elene78-blog

[elene78-blog]

I just read a comment that has stirred my fury, but I won't waste time criticizing it and starting a fight. No.

But you have archaic taste, girl! Why do you do it if you don't like it?

No, no... breathe...

[elene78-blog]

I have a hard time reading Jerejean fics after TGR. Not because of Jerejean's roles or anything, it's just...

Somehow, compared to canon, Jean is always too dramatic, too bland, or too romantic. I don't think Jean is romantic or the kind of guy who says cheesy things.

I don't think Jean is especially dramatic (he is, but in keeping with his trauma, and he doesn't have a tendency toward self-pity).

And I don't think Jean is bland.

I really think Jean is funny.

He's that kind of funny person who doesn't try to be funny, but what he says is so weird and unsympathetic compared to his stoic appearance... that you can only laugh.

"A stupid question deserves a stupid answer"

"Abominable cockroach"

"Half-baked baguette"

It's just... I can't take any fic seriously that ignores this bitter sarcasm and witty comebacks. 😂 Do you know Jean Moreau? Well, you can't leave the best behind!

Jean is one of those unpleasant people who, at first, you dislike, and suddenly, he's become your bitter friend for life 😂

[elene78-blog]

I was reading a Jerejean fic with potential. The characters weren't too OOC, and the plot was interesting...

Jean saying Knox completely shut me down 🥹 and it was post-The Golden Raven.

It's just... it was almost like reading Neil saying "please" to Andrew, so... out of place...

[elene78-blog]

But the worst part... imagine Jean as the referee... and KEVIN DAY PLAYING... Jean doesn't even let him breathe. The slightest ambiguous move and Jean will kill him in a second.

I always assumed once Jean falls in love with exy back again he would consider becoming a coach after his retirement as an athlete. The way Jean can analyze games and stats, how observing he is. But listen, what if... EXY REFEREE JEAN MOREAU?? He would be a nightmare, no one and nothing can escape his sharp eyes! Referee Jean Moreau throws yellow cards at young players like he breathes. He is mean, but he is fair! And what if he becomes a referee when Jeremy is still a striker for one of the strongest exy teams in the league? And there's this game, the rough one. And when things get heated Jean calls a freaking penalty on Jeremy. Jeremy stands there gaping at his partner like BABE REALLY??

[elene78-blog]

I read something about a BDSM fic with Jean as the dom and Jeremy as the sub and... please?

[elene78-blog]

Small comic that I made for @zombiecowboy65's post 🙂‍↕️

[elene78-blog]

Elias approaches Jeremy to flirt, and Jeremy plays along a bit until, suddenly, Elias calls him Jeremiah.

Jeremiah. Like the one in the Bible.

Jeremy imagines a boy calling him Jeremiah in bed and feels suicidal.

Jeremy asks Elias why he calls him that, and Elias says, "Isn't that what you prefer me to call you? The French guy told me you preferred that name."

Jeremy stares at Jean, his eyes wide open. Jean immediately looks away, pretending he wasn't looking at them at all, and saunters into the pottery class.

[elene78-blog]

I worry for some of you when the Kevin books come out tbh.

Cause when they come out and everyone realizes how cemented in canon Kevin and Thea are, and how that was always the case for Kevin, I fear it may crush some of you despite every warning and heads up Nora has given. 😬

Stay safe out there, besties!

[elene78-blog]

AFTG ask game! 25. A prediction/wish for future books

One of my wishes is that tetsuji shows up in TBC and Jean gets to confront him. I don’t really care how or when I just think he needs to. And I’ve said this before so sorry I’m like preaching to the choir but… it just makes sense!! Everything stems from tetsuji! Tetsuji wanted Jean for the court and tetsuji gave Jean to riko and tetsuji was always the master in the nest and in Jean’s mantra. Riko is dead and Grayson is dead and Zane is gone. It all comes down to tetsuji now. Plus we have the “[rhemann] is not the one who should apologize to me” and “jean wondered if [the ravens] would ever learn to stand their ground [against coaches]”. Plus I mean there technically is motive. Jean’s the reason the nest started crumbling. Kevin & Neil leaving put cracks in the foundation but riko nearly killing Jean is what started the castle crumbling …

Ugh I want it so fucking bad lmfao

[elene78-blog]

I think the Jean rumors aren't as widespread as we think, or at least most teams ignore them because they think they're ridiculous and offensive, a vile strategy by the Ravens because they're upset about losing Jean.

