#ed is great but stede is always who I will connect with most
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you know what? i know all of tumblr is obsessed with ed (and I get it, the trauma and wet cat energy is captivating) but I am a stede girlie. i too harbor unmanageable amounts of guilt day after day for shit that doesn't matter anymore. i too am constantly trying to compensate for my lack of experience in a skill i love and i hate myself for it. i embarrass myself constantly. i dont know how to maintain loving relationships. i've been bullied more times than i can count for liking unconventional methods of presentation, or not knowing the inside knowledge and nuance of something, or most frequently just not being cool or tough or masculine enough. I am cringey. I am queer. I am insecure, scared, stupid, but I live on despite it anyways and i think that's such an important message to teach other queers, especially camp queers.
#anyways this was way longer than intended it to be but yeah#ed is great but stede is always who I will connect with most#ofmd#ofmd s2#our flag means death#blackbeard#black beard#ed teach#edward teach#stede bonnet#rant
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Ed and the mortifying ordeal of being known
Ed does not like revealing his feelings. He is incredibly consistent about lying,
hiding
displacing,
distracting, or just outright denying what he's feeling instead of actually talking about it. This is a consistent pattern of behavior with him. There are a few exceptions – most significantly, I think, the bathtub scene where he confesses to Stede about killing his father – but they are a) rare, and b) occur under unusual circumstances, such as a PTSD flashback. In general Ed goes to great lengths to prevent people from recognizing the truth about him.
I don't really blame Ed for this habit, to be clear. He went through an abusive childhood, and though we don't see a lot of the exact dynamics in baby Ed's house, it's very common for abused children to become hyper vigilant of both their own and others' emotions. It's an attempt to exert some, any control they can over the situation, as though they can prevent setting off the abuser if they just always say and do the right thing.
Ed escaped into piracy, but in terms of talking about his feelings, I don't think it was much of an escape. Piracy in OFMD seems to be a place where the idea of having friends (though not the reality – I'd argue Ed might not use the word 'friend', but has had close relationships) is to be scoffed at. "We're all just in various stages of fucking each other over!" says Calico Jack, and being open about your emotions, plans, hopes, etc would just make it all the easier to be betrayed. On the other hand, lying, obfuscating, or just telling everyone about Plan A and then instead pulling off Plan B makes you look like a double-crossing genius who outthought everyone around you. So I'm not surprised that's Ed's learned to be manipulative and uncommunicative. I don't think he's ever been in a situation where emotional openness wouldn't be a disadvantage.
Regardless of why he does this, it's very clear that it's a pattern of behavior for him. This is one reason why I don't think Sad Robe Ed back in Episode 10 was healing – healing requires addressing and dealing with your feelings, and Ed was very much not doing that. I've already written a whole post going through that episode and laying out how Ed never once mentions Stede, or love, or heartbreak, or anything related to what he's going through, so I'm not going to do it again here. In brief, Ed's putting on a performance of sadness for the crew, but it's a generic, vague sort of sadness, without any connection to his personal, specific pain.
Who finally brings up Stede in Ep 10? It's sure not Ed. Izzy:
Which brings us to Season Two. How is Ed doing now?
He's once again making a performance of his pain, and once again keeping it vague, not letting any of his true, personal hurts be revealed.
These:
Are performances of his pain and sadness, but just like before, they're generic, unspecific. This is "Mad Devil Pyrate Blackbeard", not heartbroken, human Ed. Who is it that brings up the private reality of what's causing this toxic atmosphere? Once again, not Ed. It's Izzy, just like before. And this time he gets shot immediately for saying Stede's name, and Ed doesn't even look at him.
In all three episodes, Ed mentions Stede directly only once, and very pointedly, it's when he's alone:
I'm glad Ed has decided that he wants to live, but that's the beginning of a journey, not the end. What I really want to see in the next couple of episodes is Ed finally, for once, opening up. He doesn't want to be vulnerable, but the lack of emotional intimacy that constantly lying and performing has gotten him is, quite literally, killing him.
Ed can't get over his own, very real pain until he's willing to admit that it exists. I want to see him acknowledge where he hurts. He needs friends. He needs love. He can't get those without being honest.
I hope he does. I hope the show will have him do this work instead of skipping him ahead immediately to the happy ending, no behavioral change required. I think they will. It's kind of their motto, after all: talk it through as a crew.
Now if the co-captains would just follow their own advice...
#I could work on articulating this more but I really want to post it before the new episodes tomorrow#our flag means death#ofmd meta#edward teach#blackbeard#ofmd 2x02#ofmd 2x03#ofmd 2x01#ofmd s2 spoilers#ofmd s2 speculation
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Ed-and-Izzy-related stuff that stood out for me in episodes 6 and 7:
Their quiet familiarity and mutual fondness
The main thing I wanted from S2 regarding Ed and Izzy was at least a hint of a mutual, loving relationship between the two of them in the past. The way Izzy acted around Ed in S1 made no sense to me if there wasn't a strong, very old, tried and tested bond there. Equally, Ed's behaviour around Izzy, the familiar way he called him Iz, the exasperated way he reacted to Izzy's izzyness, showed (for me) a closeness of decades living together.
