Fjord freezes in place. He’d been alone in the room a second ago, he could have sworn it, but that voice came from right behind him, full of curiosity and was that… an air of menace? Panic whirls through him. He swivels around, and there, by the window is a figure.
Something about it suggests male, though it’s difficult to tell. Sturdy leather boots, broad shoulders… a green cloak like the one Jester always wears.
“You’re…”
“The Traveller. Yes.”
The figure turns to regard him, and though the light should have illuminated all of him, somehow the cloak’s hood almost completely obscures his face. All Fjord can make out is a vulpine chin, a set of pale lips currently pulled in the most chilling smile he has ever seen. “Jester’s friend.”
“You’re real,” Fjord sputters.
The figure cocks his head. “Did you think I wouldn’t be? That Jester is a liar? Or an idiot.” The way he bites off the last syllable makes Fjord flinch back.
“No. No, never. I don’t think she’s…”
“Don’t you?” The Traveller’s voice is deceptively soft, a calm sea hiding an unforgiving undertow. “Don’t you all think Jester is just a little bit naïve, a little bit… simple? Clinging to an imaginary friend far past childhood?”
“I have never thought that,” Fjord snaps, and he’s actually surprised to find how much he means it. He’s always been slightly bemused by her antics, amazed at the light she still manages to carry within her, even after all the shit they’ve been through. But he’s never thought her stupid. He finds himself angry that this guy—god or no—would even suggest something like that. “She’s got a different way of looking at things sure, but she ain’t simple. She’s brilliant. She’s… what?”
The Traveller lets out a low chuckle, and the threatening air seems to abate, just a little bit. “Oh, what fools you mortals be. You don’t even know do you?”
Fjord swallows, suddenly feeling like he missed a punch line. “Know what?”
“All that. All this time, and you don’t even know.” The Traveller cocks his head again, and now the smile is crooked. Amused. “I suppose ignorance can be forgiven. Especially as she remains… unaware of your actions, herself.”
Fjord remains silent as the god walks towards him. It’s hard to tell what he’s looking at with his eyes hidden, but Fjord has the uncomfortable feeling he’s being examined.
“And I suppose I cannot blame her. You’re not unattractive. Might even be a bit dashing. Though, endless twilight, you are terrible at reading people.”
“I have been told that in the past,” Fjord says slowly.
The Traveller laughs again. “Of course you have. Well. Consider your past missteps forgiven, my friend. Though I advise you to be cautious of any future carelessness. Jester is incredibly special to me. I won’t take kindly to anyone that hurts her.”
Fjord stares back. Then, when it’s clear the Traveller is expecting some sort of response says, “Neither would… I?”
“Good. Glad we’re on the same page.”
Fjord breathes in, ready to ask for clarification, but he blinks and the Traveller is gone. Vanished. And Fjord is once again alone in the room he’s sharing with Caduceus, head swimming, hands shaking. Feeling like he’d just out-swum a shark but barely.
Was someone was trying to hurt Jester? Is that what he’d been saying? If someone was they’d have to go through him first, but somehow he didn’t think that was what the Traveller had been getting at. But if not, then what in the nine hells had that been all about?
He sits down at the foot of the bed and puts his head in his hands. Oh, Lawbearer preserve him. Another mystery to add to the pile. He so did not need this right now.
idk man the symbolism of Stede tucking that red silk hanky into Blackbeard’s left breast pocket like he sees Ed’s delicate heart and accepts it and is telling him it’s okay to show it. Ed’s been carrying around and protecting that little scrap since he was a kid but he’s not meant to have fine things cause he’s not that kind of person but maybe he can be. maybe he was always delicate, if he’d been allowed to be
“this tatty old thing” he says of his metaphorical heart
Should I post my “Captain America is not a golem, he’s King David” rant here as well? It’s already up on TikTok
three likes? that’s enough for me lmao
For context this comes from a lecture I did a little over a year ago called “Superman on the Nile” (cause, y’know, Superman and Moses) in which I claimed that all superhero media owes its existence to Jewish ideals, and this is only a part of a wider analysis of the Jewish themes and principles present in superhero media in general as a result. Basically, my claim is that the Jewish history of the medium of comics is not incidental but rather inherent to its existence and its values. click here for an overview of the bigger themes I’m referencing, but you don’t at all need to read that in order to understand this.
