shinsky

[shinsky]

One of my biggest critiques of the newer seasons of Malevolent is how canon completely forgot that John ALSO has control over Arthur's body. Specifically left hand and the right foot.

It was such a big thing, back in s1: when we didn't know who John was, when the horror was more intimate and personal. There was a huge focus on the fact that inside Arthur's head, there is something unexplainable and alien that took over his eyes. That this something, doesn't remember what or who he is, who says that he is on Arthur's side, but we don't know for sure. And then, in addition to all the madness that follows Arthur, the entity possessing Arthur's eyes suddenly gets even more control over his body. The hand, the foot - at some point, the question of when John would take over even more becomes one of the most prominent ones.

But John never takes more - in fact, he says that he doesn't want to take over Arthur's body. It wasn't his plan to take over in the first place: it just happened, and it was a surprise for him just as it was for Arthur. And here comes another part of it - the idea of two souls sharing a body. At what point does Arthur end, and at what point does John begin? What prompted the takeover in the first place? And does it really matter, when the lines blur so much, the body feels like something they always shared?

From their shared control comes the first seeds of John's want for independence and agency. From sacrificing his finger in order to escape the forest, to helping and guiding Arthur when they are in danger. Him attempting to choke Arthur when they are arguing. Arthur using John's hand and his own to destroy Faust's eyes.

Both of them are violating each other's agency and boundaries, but they can't do anything against that because they are stuck together and in constant danger. They have to work together to survive, which means that whatever feelings they have about their situation need to be put on hold. They couldn't escape the pits because they weren't in sync. If you even think about it, every step Arthur makes, he makes it with John: this is how much they interwound with one another. Even Kayne, when proposing a deal to Arthur, specifies that Yellow will get control only over Arthur's eyes, and that's it.

All of this is so important, especially when you arrive at its culmination, when Arthur shakes John's hand in the mines. This is not only about him being happy that his friend is back. This is Arthur accepting their shared control over his body, accepting that if he wants to have John in his life, he will need to share the body with him, until further notice. Most importantly, it's him accepting another person in his life and realising that whatever he chooses to do now is going to have consequences for them both. This is no longer just his life - this is John's life too. And Arthur is okay with that.

Annnnd after this beautiful journey, canon completely forgets about it. Or well, not completely: the s4 has some moments, and it also focuses heavily on the topic of both Arthur and John's agency and how they have to coexist with each other, especially concerning other people. As far as I remember, John didn't do anything with his hand in s4 (in comparison with s1(killing Eddie), s2(choking Arthur), and s3(sewing Arthur's injury)) And this is fine, there is no requiment for John to do something with his hand every season. The season still focuses on this idea of two souls in one body.

Then s5 comes.

I...am not a fan of s5. It has its moments: both good and bad. The beginning of the season(specifically the encounter with the Witch) is really good - not only is it masterfully written and produced, it continues to play into the conflicts from previous seasons. After defeating the Witch, when John has his whole speech about choosing Arthur, it is his way of accepting his role in Arthur's life, similarly to how Arthur did it in s3. This is him accepting that he is stuck with Arthur - he is okay with that. He would rather have no agency but still be with Arthur than have control over the whole body and not have Arthur.

One of the biggest problems in s5 for me is the way John has been reduced to just the narration tool. It's like canon completely forgot all of the conflicts John used to have before. Sure, Arthur and John are not arguing with each other anymore, but it doesn't mean that they won't have disagreements. Again, they are two completely different people stuck in one body and then plucked into one dangerous situation after another. Now, knowing for a fact that if Arthur dies, John doesn't follow him into a Darkworld, there should have been some kind of shift. Some kind of change in the way they both view their life when doing something risky. At the very least, there should have been a conversation about it.