Why do I believe this?

Neil doesn't mention them once in the original trilogy, nor does Kevin at any point, nor do the Foxes. Only the Ravens (and not all of them, as far as we know) mention them because of Grayson and his insistence on reviving that shit.

The Trojans and Jeremy's family mention them because, as the team Jean is traded to, it's clear that's where the Ravens put the most emphasis on spreading the most shit. And why else? Well, it's clearly because of Jeremy, my poor baby, and because his family sees Jean as a possible interest for Jeremy.

At The Golden Raven banquet, no one mentions it. They just say that Jean is a beast (in the aggressive sense).

They don't say anything in the interview, and neither do the paparazzi. The little they mention is so ambiguous that it could refer to Jean's alleged aggressiveness.

In the Trojans' first game, they don't say anything either, not even when that player attacks Jean. He calls him illiterate, but doesn't address the rumors.

Zane's first verbal attack doesn't come from that angle. He only insults Jean when Jean insinuates that he would have preferred Neil as a teammate, "hurting" Zane's feelings in that sense. This is likely because Zane knows the truth about what happened, even though he insults Jean in that way. In other words, Zane knows what he did and considers the attack to be mean.

Sergio also doesn't say anything about it in the emails he shares with Jean, and we know that he, Phil, and Colleen got along "well" with Jean. Therefore, I suspect there are Ravens who never believed the rumors, or at least suspected it wasn't something so easy to swallow. Surely they knew what Jean really went through, since Zane had to protect Jean from Grayson. They knew it WASN'T CONSENTUAL.

In other words… I think the rumors about Jean may be widespread, BUT people know the Ravens and know they always play dirty. Most likely, people DON'T BELIEVE the rumors about Jean and find them offensive. Let's put ourselves in the situation of any college player:

You're part of a college game. You don't have much time for rumors or to take them seriously. You pretty much couldn't care less, unless they're on your own team.

Jean is VERY GOOD, and that's undeniable. Saying he slept with a lot of guys to get a number wouldn't make sense to anyone. Why would he? he clearly doesn't need to.

You know the Ravens play dirty, and obviously, if their team's best defender leaves during the championship, and on top of that, they lose, you know the Ravens are going to be pissed off and throw a million pieces of shit at Jean.

A 16-year-old sleeping with five players? Hey… That doesn't exactly sound consensual. It's very shady, and if it's true, considering the Ravens are committing suicide overnight, I'd call the police to find out what the hell is going on there before saying anything hurtful about Jean.

Have the players involved said anything? Obviously not, because that would taint their careers. It's not something to brag about.

Bottom line, I highly doubt people will take the rumors about Jean seriously, and if they do, seeing so many Ravens fall, the most logical thing to conclude is that something shady is going on there, and a 16-year-old kid must have experienced something horrible.

I think virtually no one believes them. It's another matter that the most horrible teams would want to bother Jean with this during a game.

Unfortunately… I'm afraid the fact that Jean was welcomed by Jeremy has effectively served to fuel these rumors and cast a shadow of doubt.

[elene78-blog]

FIRST JEREJEAN ART WHO CHEERED

[elene78-blog]

I think Jeremy's going to try to sleep with someone else on TBC after something really stressful... and while he's making out with that guy, he starts hearing the words in his head that he repeats to himself every night before bed and every day when he wakes up with calm anticipation.

"I'll always choose you."

