#and stede takes care of him so so gently and that scene is ALSO very intimate

[bizarrelittlemew]

Our Flag Means Death 1x4 | 1x6 | 2x6 | 2x7 ⇉ if the bed nook could talk...

[blue-b-bro]

"we were moving too fast" (run me through scene)

tldr:

I was digging, because, well, I just find this scene kinda weird. Like, why, and also what for?

We start the episode in a very yellow way. The most yellow in this show. But the practice takes place at night, in the darkness. Like, they are in the darkness. About their real feelings. To each other. 

Soooo, the sword. Piercing your left side. Should I say more? The sword is an arrow that pierces the heart.

Stede has problems with not hurting himself with his sword. He’s inexperienced and clumsy, just like his love. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He doesn’t know what Ed’s actions really mean, and what his own mean to Ed. 

Ed spanks him with his sword in a flirtatious gesture, but Stede doesn't know it was that, proving this later in the episode.  

Ed doesn’t agree to draw, he even says he’ll never agree to that, he wants to take control over this relationship, over the direction and pace they go by. Stede, being inexperienced and curious, agrees.

Ed throws his sword away. He wants Stede’s love, but doesn’t plan of giving it back. He wants happiness, but isn’t ready for that step yet (because they haven’t eaten the snake snack yet)

Ed opens his leather jacked, his armor, bearing himself, but not fully, still in his black t-shirt. 

Ed threatening Stede to shoot him if he won’t stab him is him (Ed) jumping head first into that relationship, like taking it too fast or something. Stede panics, but feels pressured, that if he won’t, Ed will leave him. He doesn’t want to hurt him (to defile him if you will). Idk if it’s relevant, probably, why not, but we saw, that Ed’s gun wasn’t loaded. It was an empty threat. 

Ed is happy when Stede stabs him. The stabbing being something very sudden and painful, but at the same time pleasurable, because it let’s him be closer to Stede. He invites great pain, of letting someone in his heart, just to be close. Like some kind of auto destructive act. You cannot get love without hurting yourself. Like it’s the only way of receiving that love, that closeness with Stede - destroying some part of himself. (hey, what did he do again in e9?)

“You see, getting run through is an art, I’ve had it done to me dozens of times. The key is to take the blade where it does the least damage.” sure babygirl.  Tell him how many affairs you had and how much you don’t care. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean there’s no damage. 

Ed says, the important bits are on the right side, according to science. First of all, it’s Stede, who’s the science guy here, second - heart is on the left. Ed doesn’t think his heart is important, doesn’t take care of it, just let people stab him in the past, no big deal. “I don’t even know, what it does!”, yeah, but we know, you detached from your own feelings dummy. And Stede also does, but isn’t confident enough to correct him. He doesn’t know what to do and doesn’t want to hurt Ed, so he just listens to whatever he says, but Stede doesn’t know Ed’s self destructive.

When Stede asks, how to get it out, Ed says to do it gently and slowly, and it’s him, who decides when to do it. Like what he was doing in episode 7 - slowly letting this relationship whither, getting ready to just go away, denying yourself any deeper connection.

But what Stede did in episode 9? He get it out fast and violently, leaving Ed bleeding out on that beach. 

Stede has problems with getting the sword out, just like Ed had great difficulties with getting over his feelings to Stede. Stede’s still panicked and confused, but does as he’s told. He doesn’t decides on anything, doesn’t feel qualified to do it.

Hey, you know, who is in this ~darkness~ with them? Crying, probably not really sure why and what the hell is happening and why Ed would do that, and why it hurts so much, fuck it let’s kill Stede, that’s the best solution! Yeah. Acknowledging one’s feelings and communicating wasn’t fashionable yet.

.

Run me through is basically Stede not knowing what the hell he is doing or should do in this relationship, blindly following Ed, and Ed destroying himself to be with Stede. Not bloody optimal.

***

Izzy fuckin challenges Stede fuckin Bonnet to a fuckin duel, to get rid of his love rival. (and kinda sad Ed didn't do it even tho he promised) No chill on this ship. 

Ed, all smart after having first honest conversation about his deepest fears and crying, gained +1 to emotional intelligence and is brave enough to say “no” to Izzy. 

Izzy didn’t have his crying session in the bathtub, so he uses his official version as to why it’s so important to get rid of Stede, Ed’s too anxious and unsure to fight more. He’s really new to this whole processing your emotions stuff. Maybe Izzy’s right? (because Ed believed Izzy’s bullshit about pets)

Stede, sure he’s actually aceing this all relationship stuff finally, agrees. Ed’s worried, but Stede was sure Ed knows what he was doing, so whatever he learnt from Ed had to be brilliant and correct (bestie, no). 

