Jason was not asking Bruce to kill Joker, Bruce’s options were to kill Jason or let Jason kill Joker. If you won’t listen to me, then perhaps you will listen to the author.

The dilemma Jason presents is that Bruce must either accept that he’s complicit in the knock-on effects of his actions (and inactions) and thus shoot Jason, or he must remain stalwart in his position that he is not complicit and thus let Jason kill Joker.

but paired with countdown...we learn something interesting about jason, which is that he is very bad at creating a mythology of himself. try as he might to forge an identity out of his trauma, he doesn't embody it believably. even when he donned red hood for the first time, it was more as a clue for batman than any real symbol (the way, say, batman is a symbol for bruce or oracle is a symbol for barbara). and when he did embody it in UTH, it was a very convincing piece of theater but by countdown, you get the sense that he's a little tired of playing A Character. this is particularly relevant when you think about what was happening in countdown, the way he had seen so much death and destruction, his barely-functional relationship with donna (and kyle) was crumbling, he went on a months-long, exhausting and often fruitless search for another hero. the disillusion with heroism (particularly with a heroic mythology) feels, to me, like jason getting frustrated with how the optics and the performance of it all distract from having a tangible impact. it's pretty widely discussed in jason fandom spaces how jason sees batman as his father, specifically that he sees batman (hero) and bruce wayne (father) as the same person, so wouldn't it be natural that he sees himself the same way? a suit is usually a conduit. by stepping into the suit, a hero steps into his own world, his own mythology. his shtick, so to speak.

Just want to organize my thoughts on the different Jason Robin writers and their different characterizations and strengths and how they write the character. Not gonna cover everybody. I am focusing on strengths here, not complaints.

Gerry Conway

The original writer of Jason though not the Batman writer to come up with the character (the meeting that concluded with introducing a new Robin involved Doug Moench, not Conway). His characterization emphasizes Jason's curiosity, childlike qualities, some cleverness, and a general desire to help.

Doug Moench

Number 1 Jason writer ever. If I were to condense his characterization to a single word, it would be "bright". His Jason is deeply clever, well-rounded, passionate, jealous, petty, trusting, and vibrant. He wants so badly to be a part of Batman's world and is afraid of what that will mean for himself morally. He's also a little manipulative and always has a plan. He sometimes has minor conflicts with Bruce, especially over himself and his burgeoning role as a vigilante, but the pair tend to work through it with Bruce apologizing or admitting to being in the wrong sometimes.

Mike W. Barr

Not the most complex Jason in terms of characterization, but he is a master Jason's thematic role in the story. Tec 574 really establishes Jason as the hope in Crime Alley and the ever-coming sunrise to the ever-falling night, which I hold in my heart always. He tends to emphasize Jason's humor, enthusiasm, childlike qualities, and fearlessness.

Max Collins

Collins likes to push Jason. Here is where you will find the most emotional depths. The pain, the anger, the moral disagreements, the passionate and distinct (from Batman) thoughts. This Jason has a very strong sense of self and of justice. Collins brings both a Jason who is in favor sometimes (at least theoretically) of killing while also being the one who believes in redemption and the need for the benefit of the doubt moreso than the increasingly-cynical Batman. He sometimes comes into conflict with Bruce, but the pair tend to work things through with Bruce often admitting if he's in the wrong.

Jim Starlin

But only one death was seen as the result of child endangerment and led to less child sidekicks

Due to the amount of content I planned to make regarding Joe Brown from Reverse 1999, I think it's best to save all the links here.

THE Joe Character Analysis Series:

Part 1:

Part 2

Part 3:

Part 4:

How does Bluepoch create its characters? What is possibly the process or the mindset behind J's creation? How does this show in his character and how he is viewed?

I briefly touched upon the Greaser subculture, Mexican heritage, and other aspects of culture in the earlier parts. Although it gives context to the different sides of J, it is only a slice of the bigger pie: the social, cultural, and historical background of the 90s in California.