And Jeremy will push the guy away, horrified, and the guy will say something nasty to him when Jeremy leaves because... he can't. He can't. He can't. It feels so wrong, so horrible to be touched.

His skin itches just thinking about it, and he feels like the biggest piece of shit. And Jeremy tries to suppress it and escape, like always, but this time he can't. Not when he sees Jean every day and struggles to think and control the thoughts he tries so hard to hide.

He doesn't want anyone in his bed. It makes him want to throw up. But at the same time, he feels terrible because he needs someone to remind him that he's "a piece of shit" and that he doesn't deserve respect because Noah died, but Jeremy can't stand it when Jean is there and looks at him, and Jeremy is always looking for him at all hours, and...

Jean was supposed to be his success story. That's all.

[elene78-blog]

That's literally what I love about Jean. I've defended Jean's aggression since TSC, when everyone was portraying him as a complete victim and a person who keeps putting his head down. I knew better. In fact, after Jean raises his hand to Tanners and the others, I'm convinced that in The Perfect Court we'll see that Jean beat up the newbies in The Nest, and he had no qualms about playing dirty. I'm sure Nora will show us an almost cruel side of him in the Kevin duology! What else would he do? Jean wouldn't have been able to survive if he didn't!

I think the fandom has improved so much after The Golden Raven, and they don't see Jean as submissive now. But there was a horrible time when what was written and spoken about Jean was degrading. People seemed to have forgotten that the rumors about Jean were about his violence and aggression! The rumors about sleeping with the lineup started after Jean was announced as a Trojan (partly because of Jeremy, partly because Grayson wanted to discredit Jean out of anger at losing the championship and the punishment imposed by Riko and Zane!).

Jean is far from perfect, and for those who have upset the Trojans about how they've handled Jean's situation… okay, erase what you know about Jean and put yourself in the Trojans' position. If you're an uninformed Trojan, the first thing you see is a rude, arrogant, and threatening guy. That's what you see. You don't think about trauma or anything, just that he's a weird, rude guy. For example, when Patrick, Cody, and Ananya eat with Jean, I hated Patrick… but I could also understand him. Jean said something rude about the food, which is also part of your fiancée's culture. A culture that, admittedly, isn't always appreciated in the country they're in. How would you have reacted? Maybe even worse than Pat.

Nora demonstrates these dichotomies very well regarding all the characters in her stories… and the fandom only sees what it wants to see!

In short… I agree with almost everything you say… and I love Jean despite her shortcomings! No, scratch that. I love Jean for not being perfect and for being rude!

I agree with everything… Except for the fact that people discredit Kevin in favor of Jean's trauma.

Actually, I think it's the opposite.

Kevin's own fandom began to "idealize" Kevin and tried to make him the perfect victim when it was discovered that he used Jean to escape The Nest.

A portion of the fandom said Kevin's actions were justified because of everything he'd suffered in The Nest and because he was in danger… and maybe so, but that doesn't mean he should be applauded for it. He survived, and that's what he used someone else to do. I can understand this, but I'm not going to justify or excuse that act.

They say Kevin didn't know everything that was going on with Jean, when canonically he DID. Kevin's lovers try to excuse Kevin by adding even more traumatic burden than Jean has, when we know Kevin wasn't raped, when we know Kevin wasn't tortured to the same degree as Jean, and when Kevin himself says that "Jean hasn't been allowed the same dignity" as he and Riko.

And that's fine!

Kevin got out despite Jean. Kevin didn't try to get him out afterward because he was afraid… and that's fine! It's fine that Kevin has other traumas. Why do Kevin's lovers want to excuse him? You have no reason!

By trying to excuse him, I'm sorry, but in my opinion, they're downplaying what Jean had to go through after Kevin left in order to say, "Oh, poor Kevin," and that doesn't seem right to me.

