#It was literally dawn

[awanderingtortoise]

a very messy 1.5k word dodgerfox essay but like was i onto something

I just remembered this character psychology/thematic analysis and relationship dynamic breakdown I made (word vomited) at like 3 in the morning after finishing s1. Thought I would put it here and see if people agree with my... interpretation? coherent incoherency?

PS forgive the lack of grammatical format pls

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In the following text i will be attempting to describe what makes this ship so compelling so i may have a clearer idea of how to write fiction about this. To describe a relationship, of course, one must first see the state of the characters before they meet eachother. So let us begin with a certain Jack Dawkins.

Jack is, to say the very least, complicated. A less than ideal start to life as a child early indoctrinated into Fagin’s family of London theft, he is abandoned in prison by the closest thing he has to a father. He has no real idea of love, really truly selfless love. He makes his way into the navy as a young surgeon. He faces the realities now not only of poverty and injustice, but of war; physical pain, mortality, suffering even of those fighting on a national cause.

In a sense, both these environments have taught him to surrender, that one cannot so much as change the world they live in but simply adapt to it. He adapts by thieving. He adapts by becoming an empathetic, compassionate, and incredibly competent surgeon. But this is a matter of survival, as it must be. Social class and the cards dealt to you by life are not something disregarded by this story as a whole.

Even when he is landed a job in the australian colony as a surgeon, this mindset is reflected in his seeming contentedness with a medical system he knows he could improve. He has learned to give up his value as a person, and his values, for the sake of survival, which is absolutely necessary. Hence his giving in to the professor and sneed, hence his cynicism. There is a hope trapped inside of him he has lost the sound of even to himself.

This idea of living in ‘reality’ and being thrust by the circumstances of life has made him quick with his hands, with his mind, a very hands on learner.

Belle Fox, where jack is a man made of survival, is a woman made of vision, something shaped by her intelligence and privilege. As the daughter of a prominent politician she is educated, aware of her status, and fully uses it to her advantage. Shes not a bad person, and for that reason this appears somewhat acceptable, but it is still very clear she does this to get what she wants. And what belle wants, as an educated woman, with a clear view of the injustice towards women in the society of her day, as a girl who did not fit into that almost livestock view of women in that day, is to be a surgeon. To utilize her gifts, to put a vision that she has of the world into it.

Her view of the world is marked by a constant ‘this isnt how it should be’ and the birthright power she has to change it, as opposed to jacks ‘but this is how it is’. Her cleaning of the hospital, her introduction of medical advances, this results in good effects but is still very much ‘for her’, its not at its core born out of an empathy for the suffering around her but a desire to mold the world into the way she sees it should be.

In part, this may be why she empathizes with gaines’ analogy of a corrupted body (‘ive read hobbes’)-- they are both beset with a vision of the world, they understand thinking in the light of a big picture.

Belle, as a woman, has no access to the practicum and therefore her knowledge is theory theory theory. But by god does she know her theory. As women werent truly allowed to act, she is a hypothetical thinker, a big picture thinker, an idealist, determined to shape the world into the way she sees it, admittedly a very correct and educated way to see it. However, the development of her empathy is necessary to complete her character, in the same way Jack must develop her sense of vision and get that idea that he can fight for himself, he has value, he can and actually must, change the world.

They are similar and yet opposite; both highly intelligent, medically inclined, headstrong, sharp witted, disappointed with the state of the world. But where belle is theoretical jack is practical. Where she is privileged he is paid in barely pocket change. Where he is acutely aware of the governments generalized sweeps’ individual effects on lives, on people, hence his tender bedside manner, belle is the opposite. She sees only the discrepancy between what she knows to be right and what the world is and has the status to brashly order about her desires into the reality, a power jack has never possessed. Where she is a changemaker because of wealth, he has become complacent because of poverty. Where he stays behind the line to save himself, belle oversteps again and again because there is no real harm for her. Where jacks disappointment with the world melts into survival instinct and cynicism, belle’s turns into headstrong determination and resolve.

That is why the sparks fly, they are what the other lacks, and this is typically a very difficult type of relationship to maintain but if they both grow as people it can be incredibly beautiful and fulfilling. That is the core of their relationship, they challenge eachother, make eachother grow and learn.