These aspects like sociocultural influences, history, and societal conflicts are the basis for Bluepoch's characters. In an interview conducted by Automaton earlier this year, Bluepoch reveals how they created their first character (Druvis III) and their thought process:

Now that we know their process, good questions to ask regarding our characters are: "What time and place does the story take place?", "What kind of conflict was occurring during that time?", "What hopes do characters have during that time period?", and "What are the mystical influences that affect the arcanists?".

So if that is the case, what historical context is J part of?

From what we know, 2.0 takes place in San Francisco, California, United States during the 1990s (specifically in Haight Street). This period was characterized by the United States becoming more of a global power after the dissolution of the USSR, great economic prosperity and peace, vast improvements in technology, and a revival of 70s culture (because all fashion and trends have a 20-year interval before being revived).

The world became increasingly connected with the creation of the GPS, the proliferation of the internet, and increased immigration. Cultural icons that came from the 70s are found all over 2.0 whether it be Disco, the Age of Aquarius, iconic sitcoms, Greasers, arcades, and the queer clubbing scene.

This prosperity occurred after the 1980s, were a period of decreased volatility and positive growth began.

This period of prosperity and growth in America is what we economists call the Great Moderation.

US inflation was low and stable while recessions were mild. The former governor of the Federal Bank Reserve (Governor Barnanke) atttributed it to structural change in the economy, improved economic policies, and good ol' luck. The structural changes were most likely the increased openess to trade, advances in the financial system due to computers, and deregulation.

Another influence that can be seen in the 2.0 event is immigration. During the 20th century, immigration laws greatly changed the American demographic. Maybe it could be attributed to the Immigration Act of 1990 which further removed the barriers for entry in America but I have a hunch that the Mexican immigration where J's ancestors came a little earlier, likely coming to America during or after WWII.

During 1942, the US implemented the Mexican Farm Labor Program AKA the Bracero Program. To address the agricultural work shortage brought about by WWII, the US permitted millions of Mexican men to work under short-term labor contracts in America. Most of them ended up working in San Francisco's Bay Area (where Haight Street takes place).

The influx of Mexican workers provided America with cheap labor in order to feed its people but the influx of undocumented migrants in the 50s led to a mass deportation of 1.1 million workers back to Mexico via Operation Wetback. This happened at the same time while the Bracero Program was ongoing causing the Immigration Bureau and Border Patrol to do military round-ups to legal workers even to the point of deporting US citizens with Mexican ancestry.

Finally, around the 90s and where 2.0 event takes place, the Immigration Act of 1990 was passed bringing in a new wave of immigrants. The presence of immigrants have often been mentioned in the event like the sizable Chinese diaspora, Mr. Tang, J's doctor, and the crowd of immigrants that J sponsored.

Despite the increase of wealth in California due to being the home of the Silicon Valley, the hub of innovations, the expanded global trade, and the booming retail industry, a part of the population that contributed to making that wealth were unable to partake in it. The immigrants of San Francisco left their countries in search for a better life, the American Dream that promises that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything. But that is not often the case...

The setting of the 2.0 story is Haight Street, a part of the Haight-Ashbury district, a district adjacent to the Golden Gate Park. The street was particularly famous for the hippie counterculture in the 60s. Thousands of American youth flocked to Haight Street in the event called "Summer of Love".

The youthful idealism eventually turned sour and the hippies left for the rural areas. Pyschedelic drugs were replaced by harder and more dangerous drugs like heroin which caused medical issues to the population. By the late 60s and the early 70s, property values fell and violent crime rose. Haight Street quickly gained the reputation of being a dangerous and violent place.

Around the 70s, plans were made to restore Haight-Ashbury. A new wave of homeowners and residents restored Victorian/Edwardian houses and cleaned up the city. The crime rates eventually dropped. Due to the wave of new homeowners who renovated the old houses, the prices of housing went up which displaced a lot of the low-income folk like the black, senior citizen, and hippies.

There was a great concern regarding gentrification and displacement. Although the newcomers were also diverse (a local doctor estimating that 25% of them were gay), there was a fear that the previous inhabitants would be displaced. In the 80s, commercial establishments and higher priced housing began to emerge. The struggles on who gets to live in the ever evolving city was shown in J's character story.

