Discussion - Johnny Smith's Character
Nov. 12th, 2008 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leskuhDISCUSSION POST
Topic: Johnny Smith's Role in SHWC and an analysis as Johnny Smith as a character.
So, um. I honestly don’t know why I’m doing this. But Johnny swims around in my mind a lot and I’ve been spending insane amounts of time trying to pin down what attracts me to him as a character as well as trying to coherently sum up what he is to the story and to the other characters. It’s probably going to get long and maybe boring - I can guarantee it’ll be rambly with me emphasizing things that might make you go ‘so what?’. THAT’S JUST HOW I ROLL.
So, here we go:
WE ARE THE CARTOON HEROES
Basically, Johnny is at the center of the story. Not completely, obviously, because SHWC focuses on a lot of different characters and situations going on, but it is pretty obvious that the heart of the story (for now, maybe it’ll change but I honestly hope not) is JRO’s tale. From their relationship there are lead-ins to so many different other characters and storylines and they seem to have destiny kind of riding on their shoulders. And it makes sense. They represent the three major opposing forces inside of Strangetown right now - the aliens, the military and death (or life!).
But the strangest part of all is that they’ve managed to come together and have formed this super tight bond that’s basically proven to be near unbreakable. Despite those backgrounds and the hatred surrounding all of the older generation they’ve managed to stay together, completing one another.
And at the heart of JRO is Johnny. Not always, of course, but he’s the original uniting force that drove Phi and Ripp together and is the one that has the most power to change their relationship at any given moment. This is illustrated most painfully in Chapter 25 when Phi asks him, quite seriously, what he wants to do, and also at the very end of the chapter when he makes the decision to pull Ripp into bed with him and Phi. It’s there in the way Phi and Ripp are cautious not to be too affectionate around Johnny, because they don’t want to upset him. And it’s there in the way that the both of them need Johnny.
THE KIDS FINALLY GET IT
Honestly, Johnny didn’t really interest me for a very long time. I believe Phi and Tank had my heart at the very beginning and Ripp always tugged at me of course, but was kind of a train wreck and Johnny… well he’s not the most sympathetic character, y’know? It sucks that he has to choose between love and family, but I mean… he had a good childhood, he’s good at most everything he does and KNOWS it, and he really does have something of a stick up his ass. So yeah, I didn’t pay him much attention besides thinking that he really ought to just explain to Phi the whole Jayne situation.
But then he did something that basically cemented as my favorite SHWC forever and ever no matter what terrible things he might do in the future.
Johnny chose Phi and Ripp.
Even after everything that happens to him that night and despite how easy it would have been to turn his back on the both of them when he found them in bed together. And even though he could have told Phi that he wanted her to be his and only his. Despite the fact that Ripp is fucking up again and again and it would be so easy to hate them and do the ‘right’ thing (at least by his family and the alien’s standards). He doesn’t.
He chooses them. Ripp and Phi. Them and only them. It’s selfish. And stupid. And worst of all is that he is choosing the future that is most likely to come crumbling down.
But that’s the life he chooses.
And that’s why I love him.
TIME TO LEAVE
So I’m sure a lot of people disagree with his decision and even find it hard to believe, but I think it was brilliant.
If he’d given them up - if he’d left them to one another and took the alien’s deal - he wouldn’t be my favorite character. It was that decision of choosing love first that makes me adore him.
And that’s why, even if he now accepts the alien’s proposal, he’ll still remain my favorite - because he chose them first and loves them best. He loves them more than his family, more than his race. They are his home.
But… I do think Johnny’s going to leave them. And I think it’s going to be the hardest thing Ripp and Phi will ever have to face.
However, like I said - he isn’t going to want to and every fiber of his being is going to want to fight it. Or, maybe some part will want it as a way of maybe avenging/honoring his father, but the greater part of him is going to hate it. He says it himself, he’s already grown love - and it’s there with Ripp and Phi. He loves them more than anything and to leave them will be ripping out a large part of who Johnny is.