Izzy's "You know me better than anyone has ever known me, and I daresay the same is true for me about you" is the truth, in my opinion. It's about the little things, all the experiences they've had together, sharing a space, food, drink (how natural did it feel when Ed took Izzy's bottle?). Everyone who's had a close friend for decades knows how that feels.
Yes, there are aspects of Ed that Stede gets and Izzy doesn't. But I always had the feeling that Ed feels like home for Izzy and vice versa. This feeling was just very well hidden in S1 because of Izzy's confusion, jealousy and resentment.
(Of course, Izzy is also in love with Ed and Ed, as of S1, isn't. But the (platonic) love, friendship and fondness underlying everything is tangible.)
2. Together, they've got this "us against the world" vibe
One of my favourite headcanons is young Ed and Iz mutinying together, or deciding to kill someone who made their lives hell (with Iz doing the actual killing, obviously). Both learning to fight and to survive in a cruel world together.
I'm not saying this was in any way confirmed or anything (flashback scene, I'm still waiting), but the scene above with Ed looking out at the sea, Izzy who can't take his eyes off him... they seem so attuned to each other. "Where you go, I'll follow."
I know this isn't the most coherent analysis, I'm struggling to describe the feeling I got when watching this scene.
It was like yes, they've fought their way up together. Even after everything that happened, put them next to each other on a ship and they just fit. If they wanted to, they could do anything.
(In a way, it's such a pity Ed doesn't want to be a pirate anymore, at least not a scary Blackbeardy one. Those two have a look going.)
3. Izzy and Ed both connect Izzy's love declaration to Ed shooting him
"You know what he did when I told him I loved him?" "He shot me." "He shot you, yeah." "I know."
This is not 100% clear cut, but to me Izzy's delivery very strongly infers that Izzy didn't know Stede knew (and didn't tell him).
Which means that ED TOLD STEDE.
If that's the case, then
Izzy, at some point, realized that Ed shooting him wasn't (all) about him reminding Ed of Stede
Izzy has a better grasp on Ed's inner struggles than previously assumed
Izzy and Ed both see this declaration as important enough that Ed would permanently injure and eventually kill Izzy for it and Izzy and Stede are both like "yeah, figures"
Ed himself knows and admits that him shooting Izzy was about Izzy (still) loving him in that moment
I mean, I'm still shocked about that.
There were a lot of great metas about Ed's motivations after Ep2 came out, and some of them suggested exactly this: that Ed wanted to be an unloveable monster, that this was the only way he could deal with what he'd done, and Izzy's love was standing in the way of his grand self-destruction.
I wasn't prepared for Izzy, Stede and probably Ed being concious of that and kinda offhandedly acknowledging it in the show?
And even if it wasn't Ed but Izzy who told Stede (which I don't believe, but it's possible) - it's still crazy.
Izzy matter-of-factly telling Stede "Yeah, Ed shot me because I told him I loved him" and Stede being like "Yeah, of course, that's our Ed <3" is mind-blowing to me.
4. Izzy's love song
The lyrics at this exact moment:
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré pour la vie. - He told me, he swore to me, for life.
He really means it. They're married. I rest my case.
5. The first kill's always a mindfuck
So, I have this persistent obsession about Izzy being Ed's personal henchman, and Ed "outsourcing the big job" Teach resenting him for it.
In that respect, Ed's reaction to Stede's first kill was very interesting.
It probably wasn't like that in the beginning, but Ed seems to be a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to violence. Izzy is irrevocably tainted, but I think he wants to keep Stede "pure" (he didn't mind when Stede torched the ship, but that's the hypocrisy in action).
This is of course totally my headcanon, but I think Izzy's first kill was significant. I think Iz did it for Ed. And I think it was very difficult for him (either because Izzy-the-artsy-outsider was actually quite sensitive and nowhere near a bloodthirsty killer and/or because he cared about the person he killed). But Ed was so impressed, and so thankful, so he just carried on doing Ed's dirty work and it changed him forever :(
6. Ed's apology
This whole scene.
Scowly face. Mopey twat. Oh, look, you're talking to me again.
The way they're saying it, Izzy's expressions, their body language - it feels so incredibly intimate. From this exchange alone I would bet they were lovers at some point.
Iz bringing the bottle as a cover and excuse and Ed understanding and playing along.
Ed's "Sorryboutyourleg" being the exact opposite of his public "apology".
I almost cried (like Iz) 😢
CONCLUSION: Why is there only one episode left I need more of this!!!
Also: IZZY LIVES <3
#ofmd#ofmd s2 spoilers#izzy hands#edward teach#stede bonnet#ofmd meta#is this meta - not really#I need an Ed&Izzy the early years spin-off#those 2 have an intensity together it's incredible
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The Robe
I've been thinking about the things it's paired with and what they mean.
When we see it at the beginning of ep 7, it's part of a morning ritual for Stede, bringing Ed his tea and having a chat - this seems to be first thing in the morning, maybe pre-breakfast? So you could be forgiven for assuming that Stede is just wandering around in his nightclothes. But he isn't. This is a carefully put together outfit, with a flattering, tucked in shirt and formal pants. He's even done his hair, but consciously NOT fully dressed for the day. This is a choice he's made because he knows he looks good - and, crucially, because he wants (consciously or not) to express his happiness through his clothes (see David's tweet from ages ago on how the robe in its first appearance is about how Ed has literally brought colour into Stede's life).