I call this the David-Cap allegory but like part of it is just debunking the idea that Cap is a golem. To get this out of the way: Captain America is not a golem. A golem is a non-sentient tool. It has no will of its own, it can be destroyed rather easily, if you know what you’re doing, and in general is more of a thing than a person. It is made to protect Jewish people and Jewish people only against a great evil and does not have a purpose beyond that.
That just… doesn’t describe Captain America.
A better description of Captain America is as a leader who initially seems weak and incapable but is revealed, partially through his moral strength, that he is the most capable of any of us. He’s a human being with a heart first and foremost, and a leader second. A tool in someone else’s hands? …not even a little bit.
To explain why I think a better comparison from Jewish history is David, I want to share a quote from Samuel 1 chap 16. This is from when God is telling Samuel to pick the next king, and Samuel resists picking David because of his appearance:
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Look not upon his appearance, or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, for it is not as man sees, (what is visible) to the eyes, while the Lord sees into the heart.”
I don’t love this translation, but like, it gets the point across. Both David and Steve Rogers are chosen out of a group of physically more impressive men because of the quality of their hearts. David - out of a lineup of his big brothers; Steve - out of the entirety of the Super Soldier program.
Another point of comparison is their role in their stories later on. They prove themselves as military leaders and inspire greatness in others. King David takes over from a failed king and unifies the Israelites; Captain America punches Nazis and leads the Avengers. Either way, similar role in the story.
It’s also important to note that as heroes, they are both super human rather than superhuman. They’re both capable of doing feats that are greater than normal, but not quite literally impossible - in case you were wondering, according to Jewish thought, David is given “superpowers” when he is anointed to be king, which allow him to fight the lion, the bear, and, of course, goliath (this is Maimonides’ Guide to the Perplexed). More importantly however, the reason we might look up to them as heroes or leaders is not limited to physical greatness, but rather moral caliber. Steve is chosen by Dr. Erskine specifically because of his moral caliber, yeah? Same as David getting chosen by God since he can see into his heart? In fact, you can very easily compare and contrast the selection process for being anointed and the anointment itself with the Super Soldier program.
Of course the fact that Dr. Erskine is a Jewish man cannot be ignored. But in this lens, I would compare him not to a Rabbi in Prague, but rather to God seeing into David’s heart, with Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones in case you don’t remember who I’m talking about lmao) functioning as the skeptical Samuel. Which, idk, feels like a more powerful metaphor.
At the end of the day, I feel like Captain America’s purpose as a symbol and a leader alike gets erased if you view him only as a tool. Especiallysince Steve’s principles will often make him take off the costume or use it against the institutions it was made by in the first place, like when he became Nomad in the ‘70s.
And listen, the golem of Prague was an iconic figure in Jewish history/mythology. But I feel like it’s unsuited to discussion of any character with agency and their own motivations (although, wildcard, I think Vision might be on the table, I still have to think about this more).
One last note: don’t take this as an endorsement of everything David does nor as me claiming there’s a perfect parallel between every David story and Cap, just that Cap functions, within a Jewish mythological and cultural context, as a military leader and hero similar to David.
Ok it’s official part two: why every single Superman-as-christ metaphor sucks ass coming next
They’re also meant for hiltops, not small rooms. Cant get the right reverb with all that echo.
they’re also meant to make you fight the english. don’t forget that part.
My fav bagpipe player was a dude who would go out to the middle of a soccer field near my college apartment on Sunday. No one was using the field and he’d just be out there playing his heart out and the sound were just spread out over the plains. I’d be working on art for class so I’d open the window and listen.