But nope. Instead, we will let a blind man throw rocks, trying to hit a target. And make him shoot into an Eldritch monster. We will reduce John to just the narration tool that doesn't contribute anything else to the conversations. It is primarily seen during the castle arc, before which Arthur asks John to help him even more than before. He needs John not only to be his guide(his eyes) but also an investigator, an active participant in the story. The worst thing is that John actually leads and helps! At first! But then they find a body, and suddenly Arthur can run around and investigate with absolutely no problems. Wouldn't it be more meaningful if, after s4 where John didn't want to be reduced to being just a passenger, he would finally get a chance to be in the lead? Putting him into a metaphorical Arthur's place, where he needs to take care not only for himself, but for Arthur too, especially when they are in danger?

But the worst comes during the episode with Lilith, where John does absolutely nothing. Sure, Arthur is Lilith's favourite, no problems with that. But, can you really say that Lilith and John don't have anything to say to each other? Both were fragmented and left in another world for years. Both have someone they connect with. Both grew to appreciate human nature despite its limits. Only to have different journeys end: Lilith back to being whole, and John rejecting his nature to be someone new. Honestly, when I first listened to this episode, I was half-convinced Lilith couldn't hear John and didn't even know about him.

Notice how I didn't say anything about John's usage of his left hand or right foot? Yeah, because he doesn't. At all. There was absolutely no moment where John used the parts he had control over to do something. Canon not only forgot that John has those parts, but it also reduced John to just being a narrative tool.

I wanted to write about all of this for AWHILE, but what finally broke the camel's back is the first episode of s6. When John refers to Arthur's arms as just Arthur's arms. When he says "your left hand". And with a description that on the left hand, there is some scar that shines white and presumably holds a fragment of Lilith, which means that back in episode 52, it was John who reached out towards the piece of Lilith. Only it wasn't: it was Arthur. So, the choices are either Harlan forgot who reached out for what, or he completely forgot that John has control over the left hand.

The point is: canon always was loose on how much control John had over the body. He and Arthur share their ears and nose. Back in s1 Arthur played a super complicated melody on piano with both of his hands. No one remembers that John has control over Arthur's right foot. And that's okay! We all make mistakes and sometimes we have to bend rules to let the story played out the way it supposed to: it's how Harlan says, he doesn't mention Arthur using facilities because no one wants to hear about Arthur going for a piss. But in the important moment, where it matters, the attention should be put on who does what.

Thank you for coming for my TedTalk, more at 11

[shinsky]

genuinely read "kanye malevolent" in the tags send help

has this been done before

[shinsky]

not me pretending avocado face mask will soothe bags under my eyes after crying the evening out over the broken tooth

[shinsky]

got awfully used to it, woke up like "was it explosion? if yes well fuck it" and went back to sleep

WOW I SURELY LOVE BALLISTIC ROCKETS AND SHAHEDS UP MY ASS WHEN I AM ALREADY BARELY PULLING THOUGHT THANK YOU VERY MUCH

[shinsky]

how do i build my caffeine tolerance because 4 cups is not enough

[shinsky]

upd I listened and I am hurt

i am deliberately postponing listening to the last episode of malevolent hoping that in the right time it will hurt more

[shinsky]

i am deliberately postponing listening to the last episode of malevolent hoping that in the right time it will hurt more

[shinsky]

Sumy, Ukraine right now after russian strike 💔

[shinsky]

[shinsky]

my 15yo cat died today and i feel like.. each year I'm getting older losing things people animals and with each loss the part of me goes in the past, and here's the thing: people I'll meet in the future won't know me whole. That's neither good nor bad, just an observation, my friend for almost 27 years knows me in the great number of things, ones not present anymore, and my potential future friend won't know those things, won't perceive me as the one I was just yesterday. rest in fluffy heaven, my friend. it won't hurt anymore.

[shinsky]

i bet it was the Oskar's letter?

& they say romance is dead

[shinsky]

"You can’t separate us, not unless we’re willing to do so."

[shinsky]

The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) dir. Peter Jackson

[shinsky]

you won't believe the scream i was screaming listening to invictus

[shinsky]

not all of it is bad i think….…. we are going to be okay i think.

[shinsky]

them in the last episodes?? gay