We can contrast this with ep 8, where it's paired with actual nightclothes and mussed hair, because Stede was caught unawares by the early morning destruction of his antique armoire - and later, because he has to quickly march out to the deck to put a stop to Jack. There have been other great posts about how wonderful it is that when Stede is at his strongest and most Captainly, defending his crew and giving Jack the boot, he's dressed in this very effeminate (to modern eyes) way, the very same way he was dressed when Jack greeted him with "who's the big gal?" that morning. I think we can take that a step further and talk about how there's a layer to this scene about being SEEN - Stede, in this robe, in these bright colours and in the vulnerability of nightclothes, but also in the strength of his conviction, is more himself than he's even been thus far - and that's because of Ed seeing him. To pair that with Ed's "you were always going to see what I am" is not only devastating, but is also an indicator of the different stages of the self acceptance and self expression journeys that they're on.
It's also worth noting that Stede is still wearing the robe when he's obsessing all night about Jack and Ed - it's still a symbol here of authenticity, of his true feelings - but maybe also a way to cling to the happy domesticity it represented until just the day before?
And, of course, the last time we see the robe is when Ed wears it. It's pretty key that he's both shirtless and wearing what seem to be the khaki military pants under it (correct me if needed but they're the only thing that makes sense to me?) - he's stripped bare, wearing only items that connect him to Stede. One item that's all about them being together (the pants) and another that's infused with all this symbolism of Stede's authenticity, happiness, and strength. Going straight from this outfit to the darkest, most covered up (the gloves, the makeup), most over-the-top, costumey Blackbeard getup yet - and taking the time in such a packed episode to take us through the dressing montage - is a deeply significant transition, Ed's retreat from both Stede and self expression all the way back into the darkest corner of the Blackbeard persona, so far as to almost become the illustrated caricature he bemoans in ep 4.
#I will never ever get tired of analysing the costume choices in this show 😍#ofmd#our flag means death#stede bonnet#edward teach#the robe#ofmd meta#ofmd costuming
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This ramble is ultimately gonna be just me turning Taika Waititi over slowly in my hands, but.
I've talked before about unpacking the reasons why I rarely ever go feral for m/m ships in fandom. Like, I ALWAYS enjoy and appreciate a well-written gay ship, of course, be it in canon or fanwork (Good Omens eyy). But as far as deeply connecting to, blorbo-ing, whatever the kids say now, it just...almost never happens.
(also trans men are men, trans women are women, so write that down)
Now for a long time I thought it was just the contrarian nature that was particularly strong in me between my late teens all through my 20s. Like "uuuuugh they're great but y'all are soooooo annoying, etc etc." and even some of ye olde "aren't you guys all women? this is fetishizing gay men blah blah"
Well-intentioned, and widely shared in fandom spaces 10ish years ago, but deeply misguided, wrong 99.9% of the times, and most of us know better now. Especially as we all got older and OH HAY! Lots of those women weren't actually women, gender was being discovered within these characters for them all around!
So with that thinking deconstructed and left behind, I still found myself not fav-ing the boys very often. What was left after my own gender and sexuality work on myself was OH! I just...don't see myself in men! In fact, despite always knowing I was bi, I am waaaaay more sapphic than I ever realized! I want to see women being loved, giving love, loving each other, that's what I go feral over. That's what latches onto my heart and fixates my brain - there's gotta be a woman. Is it 2 women? An OT3? A het-appearing ship? A pile of lesbians? It will be my jam.
All that said, the two m/m gay ships that HAVE made me go feral in recent years? Both birthed by Taika.
Ed/Stede and Nandor/Guillermo. I weep, I claw my face at the softness, the miscommunication, the FEAR of showing softness. And as Kate summed it up once, "Unwashed Hottie/Person Who Brings Outfits".
I am wildly interested in every theory, knowing the above about myself, as to how it is he's the one to get me right in the gut with The Lads. Lots of people talk about his humor being uniquely indigenous, a kind of deeply kind sarcasm. He's a dad of girls. He's messed up some relationships big time. What's in your sauce, sir.
#blathering#my spouse was written by Taika Waititi too I am convinced#also for sure gender non-conforming ppl fit in here#but 1. let's be honest the Big Gay Ships are almost always cis men and usually white ones#and 2. again lady x nonbinary person? my jam
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yeah I felt like this was pretty clear pretty early on, that at no point do they genuinely like him as a person.
Some of that is absolutely direct racism. Ed was always going to be othered in that room unless somehow no one noticed that he's not caucasian. They literally introduce the first characters among the partygoers by having them declare that they're "huge fans" of phrenology, which is just a big bunch of pseudoscience put together to justify racism. That's not accidental and ignoring it would be a big failure of media literacy.
But also, they're not the kind of people who are trying to form any genuine social connections. They're just like Jack says about pirates: all in various stages of fucking each other over. Even if Ed were white, they'd never be looking at him as a potential new friend, not really. They were always going to have their sights on what they think they can gain for themselves.