I still have fond memories of the day a kid biked up to the edge of the field, ran over to the bagpiper and the music stopped for a moment and as they talked. I couldn’t hear it but I had assumed the worst, that someone had decided to tell him to stop playing. Instead after the pause the musician seemed to nod, readjusted his bagpipes and started belting out the Star Wars theme.
Holyshit that is the most interesting thing I’ve heard in awhile
there’s something so compelling about stories where a character’s virtues intensify into flaws that lead to their downfall. loyalty and love becoming so all-consuming that compassion outside of them ceases to exist. duty overwhelming any moral compass until order becomes more important than justice. selflessness so intense it becomes self-destruction. let me watch while whatever saved the hero in the beginning destroys them. let me see them fall to their own worst impulses disguised as what once made them good.
so can you imagine if it had been the other way around and hermann had been taken over
listen to me. listen to me. i know it had to be newt because he who studies monsters, but i just like to think about the hard-hitting devastation of newt realizing the only reason hermann was consumed by the hivemind and the precursors was because he insisted newt not drift on his own on victory day
and while we’re at it you do realize that newt would have confronted the possessed hermann over the years for ghosting him and then done irreparable damage to “their” relationship because he genuinely thinks hermann thinks he’s too good for him now and has outgrown him
“The prince just fell in love with Cinderella because of her looks!”
Wrong. Okay, picture this–
So there’s the prince, okay? He’s like, smack dab in the center of the ballroom, and he is like, horrifically aware that this whole ball thing is a result of his dad falling into a panic about the royal lineage or whatever and he’s stuck listening to highborn girl after highborn girl, all lined up, introducing themselves like, “Oh yeah my family’s been a longtime supporter of the crown, and I think you’re cute, *cough* I’ve been told I have child-bearing hips *cough* Who said that? Anyway–” and Princey boy is just smiling through it, he has been the center of attention for entirely too long, he misses his emotional support horse, and is just internally like “Someone please kill me now.” And then… he sees her–This isn’t a love at first sight thing, this is a ‘what the hell is going on over there’ thing, because this girl has not gotten into the Debutante line for a solid 45 minutes.
She’s just at the hors d’oeuvres table going HAM on the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and like, she’s polite about it, she’s happy to move aside for other people grabbing punch and canapes (and she’s really so sweet with the wait staff, it’s kind of cute because they’re like… definitely not used to being acknowledged) but it’s like, “Damn girl, did you not eat today?” and then the prince is kind of stuck with the uncomfortable thought of ‘how many girls starved themselves to fit into a corset for this.’ And then the Prince realizes he’s missed the past 4 Debutante introductions because he’s watching Mystery girl hork down crab rangoons. So he’s like, “Excuse me” and manages to break free from the never-ending parade of girls who will hop on his dick for status.
And as he’s approaching Mystery Girl, it’s kind of hitting him that something’s not quite natural about her. Not fake, but not quite real. But at the same time this whole evening’s been just a whole circus of people acting fake as hell, so like, someone seeming a little off doesn’t seem bad, necessarily. And he sidles up to her like, “Hi,” and she’s like, “Oh–hey, have you tried the tapenade?” and she points to one of the plates, and at this point, he could hit her with the “You don’t know who I am, do you?” deal or the “Very funny, I see your play” deal, but at this point it occurs to him that, no, he hasn’t had anything to eat throughout this whole damn ball, partially because of being stuck in the debutante parade, partially because of nerves, and there’s something so disarming about the question that he grabs a crostini and she still seems so food-focused that it doesn’t seem possible that this is a play. So they both grab little plates and ditch the party.
She pretty much clears her plate in under two minutes and then has half of his plate, he’s cool with it, mostly he’s just absolutely fascinated listening to her.
See here’s the thing about Cinderella:
1. She doesn’t know he’s the prince. Like yeah, he’s been at the center of the room, but she’s kind of spent half the party eagerly looking around everywhere she’s allowed to go (”Have you seen rose garden? Have you seen the solarium??” further confirmation that she doesn’t know who she’s talking to) and the other half stuffing her face with food.