But I don’t doubt he’ll go. Sooner or later, something’s gotta give.
FLY AWAY
Johnny leaving is going to really hurt Phi and Ripp for many reasons that will be separate for each, but ultimately it will still be the same pain at heart. They’re losing different things, but in the end they're both losing Johnny.
Phi’s losing her very first love. Maybe even her true love. She’s losing the man that she’s spent years building a relationship with. If he’s gone she’ll lose Johnny with Ripp, which is something that both exasperates her and makes her happiest. There’s also a strength in Johnny that’ll be gone - he was her light. When the heaviness of both her world and Ripp’s got to be too much, there was always Johnny to comfort them and give them his smile. Who’s going to light up the darkness now?
I love Johnny/Phi. I really, really do but Ophelia’s need for Johnny and vice versa is the most subtle. You can feel that it’s there, but I don’t know if we’ve ever seen Johnny support Ophelia emotionally, or if he does it’s usually after Ripp has already calmed her down.
But Ripp’s need for Johnny is so much more tangible. It’s there in everything he does. He’s constantly seeking Johnny’s approval and trying to show Johnny that he’s worthwhile (even if he himself isn’t sure that he really is). I think Johnny’s come to be a lot of different things to him - his best friend, his brother, his father (yeah, I think he seeks approval from Johnny as a way to make up for the affection he never got from his dad), I’m not sure about now, but certainly when Johnny leaves there will also be that connection to his mother. They also skirt this edge that seems almost like lovers, lots of soft touching and closeness and lots of confessions of love for one another. There’s also an underlying push and pull to their relationship - it’s volatile, while also being completely tender. Once again, Chapter 25 is the greatest example of this - when Johnny confronts Ripp about sleeping with Phi, what starts as a fight soon turns into an emotionally charged hug, which then turns back into a fight that’s charged with something more than just anger. There’s love there too. Hatred and love.
If Johnny goes, Ripp is finally going to have to grow up. He’ll be the one that will have to take care of Phi and try to fill Johnny’s shoes. He has to carry on his friend/brother/lover’s legacy. And that’s A LOT for Ripp who is only just beginning to get even just the barest handle on monogamy.
Mostly, without Johnny, they won’t laugh or love the same. There’ll be a Johnny sized hole that neither Ripp or Phi will ever be able to fill.
But don’t worry! He’ll be back! (OH GOD HE’D BETTER COME BACK D: )
SO MUCH I DON’T KNOW
I don’t know what’s going to happen to Johnny. I don’t know what the alien’s proposal was. I don’t know if leaving means that he’s just going to marry Jayne and stay separate from Phi and Ripp or if it means he’s really going to leave. I like the latter, just because it seems like there’s more hope in that and because I don’t particularly like Jayne.
I don’t even know if he’ll be leaving the plot line or not. It’s just… I don’t know.
But I’m worried for him.
And I hope that, maybe one day, he’ll find his way back to Ripp and Ophelia.
He’ll find his way home.
a/n: I've been debating about actually posting this. I actually always feel really awkward about posting art/fiction for Strange's story, because like... she's real, a tangible person that I can have e-conversations with and that's a little frightening on some level. I worry about stepping on toes, especially lately because people have been commenting more here. Not that it takes away from her story, but like... I'm worried that it's going to seem like I'm trying to take the story from her or that maybe I'm pushing too hard for things I want (like Johnny/Ripp stuff). And like, that's really NOT my intention at all when I draw stuff for SHWC. I don't want the story to turn out the exact way I think it should and I don't want her to push characters to places they wouldn't otherwise go to please a fan or fans or anything like that.
And now I feel stupid, because I sound sort of bigheaded - as if my opinion and constant chatter is affecting the plot and the characters. Urgh, I don't THINK I'm swaying the plot, but I mean, I also don't want to add that pressure, y'know? Um.... yeah.