J's character story deals with the displacement, inequality, and the gentrification of Haight Street that was occuring during the time. The main conflict was the creation of a commercial center that kicked many local businesses out through coercion. J busted the gang behind this and guaranteed the freedom of his homeless and immigrant friends. He ended up being their sponsor and helping the folks find jobs.

Since Haight Street was amongst one of those migrant communities where a lot of lower-class people lived, it is most likely that a good amount of people living there were either immigrants (especially Chinese or Mexican), Arcanists, downtrodden folks, or all of three. Looking back at the characters, Mercuria came from an orphanage while J was also an orphan who survived by working for a Chinese immigrant.

Since the character-making of Bluepoch involves looking at the cultural context and making a character out of it, I can infer that Pioneer represents the Great Moderation, especially since he is an Awakened and he sprung to life due to this economic movement.

Mercuria represents the ideals of the Age of Aquarius and the famous hippie counterculture, who is a freedom-loving disco dancer while also working as a diviner.

J, on the other hand, might have been inspired by the 90s kids who took inspiration in the 70s revival (since he loves arcades, knows a little bit of disco, and watches old sitcoms) but he can also be inspired by a revival of a revival: the 50s. During the 70s, there was also a revival of an era that occurred 20 years prior: the Greasers of the 50s.

He also represents the lower class men at the time who were most likely left out in the city's progress. The fact that he came from a formerly prominent Wayland family (who lost prominence after the war) but now has to work hard to survive is reminiscent of Haight Street itself (a magnificent and dignified neighborhood that lost its glamour and became a place of the lower class).

As stated in Part 1, Greasers were a subculture that formed in the 50s and were often composed of Italian-American and Latin-American (most commonly Mexican) lower-class youth who felt left out from the prosperity of the post-war economic boom. They shared an interest in riding motorcycles (since they often worked in mechanic jobs like J's friend Hollick), the affordable aesthetic of the working man, and the community of marginalized olive-skinned ethnic minorities (like those of the Mediterranean and Mexicans).

In the context of the 90s, J's identification with the Greaser subculture goes beyond the 70s revival or his fondness for old-fashioned stuff. It was a way to express himself regardless of his social class, a shared identity. It was an identification with the men who made the most with what they had, with men like him who felt hope for a better future but also felt frustated to be left out from it.

With aesthetics and historical context, the Greaser subculture elicited stereotypes like being urban, sexual, cool, rebellious, and exhibiting lower-class masculinity. Fittingly enough, I have seen many people think of him that way, both in the game and the fandom, so let's dissect that.

Link to the Ultimate Joe Directory:

https://www.tumblr.com/lifegoesonevenifeverybodyisgone/771822786973958144/the-ultimate-joe-directory?source=share

SOURCES:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/great-moderation.asp

https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2004/20040220/

https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/bracero-program

https://californialocal.com/localnews/statewide/ca/article/show/5992-california-immigration-history-immigrants/

https://immigrationhistory.org/item/operation-wetback/

https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Naming_of_Haight_Street%2C_Part_4%3A_The_Last_Haight_Standing

https://www.britannica.com/place/Haight-Ashbury

Continuing off from the previous post, Part 2: Individual Choice vs Collectivism, I made this visual flowchart to summarize the points from the discussion regarding J.

The main emotional conflict that drives the character development of J in the 2.0 story is his relationship with his sister Paulina. The conflict born out of misunderstanding and the added grief from its lack of resolution (due to Paulina's death) haunts J throughout the story. It can be seen in his Meet the Arcanist Comic, pyschube, his voicelines, and the 2.0 event story.

After finding out that his sister is truly dead, he finds himself unable to express anything despite his intense grief.

I suspect that either he was used to always being the strong person (who cannot be weak) or the stereotype that men aren't allowed to cry/express vulnerable emotions (machismo) or both. As stated from the previous post, when Matilda expressed similar characteristics to Paulina like their gait, their ideals, and even being around the same age; this draws the newly grieving J towards her.