All that confidence, but then he asks “what are those [duel rules] exactly?”. Yeah… After saying that out loud, he gets more and more tense.

Stede is surprised by ferocity and suddenness of Izzy’s attacks. He didn’t expect he was fighting against someone This stronger (devoted and determinated). He probably didn’t know one can fight so aggressively. 

Izzy’s doing everything to show Ed “look, I’m better than him, I care more than him!”.

Ed just watches in the background, anxious and worried. He doesn’t know what to do or if he should/can do anything at all. 

Stede is shit at swordfight but he makes up for it with determination and resourcefulness. (he may not know how relationship with Blackbeard should go, but he’ll try treasure map in hopes it works)

“Yield or die.” Stede throws gun powder in his face. You see Izzy, violence and hate will only blow up in your face. 

The crew wants Stede to finish Izzy, and he does that stupid spank, (love is the solution, Izzy, mate). Stede doesn’t really wants to stab Izzy, he just wants to not die (Stede doesn’t believe in Stizzy). Seriously, their relationship is basically this: Stede not wanting to fight (not even knowing why should they) and Izzy wanting him dead.

Izzy cuts Stede’s way of escape. Time to choose Bonnet: you leave my man or you die.

Ed can’t watch this. Homewrecker vs homewrecker is too much of a conflict of interests. He cannot watch his partner killing his boyfriend. 

“All right, let’s call it a draw” let’s work together, Izzy. We can solve it together, you and me. Find the compromise and all that. Fr they both want the same thing for Ed.

“Nah I’m good” and stabs Stede.

So what we have here? Izzy, right hand of Ed, stabs Stede, who does Ed’s trick, that he learnt from him. Stede’s looking at Ed, while doing that. Izzy is responsible for doing the hard jobs in place of Ed. Ed couldn’t do it, couldn’t commit. Was too scared to do it. He doesn’t look at Stede, when that happens (just as he doesn’t have the courage to look at Stede when saying “So, uh, I reckon what makes Ed happy…is…you.”, he doesn’t say “I”, distancing himself from the act of bearing his heart. He’s not talking about himself, just asking for a friend etc. He doesn’t do anything unless Stede shows any sign of reciprocation). So yeah, when Stede asks, if he did it right, that’s when he turns back and sees what happened. 

“Shut up! Don’t you ever shut up?!” Stop seducing Ed with your pretty words Stede.

Again: Ed’s processing what’s happening, Izzy's wrestling with the sword, that stuck in cherry wood (red and strong). Stede responded to Ed: I love you, and I’m here to stay. And when it clicks in Ed’s brain, Izzy’s sword’s handle breaks, removing the middleman. Ed isn’t scared anymore. Stede probably still doesn’t fully understand what a “you wear fine things well” moment they have, but he knows he wants to stay with Ed (and not die). The feeling is mutual, just that no one really understand what feeling it is. And Izzy cannot stop it. 

(Remember, when I said the stabbing was about hurting yourself to be in a relationship? Stede wasn’t ready, but agreed to run away to China with Ed)

Also, to make yourself sad, consider:

Stede getting miserable after letting himself take initiative for 1 second just to be rejected for it (in his eyes at least)

Izzy looks at Ed, completely crushed. So you breaking up with me? 

Ed only shrugs, Izzy started this fight after all. Izzy looks at Stede, still shocked, completely deflates and makes his walk of shame. 

After Izzy’s gone, Ed comes to Stede, very impressed, and it’s the first time he faces Stede when initiating the touch (tbh it kinda parallels their almost embrace, when Stede stabbed Ed). Before that, when he touched him, he was always turned sideways to Stede, not fully facing him.

“You shouldn’t’ve dueled him, Iz! We could've worked this out!” We could have invite him to our relationship Iz, if you weren’t such a possessive prick. No joke, Ed and Stede would agree to a polycule, after strengthening their relationship (like figuring out what they want etc., all three of them). Izzy, as a true tragic character, has played himself. (just like when in e9, Izzy wanted to take Ed for himself and escalated the conflict to such a unnecessary degree, that the only option was to leave him again. The harder he tries, the more it back fires)

In conclusion: Those scenes showed their dynamic in season 1, about Ed and Stede going too hard too fast, and now (s2) they’re learning to take it slow

Also:

[thiswomanshouldbewriting]

Ok but episode 5 is such a turning point and I feel the need to ramble about this a little.

When I first saw the almost kiss at the end of the episode, I was kind of surprised. I knew from tumblr that the relationship between Ed and Stede was going to develop into a romance, I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so explicitly (the damage queerbaiting does to a mf). That scene signed a tone shift that I wasn't expecting, and the more I think about it the more absurd it feels that I didn't see it coming.

