dr-fanshawe:
trans jonah magnus is so real to Me… a lot of his traits could be partially ascribed to his experience as a 19th century trans person
it would create a separation between him and his body, make him a guest in his own flesh, form a “my body is not my own” sentiment that would last for 200+ years (even if for different reasons). it would force him to create himself, and to fight for recognition. it would form the “it’s not in your blood, or your soul, or your destiny” belief (he wouldn’t believe in biological determinism at least, which is a solid argument, i think). it would make him afraid of being outed, and thus afraid of being truly known, and yet make him long for someone who would understand
elias-rights:
Jonah Magnus having a grudge against the whole universe for daring to set him up as a victim—until he said no, I’m going to claw my way to the top of this rotten system no matter what it takes. Survival as an act of existential spite.
polycoriad:
the other thing about elias is that he is like a tumblrina to me essentially. like he saw a wet mean little man he liked and he said oh he’s perfect i’m going to put him in a jar and shake him around i’m going to put him in so many hideous situations. like any time you want to put a man in the microwave it was then that elias bouchard carried you. but unlike tumblr bloggers he managed to leverage this for career advancement slash becoming king of the fucking world which no one here has ever accomplished. you know they say if you do what you love you never work a day in your life.