#why i’m making this poll i don’t know

[crimson-and-clover-1717]

Ed’s Initial Intentions regarding Stede

Thank you so much for your attention to the poll. The consensus is it’s complicated - and I sort of agree - although I’m swayed towards Fascination alone.

This is my interpretation…

Stede causes Ed to access hidden or denied parts of himself before they’ve even met. And it causes a change in Ed’s behaviour. Ed’s come across many rich or aristocratic folks to rob whom he would see killed without issue; but not someone who’s also a pirate, doing their own original thing, and who seems ambivalent towards Blackbeard’s existence. It’s dopamine to Ed’s novelty-starved brain. It’s not as if Ed carries out a usual raid on the Revenge intending to kill Stede, only to find himself unexpectedly charmed. Ed’s bewitched even before he meets Stede, which means Ed’s entire approach and thought-processes are altered.

Killing Stede and the crew isn’t necessarily off the table should the need arise, but I don’t think it’s actively on in any capacity. There’s no plan, and there’s no ‘uszh’ for once either. Because none of this is uszh. Ed’s engagement with the Revenge is not his normal MO. History’s most brilliant tactician is free-styling. Possibly free-falling.

At the end of 102, Izzy states, ‘Captain says follow that ship.’ And Fang answers ‘Oh really? Why?’ To which Izzy replies, ‘How should I know? The man’s half-insane.’ This conversation shows this isn’t usual strategy. Even Fang asks why - he thought they’d seen the last of those ‘fancyboys’. And Ivan’s sad he didn’t get the chance to murder them, which seems the usual way of things. Plus they’d already had the chance to take or plunder the ship when it ran aground, so this stalking manoeuvre is out of the ordinary. It feels like wasted time and energy.

By the start of episode three, Blackbeard’s ship is a few hundred yards out from the Revenge, and Izzy’s trying to manipulate Ed into usual strategy again by suggesting opening fire, or boarding and throwing the Revenge crew to the sharks. Instead, Ed wants to wait until they make landfall and invite them aboard his ship. Ed’s doing something very different again because he’s unwittingly engaging with an unfamiliar part of himself. And interestingly ‘Go suck eggs in Hell’ appears not to insult, but to somewhat seduce him further. Before meeting Stede, he’s already out of his depth emotionally, and acting out of character, literally.

Despite what Ed would do normally, I just cannot see him landing on the Revenge with the active intent of plundering the ship and / or killing Stede and the crew. His words and actions suggest he’s already through the looking-glass.

So, to The Plan. We have three interesting moments which lead up to its revelation: the clothes swap, ‘careful of your face’ and ‘show me the ways of an aristocrat’.

For me, the three strands, which have no previous connection (other than Ed and Stede playing together), come together in Ed’s mind somewhere between Ed leaving Stede on the lookout, and Ed speaking with Izzy below: a matter of seconds. It reminds me of Keyser Söze in The Usual Suspects, pulling together disparate ideas into a cohesive story spontaneously. It’s the mind of a quick-thinker. And it’s in-keeping with Ed’s ability of reacting in the moment to the moment when necessary.

I think Ed also feels forced to perform Blackbeard for Izzy because Izzy’s threatening to leave pushes on that white father-figure emotional bruise. At this stage, Ed doesn’t have enough emotional loyalty to Stede to not voice such a plan; whilst his identity is still too caught in Izzy’s web to let him go - ‘you’re needed here’. For me, the plan to kill Stede is brought about in the moment via an act of psychological coercive control.

But Ed’s also kicking the can down the road. It’s a sort of Faustian bargain. Why not promise Izzy both their souls if it means Ed and Stede can hang out a little longer? Yet on another level Ed’s possibly hoping the debt won’t be called in, such is the complexity of the push and pull here. He’s putting it on the tab, the never-never. He’ll out-manoeuvre it if he decides that’s what he wants. Of course there’s doublethink going on because Ed’s in the middle of an identity crisis.

Ed daren’t admit his real reason for wanting to stay on the Revenge. He can’t comprehend himself even how deep this goes. His look as he turns is one of exhaustion and confusion. Stede Bonnet has him rattled. What started as a trickle of unease and ennui before they’d even met is now a whirlpool of unidentifiable feelings around both Stede, and Ed’s own perception of self.