So today I wrote up a sizeable chunk of text about Johnny and why I love him and what he means to Ripp and Phi respectively. And like, this is MY interpretation of him. It may not be the correct one! Parts of it may be close to the real Johnny, but others might be off the mark! And you can agree/disagree with me if you want or just ignore this whole thing all together (probably the best option XD).
REMEMBER - this is all fan speculation! I have no more knowledge of the trio's future than anyone else! This is just me laying out some thoughts and whether or not they're anywhere near the truth is yet to be seen!
So then - JOHNNY!
Topic: Johnny Smith's Role in SHWC and an analysis as Johnny Smith as a character.
So, um. I honestly don’t know why I’m doing this. But Johnny swims around in my mind a lot and I’ve been spending insane amounts of time trying to pin down what attracts me to him as a character as well as trying to coherently sum up what he is to the story and to the other characters. It’s probably going to get long and maybe boring - I can guarantee it’ll be rambly with me emphasizing things that might make you go ‘so what?’. THAT’S JUST HOW I ROLL.
So, here we go:
WE ARE THE CARTOON HEROES
Basically, Johnny is at the center of the story. Not completely, obviously, because SHWC focuses on a lot of different characters and situations going on, but it is pretty obvious that the heart of the story (for now, maybe it’ll change but I honestly hope not) is JRO’s tale. From their relationship there are lead-ins to so many different other characters and storylines and they seem to have destiny kind of riding on their shoulders. And it makes sense. They represent the three major opposing forces inside of Strangetown right now - the aliens, the military and death (or life!).
But the strangest part of all is that they’ve managed to come together and have formed this super tight bond that’s basically proven to be near unbreakable. Despite those backgrounds and the hatred surrounding all of the older generation they’ve managed to stay together, completing one another.
And at the heart of JRO is Johnny. Not always, of course, but he’s the original uniting force that drove Phi and Ripp together and is the one that has the most power to change their relationship at any given moment. This is illustrated most painfully in Chapter 25 when Phi asks him, quite seriously, what he wants to do, and also at the very end of the chapter when he makes the decision to pull Ripp into bed with him and Phi. It’s there in the way Phi and Ripp are cautious not to be too affectionate around Johnny, because they don’t want to upset him. And it’s there in the way that the both of them need Johnny.
THE KIDS FINALLY GET IT
Honestly, Johnny didn’t really interest me for a very long time. I believe Phi and Tank had my heart at the very beginning and Ripp always tugged at me of course, but was kind of a train wreck and Johnny… well he’s not the most sympathetic character, y’know? It sucks that he has to choose between love and family, but I mean… he had a good childhood, he’s good at most everything he does and KNOWS it, and he really does have something of a stick up his ass. So yeah, I didn’t pay him much attention besides thinking that he really ought to just explain to Phi the whole Jayne situation.
But then he did something that basically cemented as my favorite SHWC forever and ever no matter what terrible things he might do in the future.
Johnny chose Phi and Ripp.
Even after everything that happens to him that night and despite how easy it would have been to turn his back on the both of them when he found them in bed together. And even though he could have told Phi that he wanted her to be his and only his. Despite the fact that Ripp is fucking up again and again and it would be so easy to hate them and do the ‘right’ thing (at least by his family and the alien’s standards). He doesn’t.
He chooses them. Ripp and Phi. Them and only them. It’s selfish. And stupid. And worst of all is that he is choosing the future that is most likely to come crumbling down.
But that’s the life he chooses.
And that’s why I love him.
TIME TO LEAVE
So I’m sure a lot of people disagree with his decision and even find it hard to believe, but I think it was brilliant.
If he’d given them up - if he’d left them to one another and took the alien’s deal - he wouldn’t be my favorite character. It was that decision of choosing love first that makes me adore him.
And that’s why, even if he now accepts the alien’s proposal, he’ll still remain my favorite - because he chose them first and loves them best. He loves them more than his family, more than his race. They are his home.
But… I do think Johnny’s going to leave them. And I think it’s going to be the hardest thing Ripp and Phi will ever have to face.
