You've shared some things about seeing Jack as a baby as being ableism and I was wondering where you stand on this issue?
I'm assuming this is about the poll I shared. I think where I land right now on this particular issue: I assume the most charitable view I can. Escapism is the point for a lot of folks, so I try not to begrudge them that.
Some other, more rambling thoughts:
1. Jack had a longer anticipation phase: Unlike Amara and Emma, who are also supernatural born-adult cosmic entities, there was a longer anticipatory phase with Kelly, where we were excited about her pregnancy and anticipating her baby.
We journeyed with Kelly through being anguished over her decision-making and bonded with Cas over buying diapers etc etc. We also got to know Kelly (and Kelly's parents) way more than Emma or Amara's human parents. I think this attenuates some of the fandom preferences.
NOTE: (Amara refers to herself as a child when she came to earth, saying of Crowley, "He tried to control me when I was a child." So I think the prodromal phase to her primordial emergence isn't as cut-and-dry as we'd like either.)
But the thing with all of them is their growth is clearly presented as abnormal and outside the scope of a typical "human" experience. They are all characterized by their powers and their massive, massive intake of information. They all overshadow human sensibilities with their vastness, and overpower humans by leaps and bounds.
Simply put, they're much much much higher on the food chain, and that causes intense anxiety in their human relationships, something AU Michael keys into for Jack in The Spear:
via @spnscripthunt
Jack was afraid Michael was right. That he'd grow into thinking of his familial loyalties the same way we humans think about hamburgers or clothes.
I'm also thinking of this quote:
"As exquisite as the natural world is, however, there exists a violent underbelly that, for some reason, mostly goes unnoticed...In point of fact, the survival of any one species depends entirely on how successfully it's able to willfully kill--and usually eat--its neighboring species. Even human vegans and vegetarians survive by the demise of plants. Moreover, if you're wearing clothes as you read this, you're wearing death."
-Randall R Scott from Entanglement is Not Spooky
In physics, the word information is closely related to microstates and probabilities. In some limited circumstances information is functionally similar to entropy.
However, information is no substitute for knowledge and experience. I think the cosmic entities have way, way more information than humans, but not always more wisdom, so the power imbalances aren't super cut-and-dry. (This is why I write Jack-Harper like this.)
In fact, I think humans can naively latch onto the "perceived" playfulness and strangeness of the cosmic entities as a means to ease the anxiety of the inherent, extreme power imbalance. (Example: sexual inexperience is not a meaningful indicator of "innocence" when the same character is also an experienced war mongerer and cannibal. For a human to assume that is silly. Naive.)
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2. The Jack infant pushback analysis is helpful for me: I've found the ableism analysis really helpful for delving into Jack's own perspective of who he is, how he relates to and moves through the world, and how he is perceived by others.
Simply put, I like it.
I'm a weirdo, (I test around 21-23 on the autism quotient, around your average chess champion), but that's a long way from having enough autistic traits to say what is or isn't ableism on this issue.
Even if that's not your primary mode of viewing Jack, I found it helpful for viewing Jack as more than just an accessory, more than fanon wish fulfillment. (Though wanting happiness for character is, as I said above, completely understandable) I really like Jack as a complex character all on his own.
And for that, I love how it tickles my brain. I'll start tagging it #complex jack and #culture hero jack if that helps!
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3. Is baby Jack my favorite thing? No. But I've decided to focus on just...writing more actual Jack meta instead.
I want to emphasize the complexities of his role as WAR SON and the idea of his effervescence as at least partly defensive performance (a la analogous to performing!Dean). He's a pretty sassy mofo; Kelly Kline is too.
I think a lot of his interiority being similar to Mary is fascinating. (They are both child soldiers.)
I also like how the TFW dads’ views on Jack are often analogous to how they view themselves.
So you'll find I write a lot of that kinda stuff instead.
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4. Culture hero Jack: I think if I had to characterize where I'm at with Jack as a character, I get the most mileage out of the Born-Sexy-Yesterday trope (Like Vision from the MCU) and Culture Hero myths (which often features babies born as adult males who are at war with their murderous God!grandfathers).
It's not to say that's better or more right. I just dig it. You'll find that I write and share what I find personally compelling.
There are a lot of opinions that I find well-argued that...simply don't do anything for me right now. Sometimes it's a vibe I'm just not feeling, sometimes it's a topic I exhausted in my youth and am just extremely played out on.
For now, I just focus on the ones that do it for me. :-)
Sorry that got rambling.
