Anyway. Last night I was thinking, as I sometimes do, about the month Jon spent at the circus. But this time, not about the nonconsensual lotioning. This time I was thinking about the fact it was a MONTH.

Was it an actual month? As in, near to or exactly 30 days? Four weeks? Or was it just hyperbole? Less than that, but close enough to count? Maybe even longer. Regardless. A twelfth of the year. Gone. Add that to the six months in a coma and Jon has a seven month deficit in his reality. But anyway. On that note. Was he aware of it the whole time? How had he survived? Was there bullshit time dilation? Is that it? He seemed pretty surprised about the length of time, but that doesn’t confirm one way or the other. Though, time dilation bullshit isn’t the Stranger’s m.o. That’s more along the line of the Spiral, right? Still. Can’t really establish HOW Jon exactly experienced that time. He was oddly fine tho. No malnourishment, no obvious degradation in mental and physical faculties that would naturally come from an entire month of being isolated and restrained. Maybe that’s confirmation? He seemed very… unaffected by it. Afterwards. Despite his willingness to die the way he felt he should’ve as a child. Though, would make for bad audio if the main character was unable to converse or react.

I still wonder, though. Why did they want us to not focus too much on the horror of being prepared to be murdered and skinned for a month? Why was it made into a joke? Was it all just to show Jon’s inhumanity? To help emphasize he was already becoming an other? I suppose that would make sense then. No need to dwell when you’re not supposed to empathize. No need to address it when it was just one more mark.