes, and gives Ed the nod to press harder on his crotch, until Izzy groans.
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idk if this is something fans actually do anymore but back in the day when you made a ship name by smushing the names together you put the name of the person who topped first. and tbh it’s a stupid “rule” but when it comes to stackedhands (stede ed izzy and jack) it’s actually correct bc it’s like a scale of who’s the biggest top to who’s the biggest bottom:
we start out with STede “service top” bonnet. this is self explanatory lol he’s a service top. he’s also a gentle dom which i know doesn’t affect whether or not he’s a top but im incapable of talking abt what stede’s like in bed without mentioning that he’s a gentle dom
jACK goes next bc he almost always tops when he’s with men, but when he’s with women he loves getting pegged
ED’s next bc i think he’s capable of topping and has enjoyed topping a few times but he GREATLY prefers bottoming and for years he hasn’t been able to bottom for anyone which has made him dislike topping even more. what im saying is that ed used to be a switch who preferred bottoming but years of sex he didn’t enjoy turned him into a bottom
and last but not least, izzy HANDS. izzy gets off on the idea of being a dom top (exclusively for people he thinks are beneath him) but the truth is he would never enjoy topping the way he’d enjoy being fucked by someone more masculine than him. he’d be ashamed that he’s not as tough and badass as the guy topping him but that’s part of why it turns him on. i also think he’s been so repressed for years that he would fully slip into subspace after a single hard spank on his ass
anyway idk if the name order for stackedhands was specifically chosen for this reason or if it’s just a coincidence but either way it’s very funny to me. also this polycule sounds toxic as hell i love it
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dasseinhundin · 2 years
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show me home and I will go
They come spilling into the cabin, a drunken, giggling mess of limbs stumbling over each other. Ed’s got a bottle of rum clutched in one hand and Stede’s cravat in the other, and Stede is trying his best to unbuckle Ed’s holster from around his waist before he ends up snagging it on another doorknob. Personally, Ed doesn’t think it’s much of a problem—he’s not drunk enough that he’s stumbling into those walls all on his own, after all, glancing merrily down at his love’s kiss-darkened lips. But alas, he can’t say he doesn’t love the feel of Stede’s arms around his waist, so he graciously puts up with it.
“What a bash!” Stede crows, delighted as he finally dislodges the tongue of his belt from the buckle. “Roach really outdid himself with that cake. Splendid, truly.”
Ed hums his agreement, tugging the cravat up a bit to return Stede’s attention to where it belonged. His co-captain follows willingly, glancing up and pecking him. He can still taste the orange glaze on his smile.
“Think we’ll have to turn right back around to St. Augustine to make up for all the fruit he probably used,” Ed teases. Stede swats him on the chest, eyes sparkling, and he snickers.
“Hush, you rude thing. I’ll have you know we stocked extra oranges especially for this. After all, it’s not every day that part of our crew gets married!”
Ed smiles wistfully, falling gracelessly into his place on the divan. A recent acquisition from a Dutch ship, but it’s quickly becoming his favorite spot to lounge. He drops the bottle of rum on the floor and closes his eyes, enjoying the slight spin the room takes. From somewhere behind him, he can hear Stede pattering about, the clinking of their crystal set and the splash of what he can only assume is more booze hitting the glass, and he resigns himself to being considerably drunk for the remainder of the evening.
He’s seen matelotage ceremonies before, but never one planned and executed by one Stede Bonnet. Once Lucius and Black Pete had announced their intentions, the man had been a flurry of activity, insisting on a lavish (well, as lavish as a pirate ceremony could get, Ed supposes,) affair. But If there’s one thing that he’s learned over the past two years, it’s never to doubt what the man he breathes for is capable of.
They’d docked in Havana, and in the span of about a week the deck of the ship was transformed with flowers and ribbon and candles of all colors and sizes. The yards were dripping with garlands, the banisters draped with chiffon and swags. Somewhere Stede had even found an exquisite and impractically long, plush red carpet to run the length of the main deck for an aisle. Lucius had cried when he’d emerged from below deck to see it.
