Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
love how stede feels so guilty about killing to the point of hallucinations but is entirely unbothered and even amused at indirectly burning a ship full of people because they committed the crime of *checks notes* upsetting ed
Something I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet is why Ed throws first Lucius off the ship and then Stede’s books. It’s not simply rage or wanting to get rid of things that remind him of Stede, it’s about his feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy because of his lack of literacy.
First, when the British almost execute Stede, Lucius’ ability to read and write saves Stede’s life when Ed’s plan has failed, as his appeal to the Act of Grace for Stede is not accepted. Then, when they’re supposed to sign the text of the Act of Grace, his illiteracy becomes highly visible, impossible not to notice, as he signs an x as his signature. It’s a small but heartbreaking moment because it’s an extremely significant thing in a world where some are literate and some are not.
Being able to read and write gives you an enormous advantage in terms of power over people who cannot read. He might be the most clever, resourceful, skilled pirate in the seas, but in the moment reading and writing come into play, he’s suddenly extremely vulnerable. He’s surrounded by men who hold enormous power over him in virtue of the mere difference in their levels of literacy, regardless of every other difference in abilities they might have.
Ed is going through something that shakes his identity - giving up his identity as a pirate, even his beard which is so symbolical of his identity as Blackbeard - and that feelings of vulnerability and helplessness hit a nerve. In the moment Stede doesn’t show up, and Ed thinks he’s been stood up, he’s bound to feel inadequate. Why did Stede stand him up? Because Ed is not worthy of him, after all. Because Stede is a literate, cultured gentleman and Ed is nothing. He might carry around a piece of fancy fabric, but that’s just something stolen from someone else.
At first he tries to hang on, having his lyrics written down (which, again, sheds light on the difference between him and Lucius), trying to act as a cultured gentleman of sorts, but that’s unsustainable in the long run, because he doesn’t actually think he can be that person. He’s actually drowning in feelings of inadequacy and helplessness, and does what he did as a child when overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and helplessness: becomes the Kraken.
In conclusion, something I really wish to see in season 2 of the show is for Ed to be taught how to read. Stede could do it, continuing on the trend of the two of them teaching each other things, or - an option I very much like - possibly Lucius, which would help Ed and Lucius get closer again after the, um, accident - and also considering that, in my opinion, Ed’s action is pretty much directly connected to Lucius’ literacy.
After all, what is the cutlery lesson but foreshadowing for actually more relavant and useful teachings in how to belong to Stede’s world? Silly manners don’t matter, but, pardon the reference, reading is fundamental. There will always be an imbalance of power between the two of them if Ed remains illiterate, and only filling that gap can make Ed feel like he’s not inadequate.
One of the (many) things I really like about OFMD is the casual use of words like love and adore — from Izzy of all people. None of the others outright state whats going on between Ed and Stede - Lucius comes the closest when he tells Ed “that bizarre little man likes you very much,” but thats as close as anyone comes to outright saying what they’re all seeing– except for Izzy.
Izzy, who you would imagine would be the LAST one to put a name to what’s happening, straight up tells Stede “and [Blackbeard] adores you.” And later when he’s bitching to Spanish Jackie, its “Stede comes along like oh I love, I love the way you wear your hair,” or whatever it is he says.
The other characters all watch the developments with wide eyes but don’t ever describe it, and meanwhile Izzy is wandering around saying “Yeah Blackbeard absolutely adores that little shit of a man and I hate it” and “yeah that little shit of a man loves my fearsome captain and I want to slaughter him for it.”
He hates what he’s seeing, but he calls it what it is, and idk, i really like that they a) straight up use the word “adore” to describe Ed’s feelings for Stede but also b) that its Izzy, in all his furious indignation and disgust, that says it.
Yeah!!!! He’s also the one that says that Stede has seduced Blackbeard. He straight up uses the term seduced.