However, like I said - he isn’t going to want to and every fiber of his being is going to want to fight it. Or, maybe some part will want it as a way of maybe avenging/honoring his father, but the greater part of him is going to hate it. He says it himself, he’s already grown love - and it’s there with Ripp and Phi. He loves them more than anything and to leave them will be ripping out a large part of who Johnny is.
But I don’t doubt he’ll go. Sooner or later, something’s gotta give.
FLY AWAY
Johnny leaving is going to really hurt Phi and Ripp for many reasons that will be separate for each, but ultimately it will still be the same pain at heart. They’re losing different things, but in the end they're both losing Johnny.
Phi’s losing her very first love. Maybe even her true love. She’s losing the man that she’s spent years building a relationship with. If he’s gone she’ll lose Johnny with Ripp, which is something that both exasperates her and makes her happiest. There’s also a strength in Johnny that’ll be gone - he was her light. When the heaviness of both her world and Ripp’s got to be too much, there was always Johnny to comfort them and give them his smile. Who’s going to light up the darkness now?
I love Johnny/Phi. I really, really do but Ophelia’s need for Johnny and vice versa is the most subtle. You can feel that it’s there, but I don’t know if we’ve ever seen Johnny support Ophelia emotionally, or if he does it’s usually after Ripp has already calmed her down.
But Ripp’s need for Johnny is so much more tangible. It’s there in everything he does. He’s constantly seeking Johnny’s approval and trying to show Johnny that he’s worthwhile (even if he himself isn’t sure that he really is). I think Johnny’s come to be a lot of different things to him - his best friend, his brother, his father (yeah, I think he seeks approval from Johnny as a way to make up for the affection he never got from his dad), I’m not sure about now, but certainly when Johnny leaves there will also be that connection to his mother. They also skirt this edge that seems almost like lovers, lots of soft touching and closeness and lots of confessions of love for one another. There’s also an underlying push and pull to their relationship - it’s volatile, while also being completely tender. Once again, Chapter 25 is the greatest example of this - when Johnny confronts Ripp about sleeping with Phi, what starts as a fight soon turns into an emotionally charged hug, which then turns back into a fight that’s charged with something more than just anger. There’s love there too. Hatred and love.
If Johnny goes, Ripp is finally going to have to grow up. He’ll be the one that will have to take care of Phi and try to fill Johnny’s shoes. He has to carry on his friend/brother/lover’s legacy. And that’s A LOT for Ripp who is only just beginning to get even just the barest handle on monogamy.
Mostly, without Johnny, they won’t laugh or love the same. There’ll be a Johnny sized hole that neither Ripp or Phi will ever be able to fill.
But don’t worry! He’ll be back! (OH GOD HE’D BETTER COME BACK D: )
SO MUCH I DON’T KNOW
I don’t know what’s going to happen to Johnny. I don’t know what the alien’s proposal was. I don’t know if leaving means that he’s just going to marry Jayne and stay separate from Phi and Ripp or if it means he’s really going to leave. I like the latter, just because it seems like there’s more hope in that and because I don’t particularly like Jayne.
I don’t even know if he’ll be leaving the plot line or not. It’s just… I don’t know.
But I’m worried for him.
And I hope that, maybe one day, he’ll find his way back to Ripp and Ophelia.
He’ll find his way home.
a/n: I've been debating about actually posting this. I actually always feel really awkward about posting art/fiction for Strange's story, because like... she's real, a tangible person that I can have e-conversations with and that's a little frightening on some level. I worry about stepping on toes, especially lately because people have been commenting more here. Not that it takes away from her story, but like... I'm worried that it's going to seem like I'm trying to take the story from her or that maybe I'm pushing too hard for things I want (like Johnny/Ripp stuff). And like, that's really NOT my intention at all when I draw stuff for SHWC. I don't want the story to turn out the exact way I think it should and I don't want her to push characters to places they wouldn't otherwise go to please a fan or fans or anything like that.