The ceremony had been held at sunset when the stifling summer air was a bit less oppressive, and the sky was painted a swath of pinks and purples. The humid air was perfumed heavily with the bountiful flowers, and if anyone asks, that’s why Ed’s eyes were watery during the ceremony. Absolutely nothing to do with the heartfelt vows Lucius had recited, or the look of utter adoration that shined on Pete’s face. They showered the couple in rose petals as they ran down the aisle (no rice—Buttons had insisted that it hurt Olivia’s stomach,) and then the following hours were spent having one of the most raucous parties that Ed can remember in years.
“Here you are, darling.”
He feels the cool, gentle nudge of a glass against his cheek and raises a hand to take it without opening his eyes. The most he’ll do is sit up to sip it, because he doesn’t feel like getting any more alcohol on him than he probably already has.
“Thanks, mate.”
Ed cracks an eye open to watch Stede settle into his armchair with a long, contented sigh. The fire crackles merrily in the hearth, gilding Stede’s profile and combing streaks of light through his golden curls. He’s dressed down from the earlier party, in a rich blue banyan and the first few buttons of his collar undone. It’s far from the first time Ed’s caught breathless by how exquisite the man is—softened curves and gentle lines where all Ed’s ever known is sharp cuts and jutting edges. He’s got that darling little crease in his forehead, the one he gets when he’s pondering something. Ed has the absurd urge to squish his eyebrows together with his thumbs just to see it deepen. Sometimes he pictures what Stede will look like five, ten, twenty years from now and he can see it so clearly; the man will age like a fine wine, and fuck if Ed can’t wait to savor it.
“You’ve got that look in your eye,” Ed sing songs, sipping the liquor—he’s surprised with a deep aroma of ripe fruits and spices and the heady tang of tannins. So not liquor, then. “Mmm. Nice wine, by the way. Caaabernet…?” Stede’s been trying to educate his palate whenever they could snag a good bottle, but he’s still not totally sure what to call wine other than ‘grapey’ half the time. He’s able to tell a good one from a shit one now at least.
Not like he won’t still drink them both, but whatever.
Stede turns his attention away from the fire, eyebrow quirking. “What look? And excellent work with your taste buds there, dearest. Do you like it? I’ve been saving it for a special occasion. Top up?”
Ed sits up as much as he’s loathed to start the process of shucking off his shirt. He loves the material, something soft and breathable, but he’s craving the satiny fineness of his robe. He gets an arm through it before offering his glass to Stede to refill.
“Mhmm, please do. And the look of someone with an idea.” He says coyly. “What’ve you got going on in that big, beautiful, lunatic brain of yours?”
Stede smiles, apples of his cheeks blooming a very bitable shade of pink. “Nothing, really. It’s kind of silly, actually.” Ed doesn’t miss the way his eyes trail the expansive map of tattoos across his bare chest. He grins.
“Well, I think that should really be for me to decide, shouldn’t it?” Ed says, placing his glass on the table as he saunters his way around it towards the chair. He leans over Stede like a shroud, hands on each arm rest and the robe closing them in like a curtain. Stede to his credit doesn’t back down from the obvious flirt, bold with wine and what now Ed can joyously name as love. “I mean, seeing as how I’m pretty fuckin’ sure I’m gonna be playing a part in whatever you’ve got cooking up there.”
He taps Stede’s temple gently and Stede can’t keep a straight face. He’s biting his lip to keep down the size of his smile, and oh, there’s that pretty blush again. He looks like an overexcited kettle ready to boil right over, and honestly despite trying for flirty, Ed loves this look on him just as much as his bedroom eyes. He loves all Stede’s expressions if he’s honest though, so he’s kind of a shit judge in that regard.
“Well if you really insist,” Stede finally says in a rush, grabbing at his hands to pull him towards one of the bookshelves. “I’ve actually been working on a little something. Been thinking about that offer you’d made a while back. About the, ah, the tattoo.”
