Blowing smoke rings is an effective courting ritual.
ID. Stede in his turquoise outfit leaning over Ed (knee dangerouslyclose to Ed’s crotch) as Ed, in purple shirt, blows smoke rings from a long pipe with a little dragon claw at the end, illuminated by a candle behind Ed. They want to kiss so badly.
-After he killed his father, Ed couldn’t bring himself to run away. Not when he thought of his mother. So he stayed.
-Stede Bonnet’s entire childhood was nothing but bullying from everyone around him and he decides to run away. Accidentally ending up on a pirate crew as a young man with hopes of becoming a “gentleman pirate”.
-These dreams are dashed and the once romantic young boy turns into a hardened man of the sea. (Well as hardened as he can be, this is Stede we’re talking about.)
-Edward grew up a lonely man. Apprentice to a blacksmith, never quite able to find the right person to open up to.
-His only source of joy is the local theater that allows him escape his dull life if only for a bit.
-He’s almost forty now and working when an odd band of people stumble themselves into his blacksmithing shop.
-It doesn’t take a genius to figure out these people are pirates. Their leader is a strangely dressed blonde man claiming to be an infamous pirate.
“My name is Stede Bonnet. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
“Mmm nope, can’t say I have mate.”
“I lead the Revenge! The most feared pirating ship this side of the Barbados!”
“…not ringing any bells no.”
-Captain Steve Bonnet and his crew on The Revenge pillage and pirate boat after boat but they have a bit of an image issue. Namely that no one exactly knows who to attribute this to.
-They’re fleeing the British armada after killing a somewhat important admiral of theirs and accidentally end up taking the blacksmith with them.
-Most people would be terrified at the prospect of being shanghaied by this ragtag pirate gang but Ed finds it rather thrilling. Begging to join the crew, promising to help with their image and spread the image of Bonnet and The Revenge far and wide through theatrics (fuckery, big time fuckery).
-Stede loves the idea, and is surprised by how aptly the man they picked up begins to adapt to their lifestyle. He’s quite enamored with the idea (and eventually, the man).
-Unknown to either of the men, one of the crew, Izzy Hands, has been planning a mutiny on The Revenge for a while now and this throws a wrench in his plans.
-Jim is very aware of Izzy’s plans but continues to make sure they don’t play out as Ed and Stede start to fall in love despite the ongoing shenanigans.