Which isn't really a counterpoint to the racism at all. Aggressive, toxic self-interest drives a lot of racist bullshit (feel like I need to note that like masculinity, not all self-interest is inherently toxic. Healthy self-interest includes things like setting and upholding good personal boundaries). But the racism aspect isn't the one I feel most qualified to explore, plus you've already done a great job with it, so I'm gonna focus more on the aspect of the social dynamic they had established for themselves before Ed even entered the picture.
They start out trying to flatter "Godfrey Thornrose" and inspire the envy of the other guests by monopolizing the attention of someone they believe is famous. It's the same kind of treatment that Frenchie and Oluwande are getting, because the guy Frenchie picked out for their first mark believes that Oluwande is royalty, and while the racism in that guy is still very clear, he's trying to kiss ass because he thinks that by sucking up to royalty, he may stand to personally benefit. Even if that prince is a black man. Class status still has power -- this isn't a nuance-free portrayal of racism. There's intersectionality in play.
Conversely, they believe that "Jeff" is merely an accountant. Ed hasn't set himself up with a perceived status that overrides the biases they have against him because of his race. When Frenchie says "you know you can pick anything right" he's not saying "accounting is lame" he's saying "you're not shooting high enough, friend".
Of course it's not Ed's fault that he doesn't understand all this. He's never had the opportunity to learn it before. Stede was ill-equipped to explain the issues of racism in that environment, Stede has plenty of blind spots due to his own privilege. And presumably Frenchie assumed he'd already know what he's doing well enough to be doing it on purpose -- I mean, if I was going to idk an academic conference or something with Beyonce in disguise so that people won't realize she's Beyonce, I'd generally assume that she's reasonably aware of the nuances of the situation and is making conscious choices with that knowledge in mind, until/unless something happened to make it clear that she's not (I picked an academic conference for example here because it would be completely absurd to suggest that actual real-life Beyonce might not know how to navigate a crowd of superficial ass-kissers and at least low-key racists, but it's a lot more plausible that she might be out of her depth in a room full of professors since that's not directly an aspect of her career. And also because my dad was actually a professor so like Stede grew up around posh knobs, I grew up around academics, and they definitely have their own set of ingroup/outgroup signifiers. No insult whatsoever is intended to the intelligence of Queen Bey with this hypothetical).
So Ed's out of his depth, unaware of the ways in which he's set up to fail before he even starts. And initially it's fine, they mostly ignore him in favor of "Godfrey Thornrose" -- the person they think is more important, and therefore more likely to benefit them to gain the favor of. When Stede fumbles the "phrenology reading" thing, they start to lose interest in him as they realize he's not actually as skilled (either at actual phrenology, or at putting on a good show of faking it -- not sure they really care about the distinction there so much as they care about the perception of proximity to power and fame) as they thought. Meanwhile, Ed draws attention to himself and to the fact that he doesn't really fit in with them, by making a comment that's clearly not the sort of comment one "in the know" about the rules of engagement at these kinds of events would make. He plays it off as a joke when he realizes he's misstepped, and there's that moment of tension where it's not clear if the partygoers will buy it. And then Antoinette laughs, and cues everyone else to laugh by declaring him "absolutely hilarious".
I'd suggest that that's the moment they turned on Ed. Before that, he was mostly being ignored -- they didn't think he was important, therefore they didn't think he was worth paying attention to. But then they realized that they weren't going to get anything out of brownnosing "Godfrey", probably assuming that he's just as much of a fake as they all are, so whatever, just ignore that guy now. Maybe make fun of him a little, because in their circle status is gained by tearing others down, but otherwise he's unimportant. Sure, they realized he was an impostor. They just thought he was the same kind of impostor they all are, just another rich jackass pretending to be more interesting than he really is while jockeying for status, rather than realizing he's actually completely lied about his identity. But now, well, they don't have a famous guy to kiss up to, so they might as well just mess with someone for entertainment. Play up the idea that they're fawning over him, so they can tear him down later and laugh about how he really believed that they thought he was interesting.
Sometimes I see some excellent discussion around s1e5, which is just such a meaty episode, and a fun little game to play on rewatches is trying to spot the moment Ed's "fans" at the party stop laughing with him and start laughing at him.
And honestly? I kinda think it adds to the episode if you understand it as them laughing at him all along, with him just being too caught up in thinking it's possible for him to "win this interaction" to notice.
There's definitely a shift, there's a turning point at the dinner table when the angles go all unsettling as Ed realizes what's been happening, when Antoinette reaches for the bows in his beard in a very on-the-nose mirror of the experience pretty much every poc has ever had of someone feeling entitled to touch our hair, when a cork pops in the background and Ed flinches and they just keep laughing at him, but Ed is so unused to the passive-aggressive style of racism he experienced that I truly think they've been laughing at him all along and he just wasn't forced to acknowledge it until that moment.
From the start, they exoticize Ed, playing up his outlandish stories and making him the center of attention, and rewatching is so unsettling because you know they don't see Ed as a person, they see him as a novelty. Stede, unused to both the apparently positive attention Ed is getting and not equipped to notice the racist undertones, can't expect what's going to happen, and Ed's certainly more used to the kind of racism where people just call him a donkey to his face, so he tries so fucking hard to win these people over, to get them to laugh with him, unaware that they're already sharing a joke at his expense.
