#ralfjohnny

[burnsopale]

It’s pretty damn cool that Ralf “Ugh dirty peasants” Jürgens is acknowledging the power of the BBA, but honestly I post this just to have Johnny’s angry face on my blog.

[burnsopale]

I RELY ON NO ONE BUT MYSELF.

AND RALF.

[burnsopale]

I CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW MUCH OF A LITTLE SUB THIS BANDANA BOI IS I’M SORRY.

Ralf calls the shots and the writers will always let us know that Johnny DisagreesTM with his decision, but he’s also gonna do as Ralf says because he’s Ralf’s little bitch. I don’t even have to ship them for this. You know Olivier or Giancarlo would just bow out if they really disagreed with Ralf’s choices, but they also just take things more lightly, but Johnny is actively NOT IN AGREEMENT and still gives Team Who this worried sideways glance that absolutely 100% means “I’m gonna take this punishment cause my dom said I have to, but I’m worried it’s gonna hurt”.

I didn’t even remember this bit. I was busy obsessing over all the other times Johnny’s been railed by Ralf, who doesn’t even fucking notice. GOD.

And, okay, to be less horny more academic for a bit, what I mean by not feeling like Johnny’s ready to accept the lesson of the arc is that he’s still protesting every step of the way, unlike the other three. So that was the point I would have made if I hadn’t gotten so horny distracted.

[burnsopale]

*weeping with shipper joy* HE WANTS TO HELP THE BAE!

Hey, nice excuse, but I do actually wonder if he had any sort of plan here? Like, was he going to actually try to cheer Ralf on, or was it more something like jumping into the dish and kicking dragoon out like a football?

[burnsopale]

#whenhesproudofthebae

#onceinabluemoon #sayittohisfacecoward

[burnsopale]

Continued on from part 1.

Oliver and Enrique’s lines about Johnny at the end of episode 37 bother me because even as a teenager, I noticed how fucked up the European boys’ relationships were, and I spent so much time trying to figure out why they were like this, only to, years later, discover that it was just bad writing. Nelvana rewrote a bunch of little lines that add up to a very unhealthy relationship between Johnny and the other three. Let me list them under the cut.

It starts when Oliver and Enrique are finally let in to see Robert. In the original scene, Giancarlo comments that Johnny clearly lost to Ralf again, and Johnny huffs and pouts about it.

Enrique, meanwhile, says: “Sorry for barging in, we didn’t know you had company, but it’s no big deal, it’s only Johnny.”

So in Japanese, Johnny reacts to a dig at his chess-playing, while in English, Johnny reacts to a dig at his person. The line wouldn’t have been half so bad if the reaction shot didn’t make it seem like Johnny gets offended. And yeah, it’s just a little comment, but it’s gonna pile up.

Next up is the scene where Kai rejects Johnny’s challenge and walks out. Originally, Giancarlo says he thought Kai was mute, and Olivier adds that it turns out Kai’s tongue is even sharper than Johnny’s.

Here are the English lines:

Enrique: “For someone who doesn’t talk much, he sure talks tough.”

Oliver: “And he sure put Johnny in his place, didn’t he?”

Oliver’s line is much meaner than Olivier’s.

Next up is the scene at the end of the episode, where Olivier and Giancarlo’s talk about the BBA’s “special something” turns into critisizing Johnny for showing off and trying to be the “big fish in the little pond”. Again, the scene is made worse by Johnny’s defensive body-language, which makes it seem like the comments are hurting him.

In episode 38, Robert takes up the baton to carry on the abuse, first when the boys are in Robert’s study discussing what to do about the Bladebreakers’ challenge. Robert suggests they play them for the right to go to Russia:

Johnny: “Yeah, now you’re talking! Count me in.”

Robert: “Quiet! I’m the leader of this team, and you’ll do what I say.”

Meanwhile, in the original:

Johnny: “As expected of Ralf. Well said!”

Ralf: “But ... once you’ve caught measles, it needs to be treated.” (It makes sense in context, but