And now I feel stupid, because I sound sort of bigheaded - as if my opinion and constant chatter is affecting the plot and the characters. Urgh, I don't THINK I'm swaying the plot, but I mean, I also don't want to add that pressure, y'know? Um.... yeah.
So today I wrote up a sizeable chunk of text about Johnny and why I love him and what he means to Ripp and Phi respectively. And like, this is MY interpretation of him. It may not be the correct one! Parts of it may be close to the real Johnny, but others might be off the mark! And you can agree/disagree with me if you want or just ignore this whole thing all together (probably the best option XD).
REMEMBER - this is all fan speculation! I have no more knowledge of the trio's future than anyone else! This is just me laying out some thoughts and whether or not they're anywhere near the truth is yet to be seen!
So then - JOHNNY!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:52 am (UTC)But yeah, this is really, really good. Especially the part about Ripp's love being tangible and Ripp having to grow up.
*claps*
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:55 am (UTC):\
But yeah, I know very little about future plot stuff. Strange is good at keeping stuff secret.... jerk. :P
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 02:22 am (UTC)Now as for me personally, I think Johnny leaving was the direction Strange was going to take the story at first... but I think she's rethinking that and might do something different with him now. I'm not sure; but that's the impression I'm getting.
I'll love whatever she decides to do, of course! :D
Johnny's always been one of my favorite characters. I've loved him ever since I got him married off to my very first born in game sim from my very first CAS family. I just had so much fun with him and the kids they had! :D
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:20 am (UTC)I just have this feeling that something external is going to cause the trio to split apart. I'm not even sure WHY I feel this way - possibly because of the sinister plot lurking in the background of this whole thing. But maybe it's just my own sort of twisted affection for the idea. I want to see what happens to Phi and Ripp when their Johnny is gone.
I'll love it too! I'm absolutely enamored with how she's brought so much life to sims characters. I also am probably one of the few people that adores how slowly time seems to move in her story. It makes it feel more like an actual novel-type story and less like a regular sim story which tend to move kind of fast.
I totally don't get attached to my sims like at all. Not unless they're supposed to be representative of characters that already exist in my head. For me, drawing is much more real than Sims are so I get more attached to the things I doodle than I do with the people in my game.
But Johnny the Character From SHWC has my heart! Johnny as just a Sim is okay, no better or worse than any other Sim.
HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-13 03:07 am (UTC)I think it'll tear Phi and Ripp apart though - they won't be able to handle each other without him, and I think they might spin out a bit.
My other thoughts on this are unoriginal :p
Re: HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-13 03:30 am (UTC)Yeah, Johnny's made his choice to stick with Phi and Ripp so anything that happens to change his mind is basically going to be pretty serious. I'm pretty sure whatever is going on with PT9 might be the start of something big for Johnny. If people he cares about end up at risk he's not just going to idly sit by and let it happen. Johnny's a fighter.
They'll be clinging to each other with all they've got if Johnny leaves. It'll be so tragic for both of them. Phi's losing someone she's loved for so long and a source of light in her life of death. And Ripp's going to be abandoned for the third time in his life. I wonder if he'll get a chance to say good-bye this time.
That's all if Johnny leaves, of course, and like I said, I don't really know for sure that he's going to. It's just a gut feeling.
Re: HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-13 05:36 am (UTC)I love reading what you're interpreting from the story - you often seem to think the things that I kind of think but can't express. I am bad at express. I how much you talk.
Also. Johnny is definitely leaving. Notice how strange_tomato won't respond to that? It's because you've predicted it because he IS.
It will be tragic. But I'm not sure if they'll be able to have each other without Johnny. It may just make them fall apart as well, to lead their own emo lives alone. And then they'll wear black and cut themselves.
Re: HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-13 03:50 pm (UTC)Haha, I feel bad at expressing stuff too. That's actually probably why the entry is SO LONG. I have a hard time explaining my thought process in a concise way.
Yeah, I'm almost certain. I'm just not sure HOW he's going to leave.