And I think it's honestly hard to get the whole point of the episode if you don't approach it with this reading! From the minute Ed walks in there, the only brown guest in the room, he's "lost" the game he wanted to play. It's a confirmation for him of his mother's warning that some people aren't meant for that life and never will be, and it's the reason why, when Stede tells him he thought Ed was actually quite sophisticated, letting him know that he'd done nothing fucking wrong, Ed falls for that man like a pile of bricks.
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tell me i won't ever be lonely again | blackbonnet
It was literally just a matter of time before I wrote them sleeping, lets be honest 🏴☠️
****
Stede hadn't given much thought to what it might be like, sleeping beside someone else, someone who wasn't Mary.
A part of him, even subconsciously, had just assumed he'd never have the chance again, and it's not like he'd mourned the loss. He might have spent years beside her physically, but there was never any great connection, never any affection felt, and so he hardly had anything to miss.
After all, how can you miss what you'd never had in the first place?
Then came The Revenge and the wonderfully weird collection of crew members, the many trials and tribulations that come with uprooting yourself from polite society and having a go at being a pirate captain just because you felt like it, and well, all told Stede hadn't had time to think much before drifting off at the end of the day.
Most nights he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open another second, even if his slumber did end with the occasional nightmare about his abandoned family.
And then, of course, just as he was getting his sea legs — both literally and metaphorically — there was Ed.
Edward Teach.
Blackbeard, to everyone who knew him.
And he is the last person Stede would imagine in his rooms, let alone in his bed, this man of great and terrible acclaim. He still remembers how it felt that afternoon, waking up after all of those feverish, tormented hours thinking about Mary, about every mistake he'd ever made, only to be greeted by a pair of kind, dark eyes, and a hand on his arm, the touch as soft as any of his finest silks.
It was a comfort, waking up to a warm presence beside him, and as Stede learned from Lucius's notes later on, the man had scarcely left his side while he was out. It filled him with something soft and glowing — steady, and the feeling hadn't gone away in the days and weeks since.
It had, however, made Stede question everything he thought he'd known. Bedtime is a much more pleasant affair with Edward on board, for one thing. No more tumbling into bed with the back and hands and feet aching from a day spent trying to prove himself worthy of his ship, of his crew.
He still wanted to make it as a pirate, of course, but now Stede had Ed, the most well-known pirate in the world, who seemed keen enough to show him the ropes. Their time together didn't end with lessons in how to be a pirate, though. No, most evenings Ed joined Stede in his captain's quarters, happy enough to pass a bottle of something back and forth, or let Stede ply then both with cups of sweet, milky tea, and swap stories.
Stede, for his part, was all too happy to listen to the tales Ed wanted to share. He loved hearing about it, and, it seemed, Ed loved to tell him. Stede never had any shortage of questions, and Ed seemed genuinely surprised that someone wanted to know quite so much about him.
He'd always been a decent enough conversationalist, but Stede had never met someone he was so entirely fascinated by. It was something, watching the crew scurry past Ed during the day, only for the same man to come to his room and curl up almost catlike beneath his luxurious throws.
"You tell me something," Ed says one night before bed. Stede loves their night time routine, though he's finding it harder and harder to bring them to an end, he's so fond of these late night chats with Ed, though he knows he'll be utterly useless in the morning if they don't go to bed soon.
Still, it's rare that Ed asks anything of him, and Stede can't help but want to share a little piece of himself. It'd been so long since anyone had really asked, had really wanted to know him.
"Well, I'm afraid I'm rather limited in tales of adventure," Stede begins, but Ed just waves a hand.
"Got plenty of those m'self, mate, tell something else. You ever miss your life back home? Mary, any of it?" There's a hesitance in Ed's voice that Stede almost never hears, and he pauses before he answers.
"Feels like the answer should be yes, doesn't it? A father should miss his children, should never want his wife to be alone, but the truth is..." Stede trails off, unsure how to paint the picture without making himself sound like a selfish asshole.
Ed squeezes his wrist, just gently, and Stede feels his pulse spike at the touch. Curious how one person could make him feel so steady, so buoyed, and yet so entirely tossed about at the safe time. He lays his own hand atop Ed's and sucks in a breath before continuing. If Ed is put off by the prolonged touch he doesn't say anything, just sits there quietly, listening.
"I want the best for them, and I think I gave them that when I left. They'll want for nothing, Mary can pursue her art... The kids, well... 'course I miss them, but they're in good hands—better hands, probably—with their mother."
At this, Ed frowns. "I reckon they'd have been in fine hands with you, too."
Stede turns, gives him a small smile. "That's nice of you to say."
"S'just the truth. I see how you are out there with the crew. They're hopeless —no offense—and you'd never let them know it. You pay them a fair wage. That's unheard of, you know that, right? And, well... You sit here with a fucker like me night after night, talkin' your ear off."
"Hey, that fucker you're talking about is my friend," Stede says, a little sharply.
"And you stick up for people," Ed says, continuing his line of praise as if Stede hadn't spoken at all. "It's admirable. Don't care what anyone else has to say about it. You're a good man, Stede Bonnet."