While Edward and Stede have lots in common and get along from the moment they meet, they are not on equal footing at first.

Stede treads Blackbeard as a friend, but he is also in a kind of hero-worship situation. He's known about him for a long time, he just had his life and crew saved by him, he is learning crucial skills from him.

And Ed, well, Ed also liked Stede from the moment he heard about him but, as lovable as he thinks that Stede is, Ed is still going along with his own plans. He decides to contact Stede because he's bored. He's learning about upper class because he wants to be one of them. As much as he likes Stede, he does not need Stede, while Stede pretty much needs him to survive.

What changes this dynamic? Well, the way Stede reacts to Ed's vulnerability.

In episode 4 we see Blackbeard in complete control of the situation while Stede panicks, until we learn that Blackbeard was wrong about the day. At that point Ed just... gives up, and retreats to drink himself into a stupor, and is joined by Stede. While they don't exactly bond in this moment, they are for once on equal footing, both musing on their own failings, and come up with the same plan at the same time. They work together, and while Ed still does not need Stede in his life at this point, he has learned that, at the very least, Stede is not the kind of person that would stab him (physically or emotionally) the moment he shows weakness.

Then episode 5 comes along and, despite Blackbeard's attempts, Stede starts to see more through the facade. Stede sees how the "rich donkey" comment got to him, and offers a support that Ed is not yet ready to accept. But later, when the party gets ugly, Stede "soft boy" Bonnet tells motherfucking Blackbeard to stand down, with so much authority that Ed actually does listen to him. Stede not only sees how much those comments got into Ed's head, not only stops him from doing something extremely rush and stupid in response, but actively takes the matter in his hands, punishing a boat full of people for the crime of hurting someone he cares about.

Ed has grown up in a world where every man has to fend for himself, where pirates don't have friends, where weakness means your crew will mutiny, and suddenly he is faced with someone who not only doesn't shame him for his moment of weakness, but tells him don't worry, I can deal with this so you don't have to. The look that Ed gives Stede as the boat burns is, I believe, both because he didn't think Stede had it in him, and because he definitely didn't expect Stede to do this for him.

Cut to the moonlight scene. Ed is still processing everything that just happened, when Stede approaches him and offers, once again, support for what he just went through. He gently takes (after asking!) something that Ed cares about, a symbol of his softness, and treats it with such care and respect, showing Ed how to display that to the world. Ed knows, in this moment, that he can trust Stede, that it's safe to be vulnerable with him, something that he probably hasn't felt with anyone in years. Of course he takes that step forward, of course he is tempted to kiss him.

And this fully progresses in epsiode 6. The episode opens with a montage of the two of them enjoying each other's company, finally on equal footing, because Ed has realized that he does need Stede, not for his plan, but as a person he wants to spend time with, someone cares about (much to Izzy's chagrin). Not only that, but the hilarious/flirty "stab me" scene is all about physical trust. Ed trusts Stede enough that he's willing to be physically vulnerable when he's around. But this isn't the highest level of trust for Ed. Ed would probably rather be stabbed than talk about his feelings, but by the end of the episode he's ready to show Stede what, by pirate standards, is the worst part of him. He's crying, he's scared, he's showing all of his emotional vulnerability, and once again Stede only shows him care. Stede reassures him that he's not a monster, that they're friends, and that their friendship won't change because Ed planned to kil him or because he was too soft to go through with the plan (there's a wonderful post about this, I can't find it right now).

It's not a coincidence that from episode 7 onward these two are clearly and openly head over heels for each other (still screaming about Ed trusting Stede to take something out of his beard), so much so that other characters start to fully acnowledge theirs as a relationship. The progression of their romance - from the instant chemistry to the weird tension to the full flirting - is dictated by how vulnerable Ed is willing to be with Stede, and how gently Stede treats him in response. And it breaks my heart because when Ed finally brought down his final defenses, when he was ready to leave it all behind for Stede, he had his heart broken in the worst possible way.

[arsrey]

Not to be dramatic but what if we did get a sword fight in the reconciliation scene.. but also not quite a fight?

what if stede gets on revenge unarmed and the second Ed sees him he is like? happy? like the major reason for his breakdown is the thought of Stede not wanting him and not loving him yet here he is to prove it all wrong. And Ed's happy and confused and still very very hurt, so as emotionally undeveloped person as he is he just gets angry? at everything? and as Stede gets closer to him he just points his sword at him for defense, but doesn't attack? and he backs away while Stede approaches him saying all the right words but he can't quite hear him because it's too much to take? and he's finally cornered, back against the wall with nowhere to run, but Stede doesn't stop? and Ed's arms are just frozen around the sword as they were when he was holding a red silk cloth while Stede was gently taking it away? and Stede aims a sharp tip on his left side and pushes as he looks at Ed and tries to smile softly? and the sword runs him through and Ed looks absolutely terrified and confused? But Stede is just carefully takes his face and his palms and says its okay? its okay to be hurt if it means getting close to Ed? That he doesn't mind the pain as long as its coming from him, from love? and Ed sees his own reflection in Stede eyes and he just starts sobbing? Because he still got black paint all over his face but Stede doesn't seem to care? Like there wasn't a second that he didn't think that this was (and is) just Ed, paint or no paint? And Stede just kisses him as he is, with a sword in his side, with grease on Eds face? And only then he wipes his tears and smiles even wider?

