#tangent

Tangent Plastic Man and The Flash for plasticmantalk.bsky.social on bsky!

Alright so it definitely seems like people agree that I should talk about this, so here goes

I'm going to break this down in a few different sections, forgive me if I get a little rambly in some areas.

1. Why the hell are you talking about this:

I have been noticing an increase, or maybe it's just certain aspects of the fandom at least, in people who are misunderstanding Jon, his strengths, his weaknesses, aaaand in general, the jokes I think that go a bit too far. And I hear you, it's fiction, why should I care so much about what people say about a fictional character? Ah well, people can continue to do whatever they want, it's never my place to say "don't do this or you're a bad person!" bc I also hate that lol, but I do think it's important to bring attention to certain areas and why what you may think is a harmless joke can actually not land the way you hope.

2. Jonathan Sims is not "Weak"

From the beginning of his time as a boss who stays up late and has a hard time taking care of himself, to his spiraling supplemental era, to getting kidnapped, in a coma, yearning era, and all of season 5.. There is not a single time I consider Jon weak. I get it, the wet cat jokes are funny (I've made them). However-

I think it's incredibly important that we remember something. Jon may have spiraled, had several breakdowns, gone through trauma, experienced a very large amount of pain, but absolutely none of these things made him weak or pathetic. Emotions, breakdowns, mental spirals, pained sounds, none of these things make someone weak. Jon goes through hell and back on multiple occasions. Immediately after confronting the very fact that the supernatural is real, he does not get a single break. He has no idea who murdered Gertrude, meanwhile he's the one being accused, the Eye is making him feel watched, he gets thrown into the Vast temporarily and after coming back he gets kidnapped and nearly gets decapitated in the woods (watches Mike Crew get shot). I don't think I need to explain why getting kidnapped and moisturized by a bunch of mannequins for a month without your consent could be extremely traumatizing, knowing they want to skin you. I need not go through the rest of things (Losing his coworkers, finding out he's being turned into something not human, etc). You've all listened to the podcast lol.

I just want to remind y'all, this man is not weak. If you were to go through all of these things, your reactions, no matter what they are, would be so valid. Breaking down? Suspicious of everyone around you? Crying constantly? Shutting down? I wouldn't tell you that you're a weak or pathetic person for that. I know these are jokes, no one actually means it (I hope). So don't worry lol, all I want to do is address why sometimes it can go too far.

The conversation around toxic masculinity is this, I don't want people to fall into the trap of thinking "man going through a lot and struggling with emotions = weak, pathetic". He's anything but that. I also want to address that I have seen some people assume these things also make him more feminine and I am not talking about people's actual headcanons like trans hcs, go be free have fun run wild. I more so mean- Oh wow this man is going through a lot, he's clearly more.. feminine. No- Stop that lol

3. Jonathan Sims' Strengths and Why They Shouldn't Be Ignored:

Jon does not get strong magically in season 5. Actually, he displays a lot of characteristics that show he's very capable and very strong much earlier on. Regardless of the Eye's protection and power, I think even the coffin scene itself proves this man isn't pathetic. Regardless of whether he's human or not, and when the transformation begins to happen, this is a man who had two ribs pulled out of him and was able to walk after.

Jonathan Sims becomes extremely powerful even earlier on. He doesn't only struggle, he doesn't only yearn for knowledge, he does everything in his power to do what he thinks he has to. He doesn't give up, he doesn't get completely broken. Even when he thinks he's about to die, he tries to find a way out.

This man took a large axe and chopped down a large, ancient table, and immediately had to run from Not!Sasha.

I also think it's important to remember that Jon was being severely influenced by Michael Distortion for a time, when Jon was spiraling the most, Michael is showing up the most. (Yes Michael had his own plans and agenda, but you think he didn't thrive off of the Archivist losing trust in everyone including himself?).

He kills Hope, he can forcibly pull information from people before he comes close to ending the world, he can be manipulative, powerful, strong and cunning. He does not become an avatar of the Eye for no reason. He knows how to get information. He also was marked by the Web at an early age and it has repeatedly visited him and martin both. This man has power and uses it to his and other's benefit.

3b. Season 5 and JMart

And lastly, Jon and Martin's relationship. Something I cherish very much, and find to be one of the most realistic relationships, not to mention gay representation, that I have personally seen. Some think its problematic, toxic, etc, but I think that's misunderstanding both of them deeply. I can get into Martin's character in another post for the future. This is still Jon focused.

Jon does get very, very depressed in Season 5. He just ended the world (although it's not his fault), he doesn't see any way they can solve this, he feels powerful but at what cost? Everyone in the entire world is suffering. Martin is extremely optimistic, maybe as his own way to cope with the state of the world, and sure, these two clash sometimes. Sometimes Martin is pushy, even a bit manipulative, sometimes Jon refuses to hear Martin out. There are times Jon completely ignores what Martin is asking of him for his own benefit, and there are times Martin does the exact same thing. They argue, they bicker. But they also apologize, they laugh, they talk through things, they get emotional and are there for each other, they make mistakes, sure but they work to better themselves after or to address things rather than leave it to remain not talked about, and I think that is something incredibly important.

Jon isn't dragged around, Jon leads them through the dark. Jon goes through a lot and only he can understand what that's like and he makes a point to show when Martin completely misunderstands the situation or what Jon cant/wont do. You can't save the children at the end of the world. You can kill the child avatar, but will you? No. Martin realizes very quickly and backs down.

Jon, even in his most depressed state, at his absolute worst, still has a strong will. Even when he's beginning to accept defeat (how could one not), he still had a will. He leads on, he pushes through horrifying domains, and even when it greatly weakens his state, he lays low for awhile to help Martin rest. They both agree they left at the right time but that it was still necessary that they had that break.

Jon who still, despite everyone else's will, tries to take matters into his own hands so that the Fears do not go to other worlds.

Jonathan Sims is not weak, he is not pathetic. He's not just a "whimpering man" he's a man who's been through hell and back several, several times and survived, more than survived.

And I think we need to start remembering that again!

The way Stress works in I Was a Teenage Exocolonist feels a lot more Real to me than spoon theory

Like, spoon theory is just "you have a finite amount you can give, and when it's empty it's empty, so you have to prioritize"

But what happens in Exocolonist is, youre doing a task and you might or might not be successful at it. You dont necessarily know if youll be successful until youve already started. You usually have an idea of how difficult tasks are, but you don't know what cards you'll draw. You've got the sunk cost fallacy here, and attempting the task is already paying stress; you don't get that back if you quit.

But! Theres a fun little loophole. If you find you dont have enough to be successful once youve started, you can just Push Through. By paying just a little extra stress, you can be successful where you otherwise wouldn't. And every task is important, right? It's always a waste to give up. So if you dont have a useful deck, if the tasks are always too difficult, you just have the constant message Just Push Through, Just Push Through again, always.

And the result is that all at once it's too much. When your stress is maxed out, you dont lose just the ability to push through; you lose the ability to do *anything* other than relax. You are essentially inert. You do not even have the option to fail or attempt. You've broken down.

That feels so very real.

Of course, being a hopeful game, it's not a big deal to max out stress, and you lose one turn, and then youre 100% better. So it isn't exactly like real life.