Stede finds himself completely lost for words, possibly for the first time ever. He feels like something cracked inside him is splintering all the way open, and he's not at all sure how to stop it.
He leans over, grabs the nearly empty bourbon bottle from the table in front of them, and takes a long swig. He hadn't ever said that out loud before, his beliefs about the children and Mary. Stede had hardly let himself think it, but there was something about sitting here with Ed, the sole focus of those warm brown eyes, that made it feel safe to confess.
He feels warm all over, a result of the drink, no doubt, but the conversation and company, too. Sleepy, he thinks, though he has no desire to act on it.
Just then, one of the final remaining candles burns itself out, leaving them in near darkness, and Stede is hit with the ridiculous thought that if Ed gets up now, all of this, the warm, safe feeling he has right now, will be ruined. Gone, like it'd never happened. He wants to clutch onto Ed, ask him to stay, offer up his own bed, offer to sleep on the couch, where Ed has slept a few nights now, but...
More than anything Stede just wants to tell Ed to stay.
"Right, well, that's—" Ed says, finally breaking the silence and gesturing to the candle. Hot wax oozes down onto the table, slow and steady and hardening with each passing second.
"Thank you," Stede says quickly. "You're very kind, listening to my woes."
"I did ask, mate. It's your life, 'course I want to know." Ed says it like it's just that simple.
The tumultuous feeling Stede gets sometimes is extinguished all at once, just like the candle in front of them.
Ed wanted to know. Even the messy bits. Even the shame of it, leaving his family without much regret to speak of, he hadn't thought less of him. When had someone listened to him without thinking less of him? Stede didn't know.
"Right," Stede says now, nodding. "Right. Well I... Ah. It's late."
Ed's eyebrows contract, wrinkling up his forehead in a way that Stede can't help but find endearing. His chest aches with something he can't out into words.
"I should go," Ed says quickly, like he'd misunderstood something critical, and hurries to his feet, though Stede knows when he sits too long and stands up too quickly his knee gives him trouble. "Izzy might need a switch off, so—"
"No!" Stede exclaims, heat rising over his cheeks now. "That's not at all what I meant I— You're welcome to stay, is all. You're already here, and Izzy will be fine. Olu and Jim are on deck to help out should he need it, though I doubt he'd let them. That man is a menace," Stede can't help but add.
"Stay here," Ed repeats. "Yeah I guess... I guess I could..."
"You come back for breakfast every morning anyway," Stede says. "I'm sure I could find something for you to sleep in, if you'd like that. Plenty of dressing gowns in this cabin to go around."
Ed smiles fondly, there's no mistaking it for anything else now.
"Might be nice," Ed sats, not breaking Stede's gaze as he says it.
Many long minutes later, they're laying side by side in Stede's bed. It's not a small bed, but it's not wide, either, and he wonders immediately if this had been another in the long list of stupid mistakes he'd make in his life.
But before Stede can think too much about it, Ed yawns hugely, mutters an apology, and turns beside him, shuffling so they're pressed together from shoulder to foot.
It's... well, perfect. Warm and close and comforting in a way Stede never knew to miss. His eyes feel impossibly heavy, suddenly, and before either of them can say anything, drowsiness consumes them both.
****
In the morning, Stede wakes up cocooned in a warmth he knows isn't from blankets alone.
No, Edward Teach is curled around him like some kind of octopus, a comparison Stede thinks he'll keep to himself, thank you very much. Their legs are tangled together beneath all the blankets he'd added to make sure they'd both be warm enough, and Ed's face is pressed against his collarbone, his breathing still slow and even.
For all Ed loved to say he could get by on a series of half-hour cat naps throughout the night, he certainly seems content enough to stay just like this, wrapped around Stede like he his life depended on it, snoring softly as the sun rose and draped the room in soft, warm morning light.
Maybe it did. Maybe both of their lives depended on it.
Stede hadn't given much thought to what it might be like, sleeping beside someone else, someone who wasn't Mary. Now that he had it, though, now that he knew what it could be like, he knows he's not letting it go.
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How does that post about Israel Hands probably being the one and same Captain Hook make you feel, in lieu of OFMD? Do you think it could ever fit in there? Personally I'd just love the irony of it considering Izzy would lose precisely his dominant hand, which is the one we always see gloved, but it could metaphorically mean for him to detach from Blackbeard for good and chart his own course. Even kids end up hurting him though (and he'd dress more like Stede!) 🤣😭 PS Love your blog to bits x
Oh hey there! :)
Argh great question, actually I believe it's been a while since I've read that detailed explanation but I'd like to dive deeper and learn more about it in my free time but before I do that, let me answer...
Izzy Hands losing his hand is something pretty ironic/interesting, cause him being named after a tragic event sounds pretty possible. But like a cruel twisted way of life like every single thing.
Also like you mentioned, after reading that post, I really felt deep emotions stir inside me because Izzy charting his own route was something that I wasn't ready to face, I couldn't and still can't imagine him being apart from Edward, alone... I know that their relationship is not looking healthy right now, but I can't help but feel they were pretty close when they were younger. Also I'm one of the people who put the idea of Ed signing Izzy with his mark around here, I know a decent amound of people believe that X mark is just a fooking coincidence, I'd rather like to think of it as something more intimate and has a deeper meaning to both of them.
