#askfish

Going strictly off Dolan's film, as I think the dynamic is different and less compelling in the original play, I think Tom's appeal is that he's into it. He can take what Francis dishes out, and he wants to take it. He is continually demonstrating, in words and actions, that he wants to take it. That scene where Tom's like, "plus fort" is pivotal. I forget what exactly Francis says while he's choking Tom, but something like "you call the shots" or "it's up to you," I think? And Tom's response to that is "harder." I mean!!! if I were Francis in that moment I'd be like wow ok! drivers start your engines, vroom vroom

Or the scene after the funeral, where he swears and turns the car around, returning to the farm even though Francis has just physically assaulted him and he could easily drive back to Montreal then and there. Yes, Francis does dismantle his car, but only after he brings it back (as if reading Tom's return as a tacit invitation to escalate). Now my memory of the film and the play are blurring together, but I think there's even a scene after Sarah's arrival when Tom seems to be hinting that Francis should kill her and that he will help ("what's another body on the cow pile" or something along those lines). He comes up with that, not Francis, who tries some of his menace on Sarah and, when she doesn't play along, pretty much flirts with her normally (and then drives her to the bus station—not exactly the actions of a psychopathic, homicidal maniac, but perhaps the actions of someone who plans to resume playing torture-farm with his favorite toy?).

At all of these points it feels like Tom is always the one who acts first, thereby prompting some unhinged escalation from Francis. And not in a victim-blaming, "look what you made me do" way. It feels like a (dangerous, bloody) game they're playing. There isn't space or awareness in this fucked-up dynamic for/of kink negotiation, but in a way, Tom's mere presence on the farm can be taken as consent. If he's there, he's down.

By contrast, I feel like the gas station boy was either unwilling (the barkeep made it sound as though Francis tore his face up because he was involved with Guillaume or about to give voice to an unspeakable truth about Guillaume's sexuality—not that he and Francis were ever involved in a tryst) or willing but unable to match Francis's freak, so to speak, as evidenced by the fact that he ran away.

(He didn't go very far, so why didn't Francis hunt him down? It would be easy to do, wouldn't it? Especially with such recognizable facial injury? Except their game is over; the boy fled, and Francis's domain is the farm and maybe the town nearby—leave those boundaries and you're free...unless you're Tom, who makes it all the way back to Montreal to hesitate at an intersection while the stoplight turns green. That's why I think Tom would return to the farm with Francis if Francis came to get him—he would recognize it as a continuation of their game and an acknowledgment from Francis of the irreplicable nature of their connection. It would be, in a sense, a grand romantic gesture. insert meta here about my choosing "bride" for a fic title and how we're all like ooh brides, ooh romance but psych!! we must contend with the horrible legacy of The Patriarchy and 'marriage by abduction' and marital rape and the concept of brides-as-chattel etc etc etc)

So my take on Tom is that he is a willing participant in the psychosexual shenanigans, at least until Francis makes a move on Sarah, which is when Tom realizes that (a) there's nothing special about his relationship with Francis or (b) there was something special, but Francis has ruined it with his "infidelity"/drunken attempt to ape heterosexuality. His final (?) departure demonstrates that he is leaving the game. The shovel (besides being a nod to what happens in the play) is to me an indication that Tom has, at this point, withdrawn consent; he is fully committed to getting out and is prepared to attack Francis in order to make his escape. If Francis had overpowered him then, he would have become an actual prisoner, and the nature of their "relationship" would have been fundamentally changed. I think that's why Francis gives his pathetic little DARVOish speech—he has to convince Tom to come back willingly, to agree to put the shovel down, leave his hiding place, step into Francis's brutal waiting arms, i.e., demonstrate consent (on some deep, sunken, narrative level lol; again, these are not people who know what kink negotiation is).