Despite his distrust of outsiders and the Foundation, he immediately takes her home with him after saving her life from the Manus. His behavior had become softer and kinder (even expressing gentlemanly behavior like avoiding cussing). Which is even pointed out by Pioneer!

Despite his attachment towards Matilda, J still has reservations about her plan to free Haight Street with the assistance of the Foundation. He states that authorities tend to promise protection but not deliver on their promises leaving the people to fend for themselves. He only trusts those who have been in the "trenches" with him, people who TRULY care about the people of Haight Street.

A sentiment that Matilda actually pays attention to.

Moving forward, Matilda spends the entire 2.0 event being a hands-on investigator, going to the New Age Market, and engaging face-to-face with the people of Haight Street (even if it's not expected for a rich girl like herself). When Matilda loses consciousness in a trashcan in Chapter 9, she wakes up in J's bed at the beginning of Chapter 10.

This is very significant! This means that J was looking out for her and cared for her while she was unconcious. This is doubly important when you listen to their grafiti conversation by the end of the 2.0 event. When talking about a sitcom about a French person, J basically states how similar the character is to Paulina and Matilda.

Matilda is even aware of J's grief from missing Paulina and their similarities. She tells him that he has to cherish the moments they have together.

It is even doubly tragic for J that Paulina left him when she was about Matilda's age, so finding out that she passed away after all these years. Which hurts since they were just kids who only had each other! It must mean a lot to J that he can bond with Matilda and truly enjoy her company.

Just like what he did to his little sister in the past, J tucked in Matilda when she was unconscious and kept her safe. He has truly begun to see her like a little sister by the time of Chapter 10.

Now let me bring to your attention to a symbol of J's grief and separation from his sister: the hole on the door.

The hole was caused by J kicking the door open and forcing himself into the room during his argument with Paulina. Despite all the years that passed by, the hole hasn't been properly repaired.

The door led to J's shared bedroom with his sister, their safe place and their refuge from the outside world. It is pretty private and not easily seen (as Matilda was unfamiliar with the layout of the room). I think this represents J's inner world or more specifically his heart. When Paulina left, the hole in his heart was never fixed. He might cover it up with a cloth, but it isn't really fixed. He may appear fine but he isn't.

Despite his hesitations to open up, during the next chapter, he confides to Matilda about his family, his motivations, and his advice for her. He tells her about Paulina, about the things that matter to him like being a blacksmith and his blades. Although Matilda is usually a stickler for rules, she lets him off this time and agrees to let him join in the fight as long as she can keep an eye on him.

It's one of the things I noticed as the 2.0 event passed by. Matilda begins to care for J and even shows leniency in his actions (because she understands his distrust for authority). It's not outright said but is more exemplified through her actions. Whether it's being protective of him, worrying about him, caring about his blacksmith heritage, or even trying to save him.

Her care for him and her ideals shone the best when she defended J at the risk of her own life (when she was unarmed!) before Ms. Kimberly.

This is the catalyst for J to actually remember what his little sister fought for. His previous flashbacks of Paulina were incomplete or snippets of the full thing throughout the story but they manifest fully during this chapter. He finally understands that Paulina's motivation for joining the Foundation was due to a noble purpose (not that she is better than anyone). Being with Matilda allowed him to personally experience this conviction and truly understand his sister for the first time after their argument.

Despite his desperate warnings that Matilda saves herself and gets out of trouble, Matilda stands her ground. When hearing Matilda's declaration, this is the first time that Joe expresses grief and allows himself to cry. Paulina had uttered a declaration about sacrifice before and now Matilda has done the same. He is terrified that he will lose her, lose another sister.

J reaches out to save her like she is a blue ribbon. This leads to the "I Wish" cutscene where he reflects on his bond with his sister and his regrets.

He wishes that they had never met. Maybe if his sister and her mother hadn't met his father, their lives could have been safer and more comfortable. He loves his sister so much that even if they would have never known each other, as long as she was happy that was all that mattered to him. It's so sad that J must have felt inadequate to give Paulina the life that she deserved and probably blamed himself for her life in poverty.