Oh, I'm almost positive that they'll stick together. They'll need each other even more with Johnny gone. And I just don't ever see Ripp leaving Phi and she probably won't be able to leave him either.
Re: HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-14 01:24 am (UTC)I totally get that with the inspiration - yes, it would be AWEEESOMMME if she gets inspiration from us, but I think that most of my ideas are shit and so it's probably good if she doesn't draw any inspiration from me :p.
I have to stop responding to you. Otherwise we'll end up having this fapfapfaprespondfaprespondfap thing :P
Okay, now I feel weird for saying that XD
Re: HOSHIT LONG POST
Date: 2008-11-14 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:37 am (UTC)I don't think you're influencing me, but it's probably going to seem that way with certain things. (And well, maybe you did influence me a little at one point, but only to convince me of something I was already thinking about, but unsure of... and many comments do get me thinking about things and they change things slightly, not just your's. Also, the trio's relationship has always been shifting around, as I work on it.)
There's one thing you said here (and I won't say what) that comes up almost word for word in the story. Someone says it, exactly that way. You'll know it when you see it, of course, so just know that I did have it already written as of when you posted this.
There are parts of Johnny's story that haven't changed from my original plans, but the where, why, and hows have changed quite a bit. I changed my plans somewhere in there, because I didn't believe that he'd choose Jayne over Ophelia like that. I was thinking he was less in love than he was. I don't think he knew it either. I realized it as he did, I guess.
I'll keep the details to myself for now. ;) I've held out this long, so I may as well attempt to keep my secrets a little longer. It'll be clear in a chapter or two (but the next chapter has a bunch of parts to it). I'd love to get there before Christmas, but who knows... it's a lot of ground to cover.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 04:15 am (UTC)So yeah it's different.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:46 am (UTC)...She just may be psychic. :P
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:52 am (UTC)I really like being able to shock you with things, so I hope I can pull some of these things off. I'll try my best. ;)
But yeah, she's totally psychic in some ways...
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 04:09 am (UTC)At least you're able to keep things in your story a secret. I on the other hand can't keep one at all! In fact, there's something coming up in the near future that I bet people will be able to figure out right away since I've given so many hints about it already.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 04:26 am (UTC)FEAR ME.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 04:12 am (UTC)I'm actually awful at analyzing literature, because I don't make the appropriate connections - I never get it in a logical sort of way. It's more of feelings and vibes that I pick up on. I can feel my way around characters, but I'll never be able to explain them accurately.
I'm glad that it doesn't feel like I'm pressuring you into anything, I get worried about that, especially when I rile up more people to my causes (*cough*Johnny/Ripp*cough*).
Ooo, I'll keep my eyes peeled for that. And I think that's just another instance of our brains probably working on a similar level. Lol! I think it might just have a lot to do with the fact that we're both totally hooked by character-driven storylines. Also, I'm completely and utterly melodramatic.
I think it's so neat that his love for Phi kind of snuck up on the both of you. I love when characters do unexpected things like that. You tell them to do one thing and they decide to do the opposite and you get so annoyed, because dammit this is your story, but now they're over on that other side as if they goddamn belonged there and you don't really have the heart to force them to be something they aren't.
Haha, it's probably best that you keep your secrets, even if it's killing me. I love all the suspense. :3
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 09:03 am (UTC)*sigh* <3
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:44 pm (UTC)That's really why I love him. Because his decision is super selfish (kind of). He's basically turning his back on this great heroic cause. And it's because he loves them too much to go run off and be the perfect son.
I will ALWAYS love characters who choose lover over power or love over duty. Because there's something tragically human in that.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 11:56 pm (UTC)Awww, you should still post some art sometime. I love looking at people's drawings no matter what their skill level. And I personally find my own stuff rather mediocre - like... I got some chops obviously, but I run into people's art that is so much more awesome than mine every single day so it's hard to really get a huge head from it. I mostly just want to get BETTER more than anything.
:3