Go off about Tim! I must admit it’s been a while since me hearing him in canon so brain is mostly full of fanon tim and I’d love to hear some takes
alrighty, uh, I’d like to preface this by saying it is currently 1am where I am and it could very well be argued I should be in bed, However! I would never pass up an opportunity to ramble about Tim Stoker my beloved. That said I am also not an expert on Tim or on fandoms or on larger issues (I’m kind of young, sorry) and also, historically, not actually that great at any sort of meta analysis, so maybe take this with a grain of salt? maybe a whole salt shaker? anyway, here goes my rambling (sorry if I get a bit long-winded):
• Most interpretations I’ve seen of Fanon Tim fit rather neatly in one of two archetypes, the first of which is what I’ve come to know as one of the Default Fandom Holes - a phenomenon that, in my experience, is basically fandoms (of any media, not just tma) fitting complex characters into more common-among-fandom, simple archetypes, like a square peg into a round hole. Basically, it’s sort of like Flanderisation, if that term means anything to you.
• Fanon Tim gets whittled down into what can be approximated as The Stereotypical Fun Bisexual: essentially, the charming, confident character who loves to party, acts as comic relief with debatable intelligence, and is generally portrayed as being ‘easy’, dating and sometimes hooking up with a lot of people, as well as often having a lot of, er, ‘sexual prowess’, for lack of a better term. This archetype is... problematic in and of itself, to say the very least (CoughCoughBiphobicCough) and seems applied most often to (either canonically or presumed to be) bisexual characters. Y’know... like Tim!
• Seriously, the amount of boxes Fanon Tim checks here is, astounding. And to be fair, he does have some of those qualities in canon - he is, indeed, a confident person who is mentioned on occasion to be a charmer and a flirt, and he’s demonstrated to be something of a social butterfly, such as keeping up with the lives and studies of the various students using the Institute for their research and sources. In fanon, however, I’ve seen him described as almost nothing like he is in canon; the edges are sanded off to fit the stereotype, and so he’s called a slut or a himbo a truly worrisome amount of times, someone who exists to crack jokes and flirt and do very little else. Sometimes it’s fond, sure, like these are supposed to be loveable qualities, he’s the beloved thot, but other times it’s portrayed as a vicious flaw. Either way, it’s not great, because that’s just. Not who Tim is?? At least, not outright in canon. It’s a lot more noticeable when Tim isn’t the main focus of whatever you’re currently looking at (art or fic or whatever), and so the creator might easily simplify him on the sidelines. However, even some pieces where Tim is the focus display this phenomenon. It happens a lot. Like, a lot. And I notice because... *drumroll*...
• It’s just so unlike who Tim is in canon! He’s confident, yes, and something of a flirt, but he’s not implied to be particularly promiscuous, and he takes his job very seriously. It’s been noticed lot more recently how among the season one gang, Tim’s the one with the straightest head on his shoulders, something that seems strange if you’re looking at Fanon Tim, but perfectly logical with Canon Tim. Jon’s... well, Jon, Martin’s busy breaking and entering and being harassed by worms, Sasha’s out going on coffee dates and graveyard romps with the Distortion, and Tim’s just trying to get through the work day. He gets along well with others and uses that to his advantage when needed. He’s intelligent, has a good education, and is the one to mention to Jon that some recorded statements are misnumbered, showing a particular effort that this Fanon Tim likely wouldn’t put in. He’s goofy at times, but it’s not all he is.
• And! Not to mention (I say, as I’m actively mentioning it) that he does have trauma like everyone else in this show! It doesn’t get explained for over a hundred episodes, but it’s plainly obvious and heart wrenching in hindsight. I might be biased, because I myself am an eldest sibling, but the loss of Danny has a huge effect on Tim’s character and informs so many things he does, even before we learn his name. Of course, it’s hard to have your airheaded comic relief when they’re a complex character wracked with grief and anger, so a lot of times this gets casually shoved in a closet and never acknowledged, ever.
• But. Sometimes, Tim doesn’t act as the shallow wisecracker. Sometimes, Tim’s Fanon characterization is informed not by his season 1, before-everything-went-wrong behaviour, but by his season 3 behaviour, where we meet the other incarnation of fanon Tim, the one I like to call Jackass Tim.
• “But Cinna,” you might very well say, “Tim had a lot of reasons to be angry by season three!” And you’d be right! By season three (and even season two, to be honest), Tim’s been put through the fucking wringer. Brutal. He’s got lots and lots and lots of reasons to be absolutely pissed - except, most of the time when Jackass Tim rears his head, he’s once again not the main focus of the piece. Rather than acting as the simple comic relief, he acts as the simple antagonist. It might come as little surprise that a lot of these examples come from people who think Jon Did Nothing Wrong - not naming any names, of course, but it’s a phenomenon that comes up now and then. And I myself do like Jon! A whole lot! But he also did things wrong! A lot of things wrong! Nobody in this podcast is perfect, that’s part of its whole.. thing
• Jackass Tim is, in most of his appearances, the cruel man who’s just so mean to poor old Jon for no good reason, who, of course, did nothing wrong! /s. A lot of these characterizations are almost startling in how far out of character they pull Tim, in the exact opposite direction to Fun Tim - he’s cruel, verbally and somethings physically hurting Jon in ways that are less informed by a man who’s depressed, stuck at the end of his rope and feeling betrayed by a former best friend, and more “wait, shit, we need someone to bully Jon for our whump and then immediately leave the room.” It’s no surprise that these pieces don’t exactly take the time to examine why Tim’s so angry, or to realize that in canon, by season three, much of that anger is turned inward into a suicidal spiral. Most sightings of Jackass Tim aren’t focused on Tim - he’s just an archetype to prop up other, more focal characters (usually Jon, in my experience).
• To be very fair, there are good interpretations of Tim, even when he’s not the focus! Not everyone’s pulling him out of character. Sometimes he’s written very generically, sure, as a side character, but it’s better than the above two characterizations. Tim’s not everyone’s favourite, of course, he’s not quite a main character and not everyone cares much enough to do all the research to keep him in character. Sometimes it’s just not that important to what you’re making, and that’s totally understandable! I get that dude, no prob
• In a conclusion I’m only coming to now that I’ve rambled on about it this long, both of the worst incarnations of Fanon Tim I’ve seen mostly occur when Tim’s needed not as a person, but as a plot device or archetype, either consciously or likely unconsciously. Canon Tim’s only ever an asshole or a comedian when it’s warranted - he’s multifaceted, he’s traumatized but strong, he’s responsible, he’s brotherly, he’s doing his best and looking around for support in the face of his world falling apart around him and finding absolutely nobody in his corner. But that’s a lot to consider, when all you really need for your project is a mouthpiece to put witty jokes or wicked jabs in. It’s natural for these simplified interpretations to bleed out into broader fandom, because fandom’s structure (especially now that there’s no more canon content) is by nature an echo chamber of people’s headcanons and interpretations getting mixed up and into canon. And I’m not mad about that, it’s just how it happens - tma fandom’s not the first, and it sure won’t be the last. But it’s kind of frustrating to me personally to see one of my favourite characters get flattened into something so unlike his true nature.
So, uh. Yeah! Thank you for coming to my TED talk, this is not any kind of callout and I really really hope I’m not offending anybody, I hope this makes sense and isn’t just utterly nonsensical sleep-deprived rambling, Tim deserved better, have a good night :]