I lay the blame for my interpretation of Tom squarely at the feet of Xavier Dolan, whose Tom has such a fucked-up, almost Joker-like energy lol. I went into Tom at the Farm blind and spent almost the entire movie waiting for Tom to turn the tables, for the hunter to become the hunted, etc. I guess the next best thing was getting to watch him become an active participant in his own unraveling.

it's partially the hair and facial wounds:

As for the possibility of Francis/Guillaume...I kind of think the play hints at an incestuous connection, and maybe the film too to a lesser extent, because Guillaume is always between Tom and Francis. His cologne, his dancing, the fact that Francis seems compelled to defend Guillaume's "honor" (read: his reputation as a heterosexual man), the fact that they have to share the farm with Agathe, who is like a living monument to Guillaume's existence, probably all the more so if she succumbs to dementia as Francis predicts/hopes she will. (Spoilers for the next few chapters of Bride lol.) But I think Tom and Guillaume had a "normal" (vanilla?) relationship, as indicated by the karaoke flashback and their plans to vacation in Ajaccio (I know this is a stretch lol but it seems like such a normie thing to do) and that Tom and Francis have a much more, uh, vibrant—and maybe more honest and embodied and true—relationship based on Francis's willingness to enact violence and Tom's willingness to receive and absorb that violence. Tom would never have met Francis if not for Guillaume, but if Guillaume somehow came back to life (or hadn't died in the first place), I don't think Tom could just hit the reset button and return happily to Montreal to be with him.

First thing i did was make a pattern of my torso with plastic wrap and tape so i could see the curve of my stomach and chest. Cant say this helped a TON, but i cant imagine things in my head, so it helped me conceptualize the size and dimensions i would need the front panels to be to cover my torso.

Next i started sketching small patterns for what the cut outs may look like. DEFINITELY make a paper pattern, this took a lot of trial and error and you dont want to waste too much foam. I cannot for the life of me find my paper patterns unfortunately, but hopefully you can see part of where im coming from with the detailed pictures of the plastron!! I made patters for 1/2 of the plastron, and flipped the patters over to make the other half mirrored and symetrical.

Now the cutting. I used .7mm foam (i think?? I got it from micheals. Joann fabrics has some but only small sheets. If you want less seams you should get the bigger ones, or buy massive sheets online. EVA foam isnt too hard to find, but make sure your density and width is appropriate for what youre making. When actually cutting the pieces out, some cuts will be flat while others may work best at an angle. I used mostly 90* and 45* angles to make clean edges and corners.

Bear with me bc the pictures in this next part are kinda uglie </3 ill explain why later.

For matching the curve of the body, i used a fresh blade and made shallow triangle cuts on the backside of the foam as can be seen here:

It would have worked better if the chest pieces were also vurved by i was on a time crunch and didnt have the time to make a 3rd or fourth plastron (yes this was a second fully completed attempt orz). Im also a bigger dude so it may be easier if your torso is smaller. I also had the benefit of making my pants from scratch (using a demon slayer uniform pattern that i altered) so i made the waistband big enough to tuck the shell into, which helped with keeping it curved around my body.

(This but only applies to future leo and i did post gluing the pieces together, but for his Top Surgery Scars™️ i cut into the chest at a 45*angle, then glued those pieces back onto the back side to seal the cut)

For gluing, i tried a whole lot of types but jothing worked as well as cement glue. It is toxic tho so make sure you do it outside or with good ventilation, and wear gloves/a mask. I did two layers on each edge then stuck the edges together, 3 if i noticed the foam absorbing it to much. Make sure you take the gluing slow and really put pressure on the pieces to lock them together. Follow the instructions and youll do fine.

For painting, i did 2 layers of modge podge, 1-2 priming layers (depends on if foam is white or black to start), and then whatever layers you need for a smooth coat of color. I topped it off with modgepodge again to seal it, but that may not have been the best idea for the following reasons....

EW YUCK. WHY IT LOOK LIKE THAT.

Well. It didnt always. Turns out when youre wearing approx 3 laters in the summer then cover your body with insulating foam, the heat and moisture makes the modgepodge MELT. and like i said before, this bottom portion was tucked into my pants so it did not breathe. I have yet to even try to find a solution but just keep it in mind when making your cosplay (and if you find a solution PLEASE LET ME KNOW! My one idea was tryna find a sealant that wont melt (obv) but idk what that would be)

And FINALLY. how to secure it to the body suit!! I used snaps!! So easy and nice (besides the melting issue but thats a different thing entirely.) They never came off or gave me problems (minus the melting) and made the shells easy to transfer/travel with and put on.

(Heres a pic of them on the suit sewn in by hand, and above you can see them on the shell itself.)