Do you ever think about “Where are his eyes?” “Exactly where they’ve always been, Martin. Watching over my Institute.” and just. have to put your hand into your mouth to stiffle a keening dying noise because you love Jonah Magnus so fucking much and that was SUUUCH a good reveal and so satisfying after watching weeks after weeks people speculating about it
I’ll always believe that the fandom re-interpretation of Elias as a flamboyant, melodramatic theater kid who wears bright green suits and eye-themed jewelry does a disservice to how funny it is that he is, canonically, a very boring man.
It’s so important to me that everybody knows Elias is different with Jon. Does it make sense that Gertrude wouldn’t? Not really, but, after all, she really wasn’t here that often, and if she was smart enough to avoid Elias’s eyes for decades, I’m sure he could be smart enough in return to play with her own expectations of him and specifically hide Jon from her, so that she would think that Sasha is the obvious choice to replace her (possibly because Sasha is so much like her, and/or already so ready to dive in head first into beholding).
But everybody else? The researchers, Rosie, Sasha&Tim? Oh they know. They’ve known since the very first weeks Jonathan Sims joined the Institute. Elias was not normal about him from the START. And yes, they all joked about it - not always necessarily in a nice way, even, granted, and possibly too close to Jon’s ears, a few times - but can you blame them? The way Jon can just barge into Elias’s office and Elias lets him; the way Elias just starts going down much more often into the researchers’s part of the building; the way Elias sits next to Jon every week during the weekly team lunch; they way they just stare at each other, the way Prickly, overly Serious, kind of mean and condescending Jon just melts and flushes and stutters at times when Elias gives him a ounce of praise, or let a hand brush over his shoulders……. The way he’s so clearly trying to IMPRESS this middle-aged boring man who has nothing to go for him except impeccable tailored suit and an alright face. (and the way it’s clearly WORKING. The way Elias is clearly ENJOYING Jon Sims, his conversation, his snark, his demands and his endless questions and, yes, his fluttering as well…)
I don’t know where i’m going with this i just love it when i experience jonelias through external POV.
I am once again thinking about the Jekyll & Hyde Musical and how Jonelias-coded it is
Ok let’s go. This is solely about Confrontation because I’m listening to it right now and it is a banger
For this, Jekyll is Jon, and Hyde is Elias/the Eye (I’ll note who sings which lines, if you don’t know the song). A lot of this is either pretty obvious or purely vibes based, so notes range from pretty simple statements to things only tangentially related.
Jekyll singing
Jon is the only person alive who really knows about Elias and his body hopping. That in itself is a tragedy for the original Elias, but could also pertain to Jonah himself, depending on your opinions on how lonely he may have been over the years and the such. But I digress
Jon tries to keep his Statement-taking and indulgence into the Eye a secret
Jon’s story is a tragedy
Jekyll singing, but the last line is interrupted by Hyde.
Jon questions his morals. Jonah stopping this line short shows his lack of care for it; does it really matter whether they’re “good” or “human” anymore?
Hyde (these are the lines that interrupted Jekyll)
Jonah is obsessed with Jon. He is invested in Jon’s progress as an Archivist, and genuinely cares about him (whether this is good for Jon or not is up for debate)
Jon was doomed from the moment Jonah first laid eyes (hahaha) on him
From this point onwards Jekyll’s lines have purple dots, Hyde’s have green.
Look I can’t put any thoughts into actual words but the themes. You get it.
Jon wants to kill Jonah, and be gone with the Eye. The Eye – and Jonah – are the reason for his nightmares, therefore the seperation from them wil result in the end of the nightmares
The apocolypse is a waking nightmare.
This is an other “vibes and themes” one, but mostly just because everything in this bit has been said elsewhere
The Eye will ditch Jonah in an instant when Jonah is dead. Jon will “become whole” as he becomes one with the Eye (even if he doesn’t actually want that to happen)
The effect Jonah/the Eye had on Jon will live with him forever, if he manages to survive e200
Jon and Elias are a bonded pair, whether Jon likes it or not.
When Jonah died, Jon soon followed. But first, Jon “became” Jonah by unwillingly taking his place. So for this one, the lines of Jekyll and Hyde are swapped.
I am a firm believer in the theory that Jon reminded Jonah of himself. They are cut from the same cloth, and have later been pushed into the same role
ngl the desperation in Jekyll’s voice on this last line really reminds me of Jon
Jonah has done a lot of bad but so has Jon; Jon has served the Eye just as much as Jonah has, whether it was willing or not
This was much more detailed and made much less sense than I was expecting. I hope you enjoyed it. I have spent the last however-long it took for me to write this in silence because I needed the lyrics from Spotify. I would *love* to hear y'all thoughts on it though
‘he would not fucking say that’ maybe he would if he knew he was starring in his very own porn fic for the sole purpose of delighting some freaks on archive of our own dot org. maybe he’d play it up for the cameras. ever consider that
Really appreciating all your Jonah thoughts scrolled through your blog for a while. He's such a fucking freak and you Get Him So Well. Type of man to keep his best friend who he Watched die's bones in his filing cabinet. We've gotta keep that in mind dude probably was doing puppetry with Barnabas' skull during that statement.