In the same way their moral flaws are both born of their circumstance: as jack admits, the worst parts of him love the thrill of crime. That was his home, how he grew up. And belle, clearly, is not very good at seeing things from other’s points of view. ‘Theivery is thievery’ ‘your family are the biggest thieves [here]’. She has principles but is still learning to shift her worldview when it comes to sociopolitical issues not regarding gender, to see that the unruly poor’ are such BECAUSE of the oppression of her class. As fagin says, ‘no choice but to bite.’

Their love also deals in opposites. Jacks love literally saves belles life, while it lands him himself in jail and almost on the noose. Belles apprenticeship with him gives her love and knowledge, it gives him love but costs him nearly everything else. Jack is experienced with women and belle is limited to diagrams of ‘congress’, opposing the very jacklike hands on way. Belle is sheltered and all she knows of love and sex is theoretical, detached from the actual experience. It is by no fault of either of theirs but that is the way life has made them, a constant theme of the show. Even as belle seems to rebel she is still at the mercy of her upbringing; her ‘fancy skirts’ for instance, her manner, her statement that he must marry her. And she is not apologetic about any of it, something both admirable and a problem because its reflective of her unchecked privilege and lack of empathy.

This intensity is what makes it risky in the long term and so soooo beautiful on the screen. Even the marriage idea reflects this. Belle believes jack misjudges her family when he says they could never marry, believing her mother will give in to her as she supported jack as a surgeon. She is wrong, of course.

Its not so much that she isnt used to getting what she wants, but this again idea that the world isnt as it should be. Jack’s realism is formed by hard hard experience. However, they have the common ground of both never having truly known love romantically, though belle knows familial love. This is one over Jack, who had fagin’s very selfish life for a motto. Though he has one over her when it comes to experience. He doesn’t truly know how to say at first what love is because he has never known it. Can i just say hetty is wonderful helping him realize he loves belle?? what a saint with no hard feelings over those two.

And yet. Because of all this, they bring out the best in eachother. And when they are away they fall back to the worst of themselves, belle bossy and ridiculous and despairing, jack angry and complacent and criminal. It is only for her that he fights and rages, it is only under his hands that she allows herself vulnerability. Actually no, they both learn vulnerability with eachother. He never knew love before her. But even with them she is taking mostly he is giving, mostly. All. In all? It's just great writing, but devastating characterization; how limited they are by their upbringing and status. What a show.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I am incredibly serious right now when I beg you all, please, and if you have Twitter or Tiktok or whatever to please spread the word: click on an author's profile on Ao3.

You want to know if an author has written more? Want to know if they're still writing? Want to see more from them? Want to know if they've written a trope or kink or sex scenario you enjoy?

Click on their name. And look at their profile.

I cannot tell you how many times in the last six months someone has read a new or newer fic of mine and said they (a new reader who has read nothing else I've done) "can't wait to see what you do next!" I've written 50+ fics and over a million words already.

"I don't know if you're still writing..." click on my profile. I am. I literally wrote a 128k+ fic for that ship last month.

"Would you ever do X?" "Please do Y!" I already did. Click on my name and look at my works.

Archive of our Own is a library. It's an archive. Not social media. It is your responsibility to fight back against the laziness that corporate algorithms have trained into you.

Click my author name. Just click it. Just click it.

Before you demand more, or ask if a writer will do XYZ, or wonder if the author still writing, or anything - click on their profile. Click on the author's profile.

I'm not trying to be mean or condescending or anything like that. I'm just exhausted. It's disheartening and frustrating to repeat myself ad nauseam, because someone couldn't take thirty seconds to do the tiniest bit of work to see if I've written lately, if I've written more for their ship, or scan my works to see if I've written what they're asking for. Please. Please. I'm begging.

Click the author's name, and explore before you ask.

[edwardsdeathcabcd]

i've said it before but it will forever and always make me insane that jacob's ending is to join the cullens for the sake of bella not having to give anything up. they find out jake will be immortal & tied to renesmee forever, so bella gets to smile & say "my family is finally complete! ^-^" but jake already HAS a family. he has a father and 2 sisters. quil, embry, seth and sam are like his brothers. jacob and leah were planning to run away together. he's always been welcome in emily's home, sue has been a family friend since before his birth. bella abandons her mortality by choice because she feels no connection to the people around her, but jacob has really strong bonds. it's clear that every character we meet in la push is like family to him, he's an active member of the community. jake would've graduated high school and been a mechanic, would've grown into a young man. a good friend, a fun uncle, a present son. he's set up to have such a rich life. and he's just magically compelled to give that up. beyond his control, he loses sight of everything, because his high school crush's baby is now the singular most important thing to him. he's perpetually 18 with his perpetually 18 year old girlfriend, running around vancouver or alaska or wherever with the girl who friendzoned him at 16 & her in-laws (who were antagonistic to him for months). and i'm just supposed to say omg yay now he doesn't have to let go of bella! everyone is happy! it's complete madness

