Thinking about by this post by @celluloidbroomcloset about Stede, physical touch, and consent (which is a really good meta), and especially thinking about the final line: “[Ed] too is rarely touched without violence.” And thinking about it in context of this scene in 1.06.
This is the scene which, if you’re watching the episodes back-to-back, immediately follows the first “you wear fine things well” scene, which feels like very purposeful placement. I fully think that this is Ed trying to get Stede to touch him again the only way he knows how (or, perhaps, the only way he’s been conditioned to believe is acceptable within the toxic-masculinity ridden world of piracy): through violence.
And when Stede does stab him, Ed practically melts into his arms, and begins giggling like a kid with a crush.
It says a lot about the world that Ed grew up in that he pulls a gun on Stede and threatens to shoot if he doesn’t stab Ed, all just to get Stede to hold him.
It's so true. I hadn't thought entirely how those scenes follow on each other. There's an element of Ed realizing just how much he wants Stede to put his hands on him and not knowing how to ask for that outside of a violent game.
And Stede has no idea what's going on. He's just worried and confused that he's hurt Ed. They could so easily have played this like it was a sexual game for both of them, or played it off as Stede being ridiculously naive, but it just shows the tenderness and the care (which is exactly what Ed really wants and can't ask for).
We can extrapolate so much about Ed's past just by how he reacts to Stede touching him with kindness instead of violence.
The contrast between Ed pulling a gun on Stede and forcing him to penetrate him (“Stede stabbed me one, had to make him do it”) and Stede waiting for a clear nod of consent from Ed before even kissing him when they actually have sex is something, too.
I think it’s all Ed knows. He’s had it done to him dozens of times (stabbing he means, but of course sexual metaphor etc) so it’s implied that his sexual encounters have been in a similar vein to this. He expects to be the one penetrated here, he WANTS to be, it’s how sex has always been for him and he doesn’t know any different.
He’s used to rough sex, that whole idea of that touching a man is ok as long as it’s in a properly MANLY, violent situation. Like with Jack - “Anything goes at sea”, drunken dalliances etc, it’s fine as long as it doesn’t mean anything but sex. It’s probably the sort of stupid vulgar thing they can laugh off afterwards like the “he’d shat everywhere, BUT the bedpan” story. The sort of thing you do because you’re drunk and rough and bored.
I feel like his fear of being attacked while sleeping must be a part of this, too. He’s obviously been through something (possibly sexual trauma) and it’s affected him deeply.
And then Stede is so tender to him here. There’s no triumph in his eyes, he’s quite horrified at having been forced to hurt Ed. Stede is so innocent at this point, he doesn’t understand what’s happening and all he feels is concern, he wants to know how to take the sword out because he doesn’t want Ed to be in pain. He holds him so gently in his arms.
And then when Stede finally “takes his lover” to do something with him he is so careful to wait for Ed’s nod. He would never ever make Ed do anything, and the way Ed sits on the bed waiting for this man to finally have sex with him, the absolute tenderness and love in his eyes, shows that Ed knows Stede would never hurt him 🥹
Ed has been equating sex with violence and toxic masculinity for so long, he’s finally learning that it doesn’t have to be that way. He can have the gentleness and the sweetness and the love that he so desperately craves at last. The wordless communication between them in that pre-sex moment. It’s like Ed didn’t know that he could just ASK to be held, he’s never been able to before.
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, and his flag
Teach captured a French slave ship known as La Concorde, renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge, equipped her with 40 guns, and crewed her with over 300 men. He became a renowned pirate. His nickname derived from his thick black beard and fearsome appearance.
Edward "Ned" Low and his flag
Low captained a number of ships, usually maintaining a small fleet of three or four. Low and his pirate crews captured at least a hundred ships during his short career, burning most of them.[1] Although he was active for only three years, Low remains notorious as one of the most vicious pirates of the age, with a reputation for violently torturing his victims before murdering them
Stede Bonnet, “The Gentleman Pirate” and his flag
Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados, and inherited the family estate after his father's death in 1694. Despite his lack of sailing experience, Bonnet decided he should turn to piracy in the spring of 1717. He bought a sailing vessel, the Revenge, and travelled with his paid crew along the Eastern Seaboard of what is now the United States, capturing other vessels and burning other Barbadian ships
John Rackham "Calico Jack" and his flag
Commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, while Jack is a nickname for "John." Rackham was active towards the end of the "Golden Age of Piracy". He is most remembered for having two female crew members: Mary Read and his lover, Anne Bonny.
Mary Read and her flag
Known as Mark Read, was an actual English pirate about whom there is very little factual documentation. She and Anne Bonny were two famous female pirates from the 18th century, and among the few women known to have been convicted of piracy at the height of the "Golden Age of Piracy".