Kevin isn't a perfect victim, just as Jean isn't. Neither is, and the fandom should love them both for who they are: complex, broken characters.

jean moreau: the perfect victim

essay about how jean is often perceived/stereotyped as the perfect victim; why i don't think it's true and the repercussions it has for fandom discussion and attitudes.

ok i've been hesitant to say this on here because i don't want to get absolutely flamed because jean is such a precious and untouchable character to the fandom (and i understand, i love that man), but i'm gonna say it: i think the fandom has rose-coloured glasses on for jean. and i don't think it's a good thing.

i've said before that the fandom infantilises jean, and i think that is part of the problem. but on a larger scale, i think the fandom just fails to acknowledge a lot of jean's canon character flaws. they turn him into a perfect victim.

i can understand where they're coming from. because of the sheer scale and magnitude of jean's trauma and backstory, it's understandable that a lot of it overshadows, explains and cancels out some of his character traits. a lot of his personality was learned from his time at the nest (e.g. asking to be punished, seeing and using violence as a solution), and a lot of those behaviours he needs to unlearn, but that doesn't mean we can entirely disregard them, because then it turns jean into frankly a pretty boring character, without flaws and dimension and lessons to learn.

i find it interesting the difference in the way the fandom treats kevin and jean, when they're the victims of fairly similar situations. before i get clocked, obviously jean dealt with very different circumstances, and was treated on a different level because he was perceived as an object, and his position to riko was different, but what i mean is that kevin and jean objectively come from relatively similar places. both of them are victims of the nest (though yes, jean is also a victim of rape and specific members of the team, that is an important distinction). it's not fair to discount kevin's trauma or diminish it just because jean was put into a different position and dealt with different traumas. kevin is important, because it's really interesting and telling to see how the fandom is willing to explain away, excuse and ignore jean's flaws due to his experiences in the nest, but refuse to give kevin the same courtesy.

if anything, kevin's time in the nest should be more emphasised when discussing his formation as a character, considering he's been there since he was a young child, during his developmental and formative years. while yes, he is very widely criticised for his bossiness, arrogance and general brattiness, these traits are never considered in context. he's lived practically his whole life (not all, but practically, since the raven lifestyle is so all-consuming) as a poster child for exy. make fun of and/or criticise his obsession with the sport all you want, but it's literally his only connection to his mother (and arguably, also his father) and it is also...his livelihood. like literally, it is his career, it is his reputation, it is essentially his entire identity. his life literally depends on him being the best at this fucking sport. and he IS the best at this fucking sport. of course he's arrogant about it, he has earned this through tireless days and nights, physical and psychological torture from his adopted family, relentless practising and efforts, and a lifetime in front of cameras and under constant scrutiny. as jean says, kevin has earned the right to be arrogant.

this isn't just another kevin defence essay honest to god. i'm circling back just wait.

in regards to kevin's relationship and dynamic with jean, i see a lot of people criticising kevin for being bossy with and critical of jean, but honestly? kevin is like that with everyone. andrew, neil, all of the foxes. probably everyone he has every played exy with. because that is the only way he knows how to relate to others: through power dynamics and clear-cut hierarchy. and, through no fault of his own, he has usually been near the top of that hierarchy. it's strongly implied that, after tetsuji, the raven coaches, and riko, kevin is next in line in the ravens'/moriyamas' fucked up hierarchy. and yes, it's why he says that jean can't/won't hurt him, and yes it's why jean admits that he can't. that's like, the bare bones of it. but yes, obviously personal relationship also factors into it. jean also can't hurt kevin because he cares about him and was, at one point, in love with him. you can read kevin's words to/about jean "he won't hurt me, he doesn't know how" as kevin belittling him if you want to, but honestly i think he's just stating a fact. it's a layered statement, but honestly i think the "he doesn't know how" part literally refers to how jean and kevin stood by and watched each other get hurt all of their years together, and have always stayed by each other's side to clean up afterwards, that they literally do not know how to do harm to each other. because they never have caused genuine physical harm to each other. idk i really don't know what else kevin would be talking about but i digress.