I hope that answers your question and makes you feel open to me sharing some of this stuff without feeling like maybe I'm bashing you if you enjoy that content? Anyway... :-)
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ive read this one theory that the dagger prophesy used to be commonly known in the targ family… BEFORE maegor. after that they started keeping it a secret. as like a way to explain how jaehaerys wouldve known about it. wondering if you had any thoughts about that idea?
That actually makes some sense! We don't get the sense that Rhaena is particularly close to any of Jaehaerys and Alysanne's children despite her being alive and in Harrenhal for about two decades after the oldest trio is born, so that combined with her general hands off approach would make me think it's not impossible she'd follow Jaehaerys' lead and not talk about it anymore. And I can see Rhaenys, Aenys, and Visenya openly speaking about it to their children as well, and it sort of being part of the House Mythology similar to Daenys' dream of the Doom. Then Jaehaerys, who in general takes a much more secretive approach to leadership and magic specifically (not that this ultimately helps at all) wants to keep it quiet for whatever reason (to keep things calm, to not sow fear, whatever).
I do think it's perfectly in character for Aegon the Uncrowned to have told Rhaena just before he dies about it, and that Rhaena told Jaehaerys though. Especially given that Aegon the Uncrowned had yet to have his own son, and was so close to Rhaena, and she was so hysterical about him leaving to fight Maegor - perhaps he told her his reason was that if the Threat From The North comes, it can't be Maegor on the throne.
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Scrimbly Jacquelines 21/52: IT'S FUCKING MERMAY?!?! HELLO?!?!?
Yo. She turned out SO CUTE. I'm grinning like a maniac. Wtf. Who ALLOWED THIS.
yes that's deffs Dite a necklace
wanted to incorporate some warm colours bc. half summer sprite. but alas. they didn't quite turn out so now it's BLUE
the scales on her belly are her SCARS! MERMAID SCARS! SCALES GREW OVER THEM! AH!
had a whole ass crisis bc i SWEAR i wrote where her scars were SOMEWHERE but I can't fucking FIND IT. losing my MIND. in a PRISON of my OWN MAKING
update: FOUND THE PASSAGE LMAO. I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE! WHEE! 9CS Chapter 14, but I think I edited the passage down. I know I have the og saved SOMEWHERE with all three scars listed)
got way too excited when I realized she could use icicles in lieu of 'shell bra" or whatever
can't believe I actually drew a hairline. i never do. wildin. idek what hairlines any of these blorbos have, i just wing it
PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT, LOL!
(we are going to ignore the outside the lines bit, yes yes yes)
i am very proud of those scrimbly hands y'all. AH
Unedited version here:
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I want some happy in the Izzy tag so.
Jack is gonna propose to Izzy, he wants to do a whole big thing about it, practically planning a flash mob, but he doesn’t cause he knows Izzy would hate it with all the attention on him.
So he plans quieter, take him to his favorite vegan restaurant, slip the ring in his food or his drink, but then, he can’t go with that either because Izzy is so particular about his food since he’s got all those stomach issues and Jack doesn’t want to send him into an anxiety spiral about where his food’s been.
So he plans gentler, movie marathon night at home, bunch of those sappy romantic movies they both pretend they hate, he’ll tell him ‘hey I got you something extra special with all the snacks’ and pull out the ring box. Yeah. He’ll go with that one. He puts in a request for the day off, pulls out all their super comfy blankets and washes them to make sure they’re extra fresh. Plans a little menu and goes shopping, so excited he’s dancing in the aisles.
The morning before and Jack wakes up to Izzy making breakfast, all the stuff he can’t eat but he knows Jack likes, god he loves him. He gets up, heads to the kitchen presses a big, lip-smacking, kiss to Izzy’s temple and fixes Izzy’s coffee before sitting down to the plate Izzy’s already prepared for him. He’s got the fork halfway to his mouth when Izzy slaps something down on the table.
Jack blinks. Blinks again.
Fuck.
Its the ring box. How did Izzy find it? Jack was keeping it in his truck! Izzy never went in his truck without him, he didn’t even drive! Shit! Could he still save this? Maybe he could-
Wait.
That’s not his ring box. The one he’d bought was a nice, dark green, velvet. This one is a sleek, tan leather. He looks up at Izzy, who is leaning back against the counter, arms crossed tight against his chest, pointedly avoiding eye contact.
‘Well?’ He, honestly, kinda demands in that snappy tone of voice he gets when he’s trying to pretend like he’s not more nervous than a balloon in a needle factory. ‘Are you gonna fuckin’ say “yes” or not?’
A grin splits Jack’s face. He feels about fit to burst himself, how happy he is.
‘Lemme run to my truck real quick.’
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