Again there were tons of theories about why Izzy uses just a single glove, even tho I agree with the lovely fencing explanation, I believe there should something of an abstract thinking behind it and I really liked yours.
I was just a kid when I watched all these Peter Pan cartoons and movies (dunno, plural?), so I'm not really the correct person to comment on this but I remember Captain Hook being a total failure, I don't know, he was the antagonist of that story so he had to fail, but from what I can see/understand Israel Hands was one of the most well-known pirates of the history, apart from his connection to Blackbeard, he seems to be a pretty badass pirate, as his nickname Basilica suggests this. Also him dying at the age of 24 and creating a name for himself that people in 2022 can still talk about is insane (I know most of us didn't even know about his existance before OFMD but still my point stands).
Thanks for the ask and lovely words! I included a few gifs just for you ;)
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so a lot has been said about Edward Teach vs Blackbeard vs The Kraken and how much we see of each and what it means and I wanna work on it from a kinda offshoot perspective. So Im gonna do my examination of Blackbeard through a wrestling lens, that of kayfabe and how persona and person are both strongly delineated and blurred definitions.
First off, definitions. Kayfabe is a wrestling term that is “the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships...as being genuine and not staged. The term kayfabe has evolved to also become a code word of sorts for maintaining this "reality" within the direct or indirect presence of the general public”.
Lets first break down that first sentence in terms of how some of that is already present for the pirates we have. Now, pirating is very much real in ofmd. It is a real thing with life or death stakes and it isnt so much a job position as it is a lifestyle that many do not choose willingly. Izzy shows how ‘proper’ pirating is done. He facilitates rivalries (A personal one with Lucius and a general one with the crew of the Revenge), he has established connections (first mate of Blackbeard, Fang and Ivan as his semi-cronies, a working relationship with Spanish Jackie), and he maintains competitions to establish who is a proper pirate (the literal duel with Stede, and an ideological one with Stede over how pirating works). Its all very serious for Izzy, and one of the things he holds prime concern for as upholding the authenticity of piracy is the maintenance of Blackbeard.
Blackbeard is Ed’s pirate persona. Blackbeard is a catchy name Ed gave himself. Blackbeard is associated with a specific look (his leather getup). Blackbeard, and specifically the name Blackbeard, has a reputation that proceeds him and his prowess at piracy is unchallenged. Hes the best fighter, the most violent pirate of the seas, and every other pirate wants to be him.
The problem for Ed is that unlike for Izzy, pirating doesnt feel real anymore. Its a farce, a job obligation, something that has now become monotonous and boring. In a professional sense, Ed isnt putting any effort to work on the story of Blackbeard. Hes tired of doing plans over and over and he lets the Blackbeard name carry him through interactions (seen best in how just mentioning his name is what causes Spanish Jackie to spare Stede). When that isnt going to be enough though, he does show off how he is the best pirate. But its not out and out violence that Ed actually excels at. What Ed is great at is pulling off Fuckeries.
Fuckeries and maintaining kayfabe (aka maintaining the Blackbeard character publicly) are the two main ways that Ed still upholds piracy and his own reputation. This is going into the second sentence in that definition, one that Ed still cares about. Fuckeries are always meant as highly public affairs, usually against his enemies but also used on his allies to impress them. The end goal is always to make people think of how amazing and smart and impressive Blackbeard is for having done this cool feat, and how no one else can match him. The direct examples are the lighthouse fuckery and the fog/disappearing act fuckery. Another public incident of maintaining his persona is his whole embarrassment at the treasure hunt, not wanting Blackbeard to be seen by normal people doing this silly activity, as it would damage his reputation.
The very end of the definition for kayfabe is where Ed and Blackbeard become a lot more messy. “maintaining [Blackbeard] within the direct or indirect presence of the general public” has been Ed’s modus operandi for the majority of his life. While he see how he interacts with a direct public interactions, we also get a good look at what the indirect presence of the public does to him. Seeing his depiction in the books is an example. He hates it, even though he was somewhat responsible for making that depiction. Ed is tired that Blackbeard became a legend where “theres no life” anymore in using that persona. But he still likes having elements of Blackbeard in his life.
Theres a saying that the best wrestling characters are just exaggerated versions of the real person. This holds very well with Ed, as Blackbeard is an exaggeration of Ed’s actual anger, curiosity, and intelligence. Blackbeard conducts raids and “loves a good maim”. Blackbeards curiosity is what pushes him to try different tactics than that of his peers, and using both elements he turns those abilities into fuckeries. Fuckeries are not only a Blackbeard staple, their his main way of establishing himself as a good pirate.
We know that Blackbeard isnt always a reliable fallback though. He cant win every fight (as seen in the party with the french), and even in his fuckeries his knowledge isnt going to be air tight (mixing up the days before the lighthouse fuckery). These are the points where Ed leans too hard on the persona, and things start to fall apart for him. The thing about being the top guy is that your all alone, and Ed is only been able to realize very recently that he might have a much better time of it if he got to connect with others.