[vaguely-concerned]

there's something so incredibly sweet about how many times davrin notes in his journal that talking to rook helped him with something. he keeps bringing them out to touch grass and gaze at nugs out in the woods with him which I think must be very good for them, and their company clearly helps him work through and get more clarity on things he's been stuck on emotionally. it's just kind of lovely and a great little nuance in that relationship.

[r3ynah]

Family of Distinguished People.

So like what if, the Fenton family is just a family full of heroes, villains, and vigilantes. like.. just imagine a long line of people that had or has contributed to the world somehow. Like the Fenton parents as Supervillains, Jazz as a Vigilante, Danny as Hero. Dani just decides to travel not too interested, but does help with her family if needed, Dan does the same thing.

BUT WHAT IF joker is actually a close relative of the Fenton Family (ex. Uncle, Cousin,Family Friend) and like he's just there all happy with his (found)family during family reunions, birthdays and shit.

And the batfam are just like so confused and stressed to why the joker goes missing once a month.

While Joker is literally having a game of Monopoly with the elementary kids at amity park (the kids couldn't bother, they've saw scarier things they handled scarier things) cue Joker giving the kids a hundred dollars because he lost.

This is just one of my what if prompts, that i got locked up in a vault. Might delete this later who knows.

[bunnieswithknives]

OK JUST A LITTLE THING BECAUSE IM INSANE @cubbihue

Song: Plastic by Cheekface

[laurrelise]

did you ever think you’d see number five cosplaying sir reginald hargreeves?

probably not.

anyway enjoy nicky acting like number five 🔥🔥

(and you’re welcome)

[unriding]

“you’re hurt?!”

“i’m not hurt.”

“you are hurt — here … and … and here too!?”

“hmph. this is nothing.”

there’s a brief moment of silence, then a low huff from him as his gaze shifts to the floor instead. “fine. ill be more careful next time. i promise.”

comm from 🎊 @puppetgearing

[tenderjock]

I’m with you, my love The lights shining through on you Yes, I’m with you, my love It’s the morning and just we two

[yurigalactica]

god i fucking love horizon zero dawn. i’ll just be running though a random biome, collecting medicinal plants and minding my own business, and then BAM. a derelict crumbling shell of a building that just so happens to be a building that is literally ten minutes down the road from my house

[erika111111]

[kindlespark]

[durdawn] tfw the stoner kid keeps sittin with u at lunch and he lets you pray for him so ur pretty sure ur gettin somewhere but also u wish he'd stop touchin u and loudly talkin about drug unions

[rooolt]

guy whos sooooo normal abt the Mountains of Chaos fantasyhigh. Like, the fact that Brennan establishes it as this classic adventure location full of monsters and dungeons for learning adventurers to explore and gain xp, and it’s also the site of kalvaxus’ lair and the temple of the earth defiant its a very fantastical place. BUT, it’s also the place where riz’s grandparents immigrated from, and it’s the place where the cultures worshipping gods like ruvina and ankarna originated from, and the fact that solace literally has a border patrol for the mountains of chaos that the Applebees are literally apart of. It’s something about these fantastical elements that are so often focused on by the people in solace, so completely glossing over the people and cultures that live there and originate from there. I’m so regular about it and I think about it a normal amount

[nicollekidman]

it’s so. good. that buffy has to feel self loathing about what she’s doing with spike specifically because the underpinnings of the show require that vampires be Bad Monster Creatures who Cannot Feel and are just Lifeless Demons otherwise everything comes into question. about everything. except that spike is the crack in the foundation of the show itself and in that, he makes the show better! he’s the only end that makes sense for her because he sets her free!!!

[idonthaveanyurlideas]

they've been alive for months kipperlilly. it was just you

[vypridae]

May I suggest:

Sb au where Moon isn't evil. He helps protect Gregory from Vanny.

hmm. this concept fucks actaully.