Ed’s free-falling in liminal space.

[ziracona]

I can’t include them all so here’s a combo of ‘came to mind first,’ ‘talked about positively most often by fans,’ and ‘stuck in my head’.

Public Apology Big Iron isn’t here. There were a lot that didn’t make the cut but that one specifically I stg I put in and only realized after posting had not. It was 100% meant to be on this list and I’ve failed us.

[badolmen]

So many people on that poll voting ‘the sun doesn’t love us’ like you fool. She kisses you every morning and reach out to caress you every evening. She grows the food you eat. She shines so brightly she is burning with love for her beloved earth.

‘But she burned me!’ Does a lover never bite the lip of their companion a little too hard sometimes? You can choose to put on sunscreen. She can’t choose to extinguish her heart.

The sun loves us. Maybe a bit too much. But it’s love all the same.

[haveyouwatchedthiscartoon]

REALLY IMPORTANT UPDATE PLEASE READ

Hey y’all, so this blog is probably gonna be on a VERY SHORT hiatus. Just like. Literally less than a week.

The short long of it all is that my parents are coming in tonight for the holidays and unfortunately as much as I tired I didn’t have time to queue up enough stuff for that period of time.

The ask box is STAYING OPEN during this period of time! So you CAN keep sending stuff in there just won’t be any polls for a hot second! Holidays are just kinda hectic, you know? Lol

But thanks again for everyone’s support and I’ll see y’all after I’m done showing my beach parents around the mountains haha

Also! In case anyone is interested! Cartoon Network is on YouTube streaming Holiday Special reruns of their cartoons for FREE for this month! Here’s the link! Happy Holidays and go watch cartoons!!

[chaosduckies]

(Basically any questions for my OC’s in this story which would be Nathan, Ryker, Dylan, Lucky, Isabelle, Angela, and Jasmine or even me!!)

I’ve been sitting on this for a while, and I’ll only really do it if people actually ask things. Mostly because I have a life, school, and a job so I don’t really like to waste time. But on the other hand, if I do end up getting some people to ask some things about them, I would love to answer! But for now, I just want to know if I should actually do it or not

edit: (I didn’t realize the poll was set for a week so I’ll check the results tomorrow and say if it’s good or not to ask them things my bad guys 😞 thank you again!)

[moo9395]

Does anyone else when asked a basic question like “What’s your favourite colour?” or “What’s your favourite fantasy creature?” (Just happened) take the question far more seriously than probably was necessary?

Like when people ask me that I feel obligated to be totally accurate and honest. I can’t just say “Oh a mermaid probably” because what about a sphinx or a fairy (I’m currently getting stressed just picking examples).

And then if I genuinely can’t think of something I’ll just say I don’t know and refuse to answer, which is probably annoying but I can’t be wrong.

I’m aware that people don’t really care what my favourite fantasy creature is and in the grand scheme of things me saying X when really I like Y won’t matter. But still it does.

First of all, is this just a me thing.

Second of all, is this an autism thing.

For accuracy I’m putting a poll.

Please expand in replies/ tags/ whatever :))

(Btw if you’re undiagnosed autistic please still answer with the autism buttons)

[keptoabysmal]

My only gripe with the trans character brackets polls that have both canonically trans characters & characters with popular trans hcs is just.

Usually it’s whichever character is more popular that will win & that’s understandable. And I LOVE trans hcs for characters so much, BUT it just feels wrong when a character who is canonically trans loses to a character who is not.

[convexcave]

sometimes I feel weirdly lonely since i’ve realized that I don’t fit into the typical gender binary and that I never will, like on one hand i’m so happy i’ve realized this about myself and I can stop trying to be a certain thing and i’m allowing myself to just be what I want

but also I don’t fit. I hate how gendered so much of everyday life is like why does it matter? It just makes me feel like Something Else which. I am. but society shouldn’t be constructed in a way that makes me feel alienated by being myself.

[shiftedvoid]

This is dumb