#my post#ofmd#blackbeard#edward teach#ofmd meta#kinda#i could go into more what with the kraken persona and what thats means#cuz thats basically a heel turn at the end of the show#but this is already getting long enough and i wanna see if people have any other thoughts before adding on#main points blackbeard is eds piratesona#he does that really mostly through fuckeries#kayfabe is a great way to read ed because that man loves going into third person but thats not wholly accurate to whats going on
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Hi all, I just want to make a note here, since there's been a pretty big response to these cut scenes on Twitter and some of it's been negative about how season 2 was 'bad' in comparison to what we 'could have gotten.'
Scenes always have to be cut for time, no matter what show or film is being made. We rarely if ever get the writer/director/creator's vision direct from paper to screen. And it's not always a bad thing either - trimming things down can help the flow of the story. It sucks that many scenes featuring favorite background characters & relationships didn't make the cut for season 2, but choosing what stayed in and what didn't was certainly a collaborative and difficult process to prioritize the story they wanted to tell here. We can be mad at HBO Max for slashing their budget and reducing their episode runtimes, and we should demand more for season 3. But let's not look back on season 2 and criticize what was included - they obviously put in as much as they possibly could, going so far as to squeeze in post-credit scenes that gave the Revenge crew more screentime.
While it would have been nice to have more of Jim & Olu, and more of the polycule made explicit, it sounds like most of the scenes that were cut were connective and 'filler' - things that were bits of background lore or fun times between the Crew. We definitely deserve these in a rom-com! But, we did not lose a bunch of scenes that had a big impact on Ed and Stede's relationship, which is the major plot of the show. And when it comes to the original Calypso's Birthday idea, Samba was talking about an early draft of the episode that went through many subsequent changes - he said multiple times he was glad for those changes and liked the final version of the episode better, as well as the progression of Ed and Stede's relationship that came from those changes. That original concept never made it even close to screen, so it's not like there's hidden scenes that were cut from that.
We can't dwell on what could have or ~should have~ been for season 2. There's already been so much negativity, and we don't need more. Let's be grateful for just how much they were able to fit in given the limited time and budget they were handed - they grappled with so much, and gave all the crew members a lot of screentime and development! They made the episodes feel longer than they were. We should treat the BTS Samba and others give us as treats, nice extras, not something we were owed or robbed of. Ultimately the final product is the final product - those little bts tidbits to me are great because they help fill in some gaps and connect the dots, but they were cut because they weren't deemed vital, and that's their executive decision to make.
Instead of complaining about season 2, which does nothing productive and only reflects badly upon our chances for renewal and dismisses the hard work of everyone involved in making the show - who are proud of what they've made - demand better from HBO Max. Pester them for a season 3 with longer episodes, more episodes, and a bigger budget. Hell, demand a physical release, where we could get bloopers and deleted scenes.
Let's thank Samba and other cast/crew for sharing their bts stories, and work really hard to get the show renewed so maybe we can see some of these scenes and ideas recycled or reworked for season 3!
BTS from Samba's baking class
Samba talked about a lot of cut scenes from ofmd s2 during his baking class today!!
First and foremost, the original concept for Calypso's birthday was for it to be Lucius and Pete's wedding crashed by Ned Low. Roach and Wee John were going to play matchmaker to get Ed and Stede to hook up because there was too much sexual tension on the ship. Ed and Stede WERE going to dance. Roach is a huge Ned Low fan and there's a cut scene where he says this to Ned and in return Ned gives him a little extra torture as a reward. Con was originally going to sing 'At Last' by Etta James
The thumb war was improvised, as well as Con's 'rude' in ep5, and the sandwich throw that hit Lucius was planned between Samba, Rhys, and Taika but no one else knew so that's why you can see Nate laughing in the background
There was a cut scene (or multiple) where Buttons kept trying to go feral and escape to the sea in ep1, this is why he has a rope tied around his waist
There was also a scene in ep 1 where they are first looking at their money jar and everyone pitches in what they were able to scrounge up or steal, and they imagine what their 'dream ship' would be like - Pete dreams of a ship where Lucius is alive, Roach dreams of a ship with a big kitchen
There was a cut scene that confirmed the polycule, with Olu, Archie, and Jim all coming out of the bedroom together wearing just boxers
The post-credit scene with Roach and Fang was going to be longer, and end with them drinking wine at Spanish Jackie's prior to the bar fight
Overall, a lot of Jim & Olu scenes were cut, and Ed & Stede material from ep 6 was shifted around and put in eps 7/8.
If I missed anything please add on to this!
#ofmd#twitter has shown me MULTIPLE posts of people saying season 2 was bad compared to what we could have gotten#bro sorry but like. just stfu i'm so tired of this#if you actually think this season was Bad then just leave??#we're clearly not watching the same show#no one's forcing you to be here if you were that disappointed ok#i just.. can we not start another cycle of bitching and moaning#if we don't get our act together and form a united front for renewal campaigning we're fucking toast#like. remember what we went through in s1. we got renewed because we wouldnt shut up for MONTHS#we have not had that big a push from fans this time around. yall gotta raise your voices or lose this show#not happy with s2? then demand a season 3 where they can develop the characters more#it helps no one if the show gets cancelled
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