Bartholomew Roberts and his flag
Roberts's infamy and success saw him become known as The Great Pyrate and eventually as Black Bart, and made him a popular subject for writers of both fiction and non-fiction. To this day, Roberts continues to feature in popular culture, and has inspired fictional characters (such as the Dread Pirate Roberts).
Thomas Tew and his flag
Thomas Tew, also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th-century English privateer-turned-pirate. He embarked on two major pirate voyages and met a bloody death on the second, and he pioneered the route which became known as the Pirate Round. Other infamous pirates in his path included Henry Every and William Kidd.
Okay yes Ed and Stede are going to be objectively very terrible at running an inn. Just the worst anyone has ever been at it probably. But can you imagine what it would be like to stay at this place.
There's literally a grave right there in the front yard.
Ed and Stede both have a very intense "compliment my boyfriend or I'll blow this whole place up" energy. Ed glares at you until you compliment the interior decor. Stede makes very unsubtle hints for you to rave about how good Ed's cooking is.
Towel service is fucking immaculate. And Ed probably keeps rooms stocked with all the good soap.
You can't sleep because those two are going at it all night long. You probably assume they're having some weird orgy because they're really into cringefail roleplay sex and you hear several different names as they try to find a good plot. You hear a cat bell ringing but they definitely don't have a cat.
Ed offers to take you fishing with him but spends the entire morning waxing poetic about his boyfriend while you do all the actual fishing.
It takes half an hour to get to your room because they just keep doing bits and talking about all the knickknacks they've got.
They're just absolutely embarrassing. No customer service is being done because Ed is too busy sitting in Stede's lap.
Continental breakfast is like. Just a whole fish and marmalade set out on a table. You have to eat it anyway because Stede's face makes it very clear you're not leaving that inn until you do.
oh god they would absolutely burst into the guest's room at 2am and wake them up to make them settle a dispute about their weird sex roleplay
poor guest is leaving a review on ye olde trip advisor like
nice location but i got woken up in the middle of the night by the hosts saying they wanted me to answer a question. and that was weird enough but then the question was "if i rescued you from a near death situation and you wanted to fuck me to say thank you. would you do it straight away or would you want to have a bite to eat and a shower first." which i can't say i've ever thought about. and felt like sexual harassment. especially bc they were both nude. two stars. (would give just one but to be fair the whole question thing might have been a weird dream)
You come down to breakfast at the wobbly dining table (which, incidentally, wasn’t wobbly when you ate your dinner on it last night) and these two are just sat there like
The textile book: okay here is some of the ways that textiles are important to human life
me: Okay!
The textile book: Clothes separate the vulnerable human body from the conditions of the outside world, and in doing so absorb the sweat and debris of human existence, accumulating wear and tear according to the lives we live. In this way, various lifestyles and professions are represented by clothing, and the clothing of a loved one retains the imprint of their physical body and their life being lived, as though the clothes absorb part of the wearer's soul
Me: ...oh
The textile book: The process of weaving a garment and the process of a child being formed in its mother's womb are often referred to using the same language. Likewise, when a baby is born, a blanket or other textile material is the first material object it encounters and protects it. Textiles can create the idea of two things being inextricable, as with being "woven together," or can create the sense of separateness, as with a curtain or veil that separates two rooms or spaces, even separating the living from the dead, or separating two realities, such as a performance ending when the curtain falls
Me: ...oh God
The textile book: Odysseus's wife Penelope undid her weaving in secret every night to delay the advances of her suitors. In this way she was able to turn back the passage of time to allow her husband to come home. Likewise the Lakota tell a story of an old woman embroidering time by embroidering a robe with porcupine quills. If she finishes the embroidery, the world will come to an end, but her faithful dog pulls out the quills whenever her back is turned, turning back the clock and allowing existence to continue.
me: ...is...is...is that why we refer to the fabric of space and time?
The textile book: The technological revolution of textile making is sadly underappreciated. The textile arts are possibly the most fundamental human technology, as once people created string and rope, they could create nets for catching fish and small animals, and bags and baskets for carrying food. In the earliest prehistoric times, the first string or cord perhaps came from sinew, found in the body of an animal. Because of this perhaps the body of a living being could be understood as made of a textile material. Indeed textiles have the function of preserving life, as with a surgeon stitching back together the human body or bandages being placed on a wound. Textile technologies are being used to create life-changing implants to restore function to injured parts of the body, as though a muscle or tendon can be woven and made in this way. Cloth can be used to create a parachute that will save a human's life as they plummet out of the sky. Ultimately, the textile technologies are used to enter new parts of the universe. [Photo of an astronaut and details explaining the astronaut's suit]
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
stormborns