2. She assumes she’s never going to see anyone here tonight again, and no one recognizes her, so she has no filter.
So she’s just talking about whatever with this guy. He seems cool. She talks about her friends, who are rats. She makes little outfits for them. Sometimes they bring her little gifts. She is already the coolest person the prince has ever met because of this. She pretty much offhandedly talks about whatever is fucked up about the kingdom that would take his advisors two hours of hemming and hawing and watering down to address. She just says it like it’s nothing, just funky little things she’s observed, and again, she’s not aware that he’s the prince, but it’s still pretty damn bold to bring up at a literal royal ball.
She…seems to have the majority of graces that lots of girls from Respectable Families™ have, but there’s something strange about it, something simultaneously broken and hardened, like the way you can see where ice has thawed and re-frozen. Also the way she talks about her family, and the way she avoids talking about her family– is raising several red flags, not in the “Oh this is another person trying to take advantage of me” sense, but in the “Oh fuck, something’s gone really wrong and you need help” sense and also lowkey a ‘damn is she even getting fed?’ sense. But he can’t say, ‘Hey, that’s not fucking normal for people to say that to you or treat you that way. We need to get you out of there,’ without sounding crazy himself, so for now, he’s just going to chill, make sure she’s comfortable, and keep enjoying the evening. She’s somehow befriended like 4 of the waitstaff so they’re willing to cover for them while they disappear for a little bit, and they get plenty of time to talk, but eventually it hits her that she hasn’t danced yet and she’s like “Come on! I bet we can make the prince jealous!” and he just bursts out laughing at that like “hell yeah, let’s make the prince jealous. He’s a real asshole.” Like clearly she’s having a good time, so who is he to make it weird? So they head back to the ballroom and they dance. And our girl, Mystery Girl, Cinderella, while they’re dancing, becomes acutely aware that everyone is staring. That doesn’t seem quite right. Like, yeah she’s hot, she knows she’s hot, but at least a good third of the party should still be focused on the prince, right? Where is that guy, anyway?
Oh.
Oh wait.
Ohshit.
And Princey Boy actually picks up on her realization and they whisper argue for like 3 minutes. “Why didn’t you tell me?! Now I feel like a goddamn idiot!” “I dunno it was nice being treated like a normal person” “Well metreatingyou like a normal person makes me a goddamn felon or something did you consider that?!” “Hey–Hey–it’s cool–you’re cool–I think you’re amazing, and if anyone says shit about you, I can shut it down.” “Well I don’t like that! That’s fucked up!” “I agree. It is fucked up, but I believe in you, and I think you should have a chance, and I’m here to back you up. I know power is fucked up right now. I know. But are you cool with working with me to change that?” And our girl Cindy pauses on that for a couple seconds, because.. she’s just spent hours with this guy and like.. she knows he’s a good guy, she knows he means well, so she’s like, “I don’t know how long I can actually work with you.” and the prince is like “Look, I know your home situation is complicated right now, but I really think we can–”
And then the bell starts ringing.
It’s midnight.
And then she takes off in a panic, and our prince just met the coolest person ever, and like, he’s pretty sure whatever situation they’re headed back to is fucked up, and all he’s got going to find her is a shoe. A shoe.
Somebody left a comment on my AO3 that reminded me that in spite of this being one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me, I actually never made a post about it??? Absolutely wild.
Anyway I wrote a monologue about an autistic Julian Bashir making peace with his fractured identity and the things that were taken from him. And then Sid just went ahead and… performed it.
This man has next to no social media presence so people outside of the social club he has might not be aware, but he is one of the gentlest and kindest people to his fans. He is SO interested in the interpretations we bring to the table, and genuinely wants to listen to and amplify all these different perspectives that get brought to the table (I am also just like. Particularly touched by his support of his trans fans but that’s another post for another time).
My heart is so full every time I look back on this because all I really did was ask: could Julian Bashir be autistic? And to get this level of care and thoughtfulness and warmthput into my words as a response? I’m holding this next to my heart forever.