Stede kneels to look through the volumes on the bottom shelf and motions over his shoulder for Ed to sit as well. Ed watches with bemusement, swimming now into the realm of a pleasant buzz where he can’t even feel his shitty knee complain about sitting crisscross on the floor. When Stede swirls around it’s with a large journal similar to one of Lucius’ and he places it gingerly between them. Ed looks down at the book and then back up at Stede’s face, waiting for him to continue.
Stede takes a few deep, almost giddy breaths before flipping open the book. He skims a few pages before stopping abruptly.
“I’m not the strongest artist,” Stede says, holding his hand over the page. “I had a lot of help from Lucius, and Frenchie also gave me some good ideas, and Buttons was invaluable help as well with the technical design of it—”
He’s rambling now. It’s really, really fucking cute.
Ed leans over the book to kiss him. Stede instantly shuts up, which was both the intended effect and an excellent distraction for him to sneak a peek down out of the corner of his eye at—
“Is that a fucking bird?”
Stede blinks, dazed from the kiss and fuck how is he so cute? He looks down at where his hand had strayed from covering a truly horrific depiction of what Ed can only guess is a seagull.
“Oh, no!” Stede laughs. “Frenchie wanted to practice his portrait skills while we were brainstorming and made this lovely sketch of Olivia. I think he got her beak just right, don’t you?” “Oh, yes.” Ed says, silently relieved that whatever is on that page won’t be on his other half’s…wherever. “Definitely. Even got the little sparkle of mischief in her eye.”
“That’s what I said!”
“Getting a bit distracted here, love.” Stede straightens up. “Ah, yes. Well. I guess I should probably just show you, shouldn’t I?”
“Well I’m not sitting here on the floor half dressed and whole drunk for you to not show me, am I?”
“Quite right.” Stede takes another deep breath, closes his eyes, and flips the page.
To be honest, Ed wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Over the past few weeks since Stede had started to seriously consider getting one, he’s floated quite a few ideas for his first tattoo around: an orange, a star, an anchor, a lighthouse (Ed had kissed that suggestion right out of his mouth), but never once had he mentioned this.
“A compass rose?” Ed asks him. “What made you think of this?” Not unusual for a sailor, but it still takes Ed by surprise. It’s a pretty design, a simple curved star in the cardinal directions with notches around it and a cut of arrows through it. What catches Ed’s eye about it is that none of the directions are delineated except for East—marked with a simple x.
“I hate to break it to you, mate, but usually compasses point North.”
Stede is looking at him now, really looking at him, and Ed suddenly feels thrown back years to that night on the deck, bathed in moonlight and clutching a tatty old piece of red silk. His heart skips, and for some reason his breath hitches at the sight of the tiny, earnest smile on Stede’s face.
“When I was thinking of what I wanted, all I kept thinking was how permanent it was. How it should tell a story, of sorts. Tell something about me. And, well, I may not be much of a gifted navigator but I wanted something to show the one thing I do know for certain.” Stede leans towards him and takes his hand in his, squeezing gently. He looks up into Ed’s eyes, and fuck, he thinks, why do I feel like I’m about to cry? 
“Edward Teach, no matter where I go in this world, no matter what happens, my compass points me to you.”
Tears burn hot and furious in Ed’s eyes, sudden as a riptide and just as hopeless to quell. He stares at Stede, disbelieving and so, so in love.
Stede suddenly looks bashful beneath Ed’s wonderous adoration, and shyly turns back to the page to point out more details. “I know that ‘East’ is usually denoted by an ‘E’ on the map, but when I saw you sign the accord, you’d used an ‘x’, so I thought it would be a little secret of sorts. Kind of like a double meaning. Both for ‘east’ and for—”
“Edward,” Ed chokes out.
Stede smiles gently, wiping Ed’s wet cheek with his thumb. “Exactly right.”
Ed just stares, motionless as Stede wipes away the tears from his eyes. His lips tremble as if fighting to speak, but what can he possibly say? How can he possibly even try to unravel the tangle of emotions that knot in his throat, to express the swell of love so strong that it threatens to crack open and spill from his very bones?
