top tier trope is the villain getting into a relationship with the protagonist with the intention of manipulating and then eventually discarding them once they’ve filled their purpose, only to run into the terrible roadblock of catching feelings
I made it to the S3 finale in my TMA relisten today and was struck by one part of the statement in particular, when Elias says:
He hears her calling pathetically from the bottom of the graves, but by now he knows there is nothing he can do but stare. She begs to be released, to dream of this place no more, but there is nothing he can do.
So he watches her[.]
I just can’t stop imagining Jon the first, two, ten (?) times he has this dream, trying to reach down into the grave, to save Naomi, to save everyone else whose dreams he haunts–until he realises that no matter what he does, he cannot.
I got to this bit and immediately season 5 made so much more sense–when they are wandering through the fear domains, Martin is aghast at the suffering he sees, desperate to find some way to help those trapped in the domains, and frustrated with Jon’s repeated “there is nothing we can do” answer. It’s not that Jon doesn’t care, it’s not even that he Knows, it’s just that he has been witnessing and feeding on suffering like this for years and he has already tried and tried and tried to help those trapped.
And then there is the parallel between the way the people in the nightmares treat him, with disdain, as if he is a cruel monster (which tbf is a very valid response in their situation) and the way his colleagues treat him, especially in S4. Add to that his pre-existing survival guilt, and of course this man was going every extra mile to help those he can, getting his own rib removed to save Daisy.
How much must Elias have lost his entire mind when his new pet Archivist is telling him that he needs to know?
This is basically Jon accidentally flirting with Elias right
This is absolutely Jon accidentally flirting with Elias.
Even worse: This is Jon flirting with Elias so that he can have special access to the tunnels under the Institute. Flirting with one’s boss to get what you want.
I feel at odds with like 80% of the fandom bc elias is supposed to be a very competent and very evil man but I much prefer the interpretation where he’s just
I have nothing new to share, except, man, @paradisepuppet and I have written over a hundred thousand words of jonelias since last December, and I sincerely hope we get to a point where we can edit some of it into fic and share it with you all. I love what we’ve done with them so, so much. 🖤
