#the badmintons

[crimson-and-clover-1717]

I was thinking about the moment in Mermen when Ed, Zheng and Stede run into Jackie’z bar and find the British navy just dropping dead in front of them. Stede’s response - “Is that us doing that?” It is funny because what kind of powers does he think the three of them have?

But what if Stede means, “Is that me doing that?”

People seem to drop dead in front of him, usually right after he’s been told he’s monstrous…

Chauncey’s death, in particular, is horrific for Stede. He is apparently so awful he causes an experienced, high-ranking naval officer to fall over his own feet and shoot himself in the face.

Stede thinks he is the cause of Chauncey’s death, quite literally (we see that in the flashback during the drinking episode in Bridgetown). And to understand that, is to add another layer as to why he runs from Ed.

The doubts are written all over Stede’s face as they plan to run to China. It’s certainly the guilt of leaving his family, but also thinking he has brought Ed ‘to ruin’.

And now, as he lets out that awful scream as Chauncey lies on the ground, he has evidence if he goes to the dock, at some point, Ed, the greatest tactician on the ocean, is probably going to trip also and Darwin himself. Because of proximity to Stede.

Stede’s conversation with Mary once back in Bridgetown is like a CBT session in which he challenges the thought he will destroy Ed. Through Mary’s words, he is able to bring to the forefront evidence of the sunshine Ed and he shared. To see it was beautiful, not harmful, and that his love for Ed won’t hurt, but uplift, and contribute to both their healing.

Nigel, Chauncey, subsequently the British navy, die at the hands of their own hubris, brought about through a dangerous mix of toxic masculinity, and belief in their own cultural supremacy - not through proximity to a femme man. In some cases, Stede might be the final catalyst, but he isn’t the original source or the agency. Stede is really just witness to their self-destructive bigotry coming to fruition - “around” when it happens.

As they run into Jackie’s bar from the battlefield in the finale, “Is that us doing that?” is a funny line. Yet like many things in OFMD, it’s double-edged, possibly a hangover from Stede’s past. Of course, it could also be increased confidence from the battlefield win, and good for Stede if it is.

At least Stede said, ‘Us.’ He has friends now. But it definitely isn’t you at all, this time, Stede.

Jackie’s got this.

[riseriseleo]

lmao what if. so y'all know how stede forgot that chauncy and nigel were twins. who's to say he didn't forget they were...triplets? or quintuplets? or [insert an absurd amount of children here]?

god and maybe they had cousins. or younger siblings (maybe they bullied stede so they themselves wouldn't get bullied).

anyway i just think this is an opportunity for the crew to beat up stede's bullies!

[supersexybisexual]

I was rewatching ofmd last night and I truly love the way so many people see Stedes name like it’s a slur. Like every time Izzy or the Badminton’s say his name it’s just Stede Bonnet (derogatory)

[hamletisabitch]

I've seen some discourse™️ about why the badmintons are the way they are (both on here and through fic) and there's been a lot of takes that leave me confused.

The Badmintons behave the way do because they were taught, and believed, that they are better than others. They are working to maintain the control they believe they're owed, through the systems of supremacy (white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, etc) that gave them their beliefs in the first place.

[fandomsupporter]

one thing about me is that no matter how many times i rewatch ofmd and no matter how ingrained in my head and heart it becomes, i will not be able to remember which badminton twin is which

[stellarnoodle]

Why Did Both Badmintons (mostly) Kill Themselves?

I have about 5,000 words theorizing around it but haven’t landed on anything conclusively. My main working theory is kinda complicated.

For the Badmintons themselves I think it may represent how toxic masculinity is actually harmful for everyone involved, even those who benefit from and perpetuate/enforce the system.

For Stede though, the Badmintons represent his guilt for not performing masculinity as society says he should. I think them dying by their own hands is perhaps representative of Stede failing to deal with that guilt.

With Badminton 1, Stede actually does try to address the guilt in some way, but it’s by trying to assert that actually he DOES meet standard benchmarks of masculinity, which he doesn’t.

He tries to say actually I am a pirate, which is technically true, but not in the traditionally masculine ways that count to people like Badminton 1.

When B1 laughs off this claim, Stede attempts to assert it again through traditionally masculine violence - but his best attempt is a whack with a paperweight. It’s a temporary fix - just like Stede running away to sea.

That B1 dies I think has more to do with his own toxic masculinity killing him. He falls on his own sword, literally.

So Stede never addresses his guilt for failing at masculinity, he just puts it aside. By the time we get to B2, Stede’s guilt is at its strongest, and he doesn’t have it in him to try to stand up to toxic masculinity in any way. He just point blank agrees with his inner demon. Yes, I am a monster for being who I am.

So Stede has nothing to do with B2’s death. B2, utterly consumed by his hatred for Stede for not conforming to standard masculinity, entirely destroys himself.

So, twice Stede is faced with his inner guilt about failing at masculinity, and twice he fails to defeat it. It defeats itself because it comes from a toxic, self-destructive system.

When Stede finally does face this inner guilt, the person who has to die is him - the Stede who held himself to those toxic standards. Once he dies, Stede, as Mary says, is finally free.