“So,” Stede asks, and even in his dazed state Ed can catch the self-conscious note of anxiety in his voice. “What do you think?”
That snaps him out of it.
Ed surges across the space between them, grabbing Stede’s face in his hands and swallowing the yelp of surprise as he knocks them both to the floor. He kisses Stede like it’s the last time he’ll ever do it, like he wants to cling to Stede’s skin like the fine salt of the sea and never let go again. Stede gives just as good as he gets, the beautiful bastard, tracing the seam of Ed’s lips with his tongue and making the most beautiful sounds Ed’s ever heard in his life. He tastes like orange cake and cabernet, and if Ed doesn’t just want to devour him whole.
“What do I think?” Ed asks incredulously once they finally part for breath. “I think that’s the most romantic shit I’ve ever heard in my life, Stede Bonnet, and that I love you, and that I want one too.”
Stede looks so beautiful in the firelight, hair tousled and kissed breathless. “You do?” He asks. Ed laughs and kisses him again because he simply can’t stand not to.
“Yes. Only mine will be ‘S’ for Stede. Right here, over my heart.”
Stede looks up at him, and if Ed’s ever had a doubt he was loved, he’ll never doubt again. It radiates from Stede, glowing like stars in his eyes and warms him down to his bones. He places his hand over Stede’s heart, beating strong and steady as a drum. He likes to think his matches.
“Great minds think alike, I guess.” Stede says, placing his hand over Ed’s. “That’s just where I was thinking I’d put mine.”
(x)
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calamitys-child · 2 years
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Like... autistic Ed thesis episode but also a REALLY great insight into Stede as someone who is running full tilt away from everything that others (at least on the surface) perceive as kind and gentle and dignified because he's HAD the years of humiliation and struggle and anxiety around upper class performativity before, he's BEEN the humiliated person, and I think it really speaks to something fascinating about Stede's character that the thing he's shown as most terrified of, even almost above death, is going back to this kind of fancy party. I think it's important for both of them that at the end of the episode - I'm not AT the end on a rewatch so I might expand this in circa twenty minutes but still - at the end of the episode the healing is twofold - Ed learns that 1. he is not always in control and 2. someone (Stede) will help, defend, and comfort him if he needs it while Stede learns that 1. everyone is acting, it's not just him that's Wrong or Out Of Place, and 2. he's capable of being strong, and defending others, and using his skills in that way. It's like. SUCH a great piece of character work. Also I'm not using this as my sole criteria for "I demand shocked-at-himself soft dom Stede and dazed compliant helpful subby Ed" but it HELPS MY CASE
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ticklishfiend · 2 years
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OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH IS SO GOOD!! No spoilers because I only watched up to episode seven (only with this ask on your other posts it doesn’t matter to me) but my friend and I are gonna finish it this Thursday!
Here’s some hcs I keep thinking about: 💖
Lucius is such a switch. He loves being the ler most of the time but he’s also incredibly ticklish. Something Black Pete takes advantage of a lot. Lucius gets his revenge though.
This scenario just popped into my head. Black Pete slowly raising Lucius’ arm up while saying “I’m gonna getcha.” Lucius is giggling and squealing the entire time despite not being touched yet. He tries to cover his mouth and underarm, then Pete strikes and tickles him on his ribs and under his arm making Lucius laugh hysterically and curl into his touch. 💖
Stede and Ed daily tickle fights. 👏 These two tickle each other all the time. I can see Stede saying tickle torture at one point as a suggestion for torturing hostages and Ed doesn’t believe it would work. Cue Stede smirking and saying, “Let me show you.” Let’s just say Ed is convinced. And uses tickle interrogation on Stede all the time over the smallest things.
Oluwande will sneak pokes to Jim’s sides to hear them shriek. Jim secretly likes hates it.
EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID >>>>>> i can’t not add onto ur thoughts, i have brain rot from this show
i love switch lucius cause he’s such an ass either way. if he’s being tickled, he’s gonna insult his ler the whole time and basically just provoke more tickles LMAO, he’s the definition of poking the bear. but when he’s a ler?? he is MEAN!! he’s such an observational person, so he’s able to find peoples worst spots in like a minute of tickling, and he will tease his lee relentlessly for it. “oh wow, this spots killer, huh?” “you’re quite ticklish here, wouldn’t you agree?” just making conversation with his lee like he isn’t literally killing them lol
also pls i need to talk abt lee ed <3 bc i LOVE the idea that ed didn’t know just how ruthless tickling could be until he met stede. he found out the gentleman pirate was ridiculously ticklish and has been abusing this knowledge consistently. and stede is fine with it, he rather likes a good tickling! but it’s not fair to be tickled so often without payback eventually, right? so one day stede finally struck on ed, digging and poking his fingers into his belly where the leather crop ended, and ed was a cackling MESS lmao. he kinda just let stede tickle him, only pushing stedes shoulders with no real fervor and cursing through cackles like the sailor he is, and stede finds it precious that ed obviously enjoys it <33
and do not get me started on lee jim omg, they have such a tough guy persona and giggling or playing of any kind is not what they’re used to. but then they meet olu, and he’s so caring and gentle and playful wtf, and jim can’t wrap their mind around why they enjoy that side of him so much when olu found out jim was ticklish after poking them repeatedly to be annoying, olu was thrilled. he immediately started squeezing at their sides and hips, and jim was scream laughing. they tried protesting through their laughter, but they never actually fought off olu, which he knew they were definitely capable of doing. “stop-!! i’ll muhurder yohohu, olu! NOHOHO-!” yeah they think it’s super fun but are super embarrassed abt it bc “jim’s so tough and strong, jim doesn’t giggle >:(“ but as long as it’s olu and it’s just the two of them…jim might giggle a little
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sokkagatekeeper · 2 years
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hey. shosh. why is zuko stedecore<3
@sokkatheartist asked: Oh I very much want to hear about Stede being zuko-esque
anonymous asked: omg PLEASE talk about how stede is zukocore. my curiosity is piqued
obviously, they're both gay. but beyond the simple fact that they are gay, both their arcs are intrinsically tied to their gayess. we've talked all about zuko's gay arc on this blog. stede's (season 1) arc is about him coming into his own as a pirate, both in that he learns how to be a better pirate, and in that he learns what piracy means to him, and what drew him to piracy in the first place. he learns that he is drawn to piracy because of the adventure, camaraderie, and the rejection of social norms—especially, as stede comes to understand, the rejection of heterosexuality. i find it really interesting actually how stede leaves home in part to prove that he's not just the “lily-livered little rich boy” his father says he is, that he's capable of being tough and manly, only to learn that he actually does love aspects of the pirate lifestyle. not in spite of the fact that he's gay, but because of it.
i don't think that stede fully realized that the was gay until he fell in love with ed, but part of the reason he left his family (in a very zukocore way: by just leaving in the middle of the night and leaving a note for his wife to find. like zuko literally does almost exactly that) was that he knew on some level that he would never be able to fit the norms of his society. of course, when zuko left his home for the first time (to live on a ship . like stede lmao) it was very much not by choice, but he, like stede, wanted to use this trip to prove himself to his father. and on the way, he learned that the life he was born into truly was not a life that fit him.
it's also important that both of them go back home. it gives them closure and affirms that leaving is the right choice for them. stede's conversation with mary about what it means to be in love also reminds me of zuko's conversation with mai at the boiling rock. both these conversations force these (beard) couples to communicate with each other honestly, and in doing so, make their friendships much stronger than their attempted romantic relationships ever were. afterward, mai betrays her nation, and mary helps stede fake his death and goes on to be far more content with her life than she ever was when she was with him.
i also think that the moniker of “the gentleman pirate” is very zukoesque. zuko definitely isn't a “gentleman,” but he, like stede, is quite gentle by nature. “the gentleman pirate” is inherently contradictory, just like zuko, with his kindness and rage and gentleness and violence.