this brings me back to the fact that the fandom loves to forget about jean's faults and nobody else's. this means that jean gets idealised as the perfect victim, and everyone else is kind of demonised for breathing wrong around him (this has happened to jeremy, to kevin, and to cat and laila). for sure, hold characters accountable for their actions, but not when the basis for your critiques come from the wrongful assumption that another character is their victim and can do no wrong themselves, so they therefore always have to be defended against everyone around them who wants to prey on them and do them harm.

apart from against riko, tetsuji, coaches, and at times certain ravens, jean has no issue defending himself or fighting back. yes, he has learned to duck his head and silently accept beatings from riko, tetsuji and coaches, and that's because he was conditioned to. with his peers (teammates, friends, literally anyone else), jean doesn't hold back when it comes to defending himself. even with grayson and zane, jean fights back against them viciously and without restraint, it's just that they overpower him, and also yes, hold psychological power over him. with kevin, neil, andrew, jeremy, cat, laila and the trojans, jean isn't ducking his head or just accepting any kind of mistreatment from them. he knocks jeremy to the ground several times in tsc, doesn't have any problem dragging neil around like a ragdoll, shoves kevin against a wall and manhandles him, has a couple spats with andrew and also inadvertently goes to hit cat and laila in self-defence and reflexively. he can do all of these things, but he doesn't hurt any of them, per se, not with any kind of violent, abusive intention, like the way riko hurt kevin and jean in the nest.

also remember when jean raised his hand to hit the freshmen he was training in tgr??? remember when the only thing holding jean back from beating up his teammates (not just scrimmaging with them, literally "sending them to the nurse") a couple times was because he contractually was not allowed to??? yeah. jean, like kevin, probably, has learned violent behaviours and instincts from his years in the nest. he, like the foxes, isn't hesitant to brawl and beat up his teammates, it's just that he's contractually obligated to be nice (still one of the funniest things ever, btw). please for the love of god stop turning jean into a helpless little meowmeow who can't defend himself. and stop turning everyone that is a little bit mean or bossy with jean into a horrid villainous abuser. it's tiring and boring and literally nobody wins. jean doesn't get to be a complex character and neither does anyone else.

******NOTE i do think kevin and jean have an unhealthy power dynamic in their relationship, one they will have to dismantle if they want their friendship to work out. BUT i refuse to place blame on either of them for this dynamic and hierarchy because they were forced into these positions. like, forcibly and violently pushed into these roles. they were quite literally cult-conditioned into a hierarchy, and it's only natural that they find it difficult to unlearn when they're around each other, so they'll naturally fall back into their roles. i digress.

[elene78-blog]

Jeremy in his 30’s glistening and relaxed under the sun on a beach near their second home in Marseille in the South of France.

More importantly.

Jean in his 30’s glistening and relaxed under the sun on a beach near their second home in Marseille in the South of France.

[elene78-blog]

Thanks for this, queen! What you're saying is that you're truly a Kevin Day fan. You love him even though you know he may have done certain things, not by defending him, but by assimilating the good and the bad in him. That's all I ask of the fandom!

After The Golden Raven, I'm surprised there are still people saying Kevin didn't know the severity of Jean's situation.

I'm sorry to open the trash can, but I keep reading people saying Kevin didn't know about the rapes or the true extent of what Jean was going through. Jeremy and Kevin have a whole conversation about this, for God's sake!

Have we read the same book, or do you desperately need to pretend that Kevin wouldn't have left if he knew everything they were doing to Jean for some reason?

I don't understand the reasoning behind this.

[elene78-blog]

I apologize in advance

[elene78-blog]

The concept of Jeremy getting between tetsuji and Jean because he’s been too late to helping Jean TWICE. And he will not be late a third time. The concept of Jeremy getting injured or something while getting between them. The concept of Jean getting to take down his biggest fear and standing his ground where the ravens / he never could . The concept of him losing them all if he must . The concept of him choosing Jeremy every time .