speculations and thoughts but in a wholesome and IM SO EXCITED way (crossposting from twt @/fxnghxol)
you know feel free to disagree but i think it’s so important for stede’s character to have this unhinged pirate era bc ultimately, this is how hes gonna realize what he truly wants - a life with ed. he never had the opportunity to feel badass, to drink and behave so recklessly. hes kind of having his teenager era where he can finally experiment and experience things he never even thought of.
ed had plenty of time to experience this exact life and he realized it’s not for him. now it’s time for him to experience domesticity to realize if thats what HE truly wants. and how and with whom he wants it. (and this is where anne and mary come into the picture; retired pirates who found a way OUT - this plotline is going to be so fucking exciting oh my ogd. them showing ed that it IS possible to live a life after being a pirate, that he deserves a life after being a pirate, that it’s okay to want this and there is a way to have it.)
they both have to go in different ways and on different journeys to come to terms with themselves and their respective needs and wants. and, at the end, when they both realize that what they truly want is the other in their lives, it’s gonna be so fulfilling (not just for them, but for the audience too.)
do i want them to spend the majority of the season together and not separate? YES OBVISOULY I WANT TO SEE THE PIRATES IN LOVVE AND HAPPY
but i honestly think this is the only way for them to have a healthy relationship. they both need to have this freedom, to find out who they are without any masks and pressure from someone. this is how the REAL ed and stede are able to have a happily ever after. and im sooo glad and excited to see their separate journeys and where it leads them and how it changes them and makes them grow. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