Moving forward, Joe sells the Tang Restaurant and starts anew (inspired by his sister to see the world for himself). Before he does so, he repairs the door that I mentioned earlier. This time he apologizes for being the cause of the hole and repairs the door properly.

In this sense, he has forgiven himself and remembered that Paulina cared about him. He took responsibility for his past actions which allowed him to move forward and to heal (exiting this cycle of violence).

Joe took his first leap into an unfamiliar ocean just like his sister once did. Speaking of swimming, the chapter where he joins the Foundation is called "Landlubber".

Landlubber means a person who is unfamiliar with the sea or sailing. Metaphorically and literally, J doesn't know how to swim. Despite this new life being completely foreign to him, he has become more open-minded to these experiences. He doesn't take well to water...but guess who does?

Though many things might confuse a new swimmer, at least he has Matilda to guide him in these unknown waters. She even offered to tour him around the Foundation (also the most likely reason that he made it to the suitcase).

Due to the "trenches" that she went through for him and for Haight Street, she receives a badge from J which signals his acceptance of her belonging to his circle. From mere strangers to partners in crime to basically being siblings, one cannot ignore the impact that this duck had on the 2.0 story and on J's life.

Link to the Ultimate Joe Directory:

"How does Joe fit in the overall 2.0 story?"

An important thing to consider when conducting a character analysis is the relationship of the character with the story they are a part of. In Joe's case, what is his relationship with the 2.0 event, Floor It! To The Golden City?

After rewatching the entire 2.0 event and taking notes, something came to my attention when I watched Chapter 9: Snake in the Grass.

"Two bags of gold in a cave"

To give background to this scene, Matilda receives intel from one of the arcanist vendors which can help in fighting the cult but may endanger Mercuria's life since she'll intervene. The dillemma: Should she tell Mercuria or not?

As pictured above, Matilda goes to the bar and asks Pioneer for advice regarding her dilemma by an analogy: two bags of gold in a cave. There are two bags of gold in a cave and the dragon will consume more and more of it the longer you don't take action. You can only grab 1 bag and your friend can help you with the other, but your friend helping you WILL endanger their life. Should you let them?

Pioneer responds with this:

It didn't immediately click for me until I connected it with a later part of this chapter. When Mercuria performs for the crowd and dances outside of the rhythmn, Matilda questions this.

Pioneer tries to show Matilda another perspective.

THEN WAIT! What was that?

This was when it first clicked to me that the theme of 2.0 may be heavily based on the concept of individual choice which is consistently contrasted with the collective community that they find themselves in.

Other than J, the other playable character from this patch is Mercuria. Unlike J, her work in the story was more in the sidelines. Regardless I should note that her actions heavily changed the plot because Mercuria literally foresaw everything that happened in 2.0 and served as a catalyst for the happier outcome.

Going back to this line:

Throughout the story, Mercuria has been fundamental to changing the views of Legers and Gio regarding their families and themselves. It may have even been possible that she foresaw how much Matilda was going to change J's life (which may explain how the inciting incident of Joe getting to know Matilda happened in Mercuria's tent). Mercuria represents the themes of freedom, individual choice, and self-reflection.

I argue that Joe (protagonist) and Legers (antagonist -> ally) represent the other half of this: community, brotherhood, and collectivism. Specifcally, both men are the considered the big figures of their respective gangs, highly respected in their communities, and have a deep interpersonal conflict that has to do with their siblings due to differing paths in life.

Another interesting thing to note regarding culture, both men come from cultures that are family oriented and collectivist. Legers is an Italian from Sicily, just like the Greco sisters, Schneider and Marian. I am pretty sure that Bluepoch is aware of this cultural effect.

As mentioned before, I suspect that J has Mexican descent (a culture known for being family oriented and collective). Other than that, it has been explicitly stated in his storyboard that his friends and family are a valuable to him. This is also what motivates him.

When it comes to indivualism vs collectivism, I do not suggest that one is better than the other since both have their place. It's important to have a balance of both, a community that supports their members in their self-development and living their good lives as well as the members doing the same for others in their community.

