#He's always been disregarded or shrugged off or outright deemed incompetent/unworthy/etc etc

[saltpepperbeard]

Hey, felt like being angsty lol.

I was rereading your post about Stede not opening up and how people give him the opportunity to do so but he rejects it. And yes , Ed does do that in episode 6 but when else? Who looks after Stede in the way he looks after others.

This might be unpopular, but I don't think the crew feels the same found family way towards him that they do to each other. Yes, some of his behaviour rubbed off on them, but he doesn't seem like a priority to them. They like the environment he provides but not him, and that makes me sad.

Dammit I just want Stede to get mad and have it taken seriously. Like the last time was when he snapped at ed about Jack , and then Ed left (completely understand why).

...

now anon, why would you Do This. was just minding my business and sipping my silly little gay person iced coffee and was Brutally Attacked PFFF.

But okay, now that my heart has been torn out and is just Chilling On The Floor, I can share your sentiments. Because for REAL; something I want so so bad is for someone to look Stede in the eye and earnestly tell him that he's doing a good job, that he matters, that he's ABLE.

I think they were getting there. I think the seeds of such had been planted. The crew were beginning to adopt his practices and act with the kindness he instilled--one of my favorite examples being Jim using the Wooden Boy story to calm Fang down. And there were some instances where his skills were acknowledged, like Ed telling Lucius and Pete that Stede had things under control, Hellcat Maggie recognizing his "people positive management style" and reacting positively to it, and even Izzy throwing the little 👌 when Stede was assertive.

But like...EARNEST recognition? The same energy he puts out to everyone else??? HE NEEDS THAT.

Like...And THIS might be an unpopular opinion lol, but Ed complimenting him after the British beach fight. Again, we're GETTING somewhere. It's headed in the right direction. But it came from Stede fishing for it, and didn't have the same energy as the exchange between Ed and Zheng. He needs that same acknowledgement, that same EXCITEMENT, that same earnest "WOW you did so well and all your effort was so fucking amazing!!!"

Because he tries so hard! And does so much!

He literally put aside his own grief to make sure the crew made it safely back to the Revenge. He took a breath and acknowledged that the crew did what they had to do for their own safety, when they had killed the very reason Stede was running around the Caribbean. He continued to provide and look out for them even when his own feelings were gnawing away at him, and continued to lift them up whenever he could.

And yet they still found it so easy to walk away from him like pLEASE,,,

Granted, I think him caring for and prioritizing Ed after the events of episode 2 probably created quite the disconnect with the crew. And I think him riding his attention high in episode 7 and subsequently acting out didn't help their perception either.

But like, that's also just it: he CARES, and wants OTHERS to see him as well. He tears out his heart, and really just wants someone to finally catch it and cradle it. He just wants it all to mean something; HE wants to mean something.

SO YES, ANON; #LET STEDE BE EARNESTLY ACKNOWLEDGED 2KFOREVER

#Answered #Anons #Stede Bonnet #OFMD #OFMD Season 2 #OFMD S2 Spoilers #Revenge Rambles #The Revenge Crew #this is rotting my brain and stomping on my heart lmao because like #his behavior also kind of shows how deprived he is of said acknowledgement--of POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT #the way he bluntly fishes for compliments NUMEROUS times #like 'oh what exactly do you like about me?' type deal #And also how he reacts throughout episode 7 #Like...he's never gotten that #He's NEVER gotten that #He's always been disregarded or shrugged off or outright deemed incompetent/unworthy/etc etc #And it just kills me #I AM STILL SO VERY ADAMANT ABOUT STEDE HAVING //HIS// BATHTUB MOMENT #WHERE HE ADMITS HIS PAST AND HIS SCARS TO ED #BECAUSE IF ANYONE'S GOING TO SEE HIM LIKE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE ED #But mAAAaaaAAAANANSDHDJKLGHDLJFDJK