Anyway not sure where i am going with this one just feelings™ over gay pirates and "do you love me even though i am flawed" we weaving thanks everyone bless ofmd

[izzy-b-hands]

Sometimes, you just gotta. Stare at the sea. Izzy gets some of that in. Ed tries to reconnect, and ultimately he and Izzy are still the same dorky friends/friends riding the edge of being more, that they were when they first set out. Lucius holds a sketching class. The talent show is finally set to go on! Izzy sings? Izzy sings! Though Ed probably isn't going to convince him to do so for the show.

Also: Stede is right about the liver. Literally if you can trust him on nothing else, he knows this.

---

"What...what are you doing?"

Izzy turned. "Looking at the water. You get to look at the clouds, can't I look at the water?"

"Well, yeah," Ed scoffed. "Just weird. You don't do that. Not usually."

"Well, now that we're doing whatever this all is-"

"Sailing around until we find someone to raid?"

"That, yes, but I also meant that," Izzy said, gesturing to the scene in the middle of the deck. "I may as well enjoy watching the waves and whatever swims by us."

It wasn't an odd scene for the Revenge, though admittedly it might have seemed out of place elsewhere. But everyone had loved the idea of a sketching lesson from Lucius and if he requested it be nude and that Pete model for them, well...so what, as far as Ed was concerned.

"That's just for the afternoon," Ed said. "Talent show is tonight."

"I am very aware of it. Could not be more aware if I wanted to be, which I do not."

"You and the Swede would do well together. Or be good competition apart," Ed suggested.

"Those days are long behind me, Edward."

"You literally sang for our dinner in the past, and you won't give everyone here a little taste?"

"You," Izzy said with a smirk. "Are trying to appeal to my ego. Well, Edward, there's not much left of that. But nice try."

"You'll at least sit with us and watch, right?"

He didn't mean to let on how hurt he was that Izzy wouldn't even so much as sit in, but he could hear it as he spoke that he hadn't hidden it well at all.

"Or what, you'll feed me another toe?"

There was a beat, then laughter.

"No, no I wouldn't," Ed chuckled. "At least it wasn't your big toe."

"I'd need this even more if you'd done that," Izzy said, tapping his cane on the deck. "Does it really mean that much to you? That I get involved with all this?"

Ed nodded. "At least sit by me and Stede. He pulled aside one of the fancy padded footrests from our quarters so you could put your foot up."

"And your knee?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "Stop that. I'm taking care of you now a little, or I'm trying to! You can't counteract that by trying to take care of me."

Izzy sighed and smiled. "Alright, fair enough. I'll try and let you do that. But seriously, you know you won't sleep if you don't elevate it at least half an hour, and-"

"He's got a taller one for my knee," Ed interrupted gently. "We've got things covered, honestly. I know it isn't at all like before but...you can relax, at least for an evening. For longer, if you'd like! I'd like that. Think it would be better for your blood pressure."

Stede, walking past them to observe the ongoing class, scoffed and said aloud:

"He knows about blood pressure, but he won't believe me about the liver!"

They hid their giggles as he walked on.

"He is probably right about the liver," Izzy said.

"I'm gonna ask Roach later, if anyone knows, it'll be him," Ed said. "So... you'll come?"

"To ask Roach about the liver? I'm curious myself, why not."

"You know I meant the talent show," Ed said.

Izzy nodded. "Alright. I'll sit and watch with you two."

"And maybe one song after judging is done."

"Ed-"

"Just one! Just one, for me?"

"We'll see," Izzy chuckled.

Ed promptly picked him up over his shoulders and carried him along as he headed for Stede. "He said yes! Stede, I got him to say yes!"

"Was this necessary for telling him I agreed?" Izzy asked, barely hanging onto his cane to try and keep it from hitting Ed as they went.

"Very necessary, all part of the talent show plan!"

"Was the entirety of the plan just to get me to agree to watch the talent show?"

"Yup!"

At the center of the deck, Lucius sighed. "Alright, now that the Distraction Brothers have stopped interrupting class, on to the balls-"