Going back to Joe and Legers, both men begin in the story lean into the collectivist point of view. They believe in their community and most importantly they are motivated out of the love for their family. But this love can lead them to do things that may not necessarily benefit their loved ones or themselves.

In Legers' case, he sold himself out to the Order of Enlightenment in order to find a cure for his brother (betraying his principles).

But his brother made those choices in life in order to give Salvadore a good life in the first place! By trying to prolong his brother's life, he was violating his brother's will. It was only when Mercuria gave him back his consciousness that the real Legers was able to speak out and tell his brother this.

This becomes the turning point of Legers' character when he begins to reflect on his dream and what he can do moving forward.

"You might do things which you think benefits the one you love, but is that what they really want?"

In the end, he becomes the head of both his gang and J's gangs. He ends up taking over the restaurant, making positive changes in Haight Street, and becomes the new beacon of change. Because he was able to improve himself first, he was able to positively effect his community.

Just like Legers, J is motivated out of the love for his family. This leads him to disapproving Paulina's choice to join the Foundation out of a well-founded fear of her being used. Not only does J protect Haight Street, he also represents every aspect of this: whether it be the positive (community and brotherhood) or the negative (being part of the cyle of violence). So when Paulina wanted to leave Haight Street, he saw this as her haughtiness to be associated with him and also her cutting ties with him.

Regardless of what J thought, Paulina wasn't motivated to join the Foundation for these things. Despite the risk of sacrificing her life, she dreamed of helping other people and making a difference in the world. Instead, the rift that she had with her brother was due to the flaws that he had before.

You see, the J we know in 2.0 and the J we see in the flashbacks greatly differ.

Due to the death of his parents, he had to serve as the guardian/parent of Paulina when they were both kids. This kind of responsibility really fucks you up.

This forced him to grow up early on and take charge as the head of his household. But just like a stern father, his word was the law (at some points even controlling). When he disapproved of something like Paulina's dream, he withheld the papers from her and even barred her from leaving (it is implied that he broke the bike so she has no means to get out).

Overall, Paulina can be justified in her feelings of being caged in Haight Street. Nonetheless, this was not the reason for their rift.

Other than pursuing her dreams, Paulina saw the cycle of violence in the crime-filled streets of Haight Street and wanted to end this cycle. Although J serves as the protector of Haight Street, he isn't immune to becoming cruel himself. Although he has a point, he didn't properly communicate this to Paulina by guiding her and respecting her choice. Instead, he imposed his own will.

Going back to the present!

After Mercuria confirms that Paulina is dead, J begins the journey of reflecting on his views. To push this even further, right after recently grieving the news of his sister's death, Matilda comes into his life during this time. He is initially amused by Matilda and takes great pleasure in teasing her...

but his views shift when she starts feeling familiar.

Ever since this moment, J began to see Matilda as a sister figure and became protective of her. Due to her similarities with Paulina, not only in manner but also in ideals, this allowed J to actually reflect on Paulina's dream and realize why she actually left.

(Continuation: https://www.tumblr.com/lifegoesonevenifeverybodyisgone/774329529529450496/the-joe-character-analysis-part-2-continuation?source=share)

Link to the Ultimate Joe Directory:

Merry Christmas, especially to the dedicated Joe fan, @barbieb0y! After torturing myself by recapping and taking notes of the entire 2.0 event, Joe's character story "The San Francisco Kids", looking at his storyboards and comic, getting Joe to 100% bond, having him as my main in the Series of Dusks, and reading + re-reading all of his voice lines/mini stories/descriptions; I can confidently say that I have gained more insights about his character and formed theories of my own that we shall tackle today.

While looking at J's character storyboard I noticed something interesting about his fashion style.

J's fashion style is inspired by the Greaser's aesthetic. Considering that Bluepoch pays attention to character details and their outfits, this is an intentional choice. By briefly looking at the Wikipedia page for the Greaser subculture, I noticed that the most prominent adopters of the style are Italian Americans from the North and Hispanic Americans in the South (including places like California, in this case, Haight Street).

This brought to my attention that J, in fact, could have Mexican heritage. Specifically, he is a mixed White-Mexican American.