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Just imagine how lovely it's going to be for Ed and Stede to get to build a home together, truly free for the first time to just do what makes them happy.
Their home will be one where there's never any yelling. Even when they have little spats and disagreements, they're going to know they're loved and safe. They've been through so much. Trivial disagreements aren't going to get in the way.
They'll be so gentle with each other. Loving hands and soothing words and tender kisses - they won't chase away the memories of harshness, but they'll soften them.
They'll take every opportunity to adore each other. They both thrive with compliments and praise. Ed loves feeling treasured and being taken care of, and Stede loves feeling valued and being trusted to take care of him.
Ed will patiently teach Stede how to take care of his hair, and brushing and styling Ed's hair will become a grounding before-bed routine for both of them.
They'll get to figure out their style. Stede will try his practical, low-cut shirts with the stockings that hug his calves and the heels. Ed will get to experiment with dresses and skirts and frilly blouses. No one will ever tell them what they have to wear again.
They're going to go overboard with decorating. Two chandeliers in every room, a full library, animal-print throws that Stede secretly finds a bit tacky but he chooses to love because of how much Ed loves them...
It'll make Ed so happy, to bake pies and paint walls and write lovely letters of his own and see the proof that his hands are capable of putting such good into the world
And it'll make Stede feel valued and useful and treasured, when he chops wood and fixes doors and grows a nice little garden and has Ed cheering him on every step of the way
Just. Them getting to build a happy life together, supporting each other and loving each other with all they've got.
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actofgrxce · 5 months
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I know it was played off for laughs, and funny, but Ed really did want that cranky fisherman to be some kind of father figure and projected a lot of childhood needs onto him.
Like, can we discuss the significance of Ed saying "okay Pop-Pop, have it your way," and the only thing he believes he could ever be good at is pirating?
I understand why, but I'm not hugely thrilled that he had to dive to the bottom of the ocean and put his black leathers back on and become a cold and capable murderer just to save Stede--again--from his melodramatic and self absorbed fantasy version of that lifestyle.
I know a lot of viewers will argue that the pirate crew/piracy as an institution is a metaphor for the queer community, in which case Ed marching out of the sea in all black is a metaphor for Ed no longer being fearful of the vulnerability of belonging, and that he's integrating his softer self with the Blackbeard persona in order to grow as a more seamless part of the crew. I'm trying to see it that way and not in the more literal sense that he felt rejected (again) by Stede, whom he graciously allowed to replace him as captain, whom he coached and cheered on until he realized he didn't like this life anymore, and tried to follow Izzy's advice.
But I feel like we're gonna get another abrupt season finale in which the sunshine and rainbows idiot is going to be pardoned for his fuck ups; the person whose equally authentic trauma response is ugly and not cute or endearing is going to be told he should be grateful for any scrap of mercy; and that person is going to give up his capacity to become gentle and good in order to humor his friendly idiot LOML partner.
I'm being salty because I'm tired. I've just been through this basic premise as Crowley in Good Omens and as the Master in the Thirteen Era of Doctor Who. It is so painful writing the dark horse part of a pairing, and I keep doing it to myself, lol. This always happens and I always write the "bad guy" character that goes from popular to controversial at best. For once I want to write the character everyone agrees is just innately and obviously good. I see so much goodness in Ed and every other character I write but hey... "I walk a lonely roaaad," lol.
Such jumbled thoughts, sorry. This is just me pausing at the halfway point to go to bed and being grumpy because of course Ed can't get to be soft and peaceful, he has to be doomed by the narrative to be the infamous asshole who slaughters (even though the British Navy is horrible and the victims arent innocent) to protect and dote on the character he can't believe would ever deign to speak to him.
Just let Ed open his inn and wear his hair down and wear a silk kimono and cry. Jesus, just let something unironically sweet and gentle happen to someone who loathes himself enough as it is.
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