He's such a freak and I love him. Why is he like that. I love him
aww thanks, I do try <3 He’s my favourite little freak. I need to study him under a miscroscope. He’d probably enjoy it, too.
Also him ‘doing puppetry with Barnabas’ skull’ made me chuckle dsjksdfkj
I’m struck by how much Jonah loves living in spite of being driven largely by fear. He dooms the world “to ensure [his] own happiness”, he felt curiosity and not only fear when he discovered the Entities, he loves scheduling, he has a sense of humour, he likes cake… He genuinely wanted more life for its own sake and not simply because it was the alternative to dying.
i’ve had so many conversations with people in fandom/creators’ circles who are genuinely afraid to make the stories or art they want because they fear (often with good reason!) that their friends might kick them out of their circles, or worse, launch a public harassment campaign against them.
as someone recovering from this fear-based mindset, i want to affirm:
- friends who use implicit or explicit threats to maintain social control are not your friends
- communities that monitor your social media and ao3 to surveil you for perceived transgressive content are not safe communities
- the vast majority of people are NOT going to hate you if you make the art you want
- if you find yourself in a friend group that makes you feel afraid to speak your mind, it’s in your interest to disentangle yourself from that group as quickly as possible
- real, honest disagreements between friends can be solved respectfully without the use of public shaming
- if you’re feeling afraid in a community, it’s likely that others are feeling afraid too. support your friends who may be struggling to leave an abusive fan or creative community, and let them know you’re a safe person to voice doubts and disagreement to.
- if you’re feeling like you’ll never find a safer community of people, i promise there are others who feel that way too. it may take some time, but you’ll find people who treat you and your ideas with respect. a good place to start is the people who make the type of art that you admire but that you’re too afraid to make yourself.
ok that’s all, take care of each other and be nice 💜
First to preface this, I don’t ship lonelyeyes. However, it is interesting to me. So here are my thoughts.
Elias is a very lonely person by practice — his body hopping means he isn’t able to connect with any sort of family, and wouldn’t see much of a point in putting down roots and making new connections, except with people who know him as Jonah (Simon Fairchild and the other survivors of the Regency era, for example, or other Fear Avatars).
Elias knew Mordecai, and probably knew quite a lot of the Lukas line — his loneliness would’ve helped and been influenced by that. This would be how he met Peter in the first place. Elias is younger than Peter, which would mean that Elias may have known Peter as a child when he was still Wright. Does Peter know about the bodyhopping? I assume so, but if not that could add another layer to their relationship.
I think they would’ve been friends from there (when Jonah became Elias), or at least had some sort of connection. Love? I don’t think so. I can’t think of a better way of phrasing it but I don’t think Peter is capable of loving in that way, and neither is Elias (kinda?).
I think Elias loves in a way that is obsessive and self-centred. He loves what is like him and what is his. Peter is a creature of the Lonely, so it’s questionable to what extent he is in-touch with his emotions enough to make the kind of connections that a loving relationship requires.
Could they have been in a loveless marriage? I suppose. But Elias would be in it for gain, and Peter…for what? I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about him that much. Maybe just to feel the Loneliness that the relationship generates by being so miserable.
I do think Peter might be one of the closest things Elias has to a friend, though. That’s not to say they enjoy each other’s company; just that they are fairly familiar with one another. The way they interact and talk about each other shows that they have some sort of rapport between them. I don’t disagree that they act like an old divorced couple at times, but that contempt is similar to that of a long-lasting acquaintanceship, especially one that has always been competing and working against each other. What we see of their relationship is built on manipulation and deception and bets.
This is what Peter says about Elias (in e159):
ALT
ALT
There isn’t any love there. Their relationship is built on business and what they can gain from each other. The way Peter talks about Elias is pretty explicit in how much he did not — and still does not — like Elias. And maybe that’s shame of an ill-advised and regrettable relationship, and he’s magnifying the negative feelings to cover up that potential relationship. But the compulsion doesn’t allow a person to lie, and would Peter be able to redirect what he is saying so it’s technically true but not the whole truth? Maybe ?? If Elias had used his Beholding on Peter then maybe he would be more ready for it, and have practice deflecting it. But I don’t think Elias would’ve, and I don’t think Peter would’ve had the forethought in that moment to change what he was saying.
However, he does resist Jon’s compulsion at the end and refuses to tell him Elias’ plans, ultimately leading to his death. Could this be lingering respect for Elias? I suppose. But more likely, I think it’s just Peter being petty to Jon in the only way he can.
ALT
I believe this is all Elias says about Peter (from e160), but I could be wrong. In his entire statement, this is all that is dedicated to Peter, and it is only about one instance that Peter has done something for Elias’ benefit. This does not suggest a particularly close relationship.
This is mostly speculation, to be honest. Their relationship isn’t really shown in canon – they only actually share 1 scene, if I remember correctly, and they certainly aren’t nice to each other in that (e158). Who knows, maybe they actually had a long and prosperous relationship off-camera. But I digress.
the thing about jm is that it would be so good and interesting and delicious if everyone would just admit that they’re bad for each other. jm as an exploration of pursuing a relationship because you’re so incapable of finding value in yourself, you have to outsource that value to the only person you know who likes you. except he doesn’t actually like you, he likes the made up, unattainable version of you he’s held, static, in his head since the first time you met. and so now the only way you can find self worth is by cramming yourself into a role that doesn’t suit you, a role that makes you misersble. but it’s okay. it’s fine. better to be miserable and harmless in a role that will never fulfill you, if it means making this man (the only man who likes you, even if the you he likes is made up) happy, than face the role you actually want, the one that’s dangerous, the one you can’t accept, next to the man you can’t accept sees you better than anyone else does.
but jm isn’t that. it’s just jon and martin saying “i love you alive boy” over and over for 40 episodes straight. which is also interesting. i guess.
We don’t talk enough about how fanfiction writers love to give character large amounts of non-specific paperwork they hate doing
say more pls
Yeah sure why not.
So most stories take place when Events are Happening, and this means that no matter what kind of job the characters have, they’re probably not too focused on them. Fanfics, on the other hand, often show the down time. Which means that the writer has to figure out what the hell these characters do in their jobs. Unless the characters have a job the author understands or knows well, the author is often at a loss for what to have the character doing.
So they sit them at a desk and give them paperwork. What is the paperwork for? Rarely specified. It is Paper Work for the characters Important Adult Job they have and they need to read or sign it or something. And there’s always a line about how Character Hates Paperwork. Doesn’t matter if Character is a Mafia Boss or a General or a Diplomat, here they are in an office trying to get out of Doing Paperwork.
There’s also a sense of, like, humor and mundanity that comes with it. Like the examples above, it always particularly stands out to me when a dangerous individual is griping about some paper they need to sign or something. The less you can picture Character doing paperwork, all the better to force it upon them. If Character is saddled with Paperwork, they’re usually now concerned about the physical damages their motley crew causes, because damage = More Paperwork.
Anyway I just think it’s fun or funny, Sephiroth doing paper work and Sawada Tsunayoshi doing paper work and this just in, Tony Stark is doing paperwork. Sorry, Phoenix Wright can’t play right now. Yeah, it’s paperwork.
A very non-exhaustive list of actual paperwork they could be completing/reviewing/approving, in no particular order:
Timesheets
Expense reports
Requisition requests
Budget justifications
Payroll
Performance evaluations
Incident reports
After action reviews / post-mortem analyses
Incident Action Plans
Contracts
Contract proposals / grant applications
Reports / briefings
Your Royalty or Nobles in your feudal society should be doing this constantly unless you want to show how they’re losing the kingdom and about to be usurped or overthrown.
petitions, speech-writing, complaints, requests, assignations, disputes, judiciary forms, declarations that need signing off on, matters requiring the Royal seal, matters requiring a royal endorsement, pardons, judgments, invitations, rebuttals, census data, crop yields projected or actual, livestock records, water rights, Sumptuary laws, taxes taxes taxes…
solid point there!
even when the royalty look like they’re just fucking off to have fun, they’re doing Socially Mandated Fuck-Off and Have Fun Time
Tournaments? Gotta show you’re manly and virile through sport, or the nobles will supplant you. Feasts? Gotta show you’re wealthy through conspicuous consumption, or the nobles will supplant you. Patronizing the arts? Gotta show you’re cultured and erudite, or the nobles will laugh at you behind your back and probably supplant you.
Lawyer here. Here’s some more mundane/modern ones for you:
Invoices.
Intake sheets (information about new clients. The one for my firm is 13 pages and requires an hour long meeting. Then you have to do something with the info gathered)
Data entry for invoices and intake sheets.
Billing. (More involved than timesheets because you’re justifying to clients why you’re getting paid so much).
Form letters.
Taxes. Including 1099s for any contracted work.
Bank statements/accounting spreadsheets. Gotta track how expenses are trending.
Insurance documents.
General messages. Lots of office still use a paper system for missed calls and “important” stuff because it just works better than emails and chats for some people.
Memos. Big enough office to have at least one attorney on payroll? You’re getting memos about every legal question and concern and contract. It’s how we’re trained to communicate in formal settings.
And if you want to get into modern military, the forms are numbered, and people will refer to them by either their actual name, or the number. (Have you filled out the 4187 for this? Yes, I filled out the personnel action form.)
The military has so many forms.
If you want to add a rage level, there’s the Regular Paperwork and then the special hell of Fuckup Paperwork.
Cause there’s the invoice, and the follow up invoice and the we are about to have a problem follow-up invoice.
There’s the incident report and then the I swear I yelled at that worker about this don’t be mad at me if they do it again second warning documentation
The requisition form and the it has been six months now get me the fucking thing or you’re gonna hear from Cindy escalations form.