Why so?

J's paternal side is the legendary arcanist family, the Waylands. The last name Wayland derives from the Norman French word Wēland, which may also derive from the ancient Germanic words wēla-nandaz, which means "battle" and "brave." This means that his father is most likely a typical White American.

Since J is a mixed arcanist, I would assume that his biological mother is a human Hispanic considering the significant percentage of San Francisco's Hispanic population and also due to J's identification with the Greaser subculture.

A mixed child has a higher chance of learning their mother's culture especially if they grow up around other maternal family members or people of the same culture. I noticed that my mixed-race cousins whose father was an American, identified more with their Filipino side especially since they live in the Philippines. I identify more with my mother's ethnic group due to the same reasons.

Besides his tanned skin, his love for Mexican food and drink and his mastery of cooking the cuisine may suggest that he is of Mexican descent.

Examples:

The most telling of these examples is J's cooking ability NOT his preference for Mexican food. In the first example, he managed to make a hot sauce AUTHENTIC enough that Centurion, a CANONICAL Mexican-American character, was taken back to her hometown. This is a big deal considering that in the 1990s, there wasn't Youtube or online sources that could spread authentic recipes for Mexican food! Due to the limited educational resources in that era regarding cooking Mexican food, this means that he most likely learned it by being taught by someone who could make Mexican food, which I conclude is his biological mother.

Tang Ji, the chef who raised J after his father died, is a Chinese immigrant so it's unlikely that he knows how to cook Mexican food from the get-go. J himself also knows how to cook Chinese food because of this. There is a chance that one of the Mexican immigrants could have taught J how to cook Mexican food but due to his tan skin color (that he had even before he began blacksmithing) this leads me to assume that my conclusion is the more likely option.

But why? I am led to believe that his mother passed down her recipes to her husband and son just like how some of my mixed family members exchange recipes and traditions amongst each other. A fast way to connect to one's culture is by knowing how to make food from THAT culture. Since J lost his mother at a young age (but not too young as not to remember her), I think it is his way of remembering his mother and connecting to his culture (since he cannot speak the language I assume).

So going back to the Greaser subculture that J identifies with, it emerged amongst lower-class teenagers and young adults. The Greaser subculture was associated with motorcycle gangs, their attire, their greased-up hair, and their rebellious attitude.

This is reflected in J's fashion:

(His hairstyle is a more tousled version of a flop)

(His jacket seems to be a modified Perfecto Motorcycle Jacket)

(His jeans are Levi's dark blue jeans that are inspired by the 50s with the cut of the jeans being a bit wider near the end to make way for boots)

(His boots are partially hidden by his jeans but it is a Winklepicker boots which are characterized by their slick body, pointy toes, and straps)

(The Greasers were oftentimes bikers and were fond of the hot rod type of bikes. "Hot Rod" is a way of modifying classic vehicles by stripping them of their parts, which exposes insides like the pipes, to increase speed.)

The original Greasers were from ethnic minorities like those from the Mediterranean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Italian. They felt united in the feeling of being left out of the post-war economic boom and also experienced discrimination and poverty. The theme or main philosophy and ethos of the Greaser and the cultural aspects of Mexican-American culture are essential in understanding J, his understanding of the world, and his background in Haight Street.

In three posts, I will discuss the three themes that explore 1) collectivism vs individual choice, 2) masculinity, family, and community, and 3) J's philosophy regarding blades and metals (and how it connects to his views of imperfection and culture). I will also be comparing and contrasting him with characters like Legers, Argus, and Isolde. I will reblog these posts when they come, so sit back and enjoy!

J doesn't know Matilda had everything he wishes Paulina had. While he recognizes her bravery, he stil low-key saw her as just a smart girl with a fancy job in a pretencious place that brainwashed her into being the perfect employee. It was never about what they coulda have to be happy or what J could offer them to keep them safe, it was about how he spent most of his life perceiving himself as a caretaker that can't afford to look outside of his own little world.

"I wish we never met." This is the line that reflects how deep he sees everyone's safety as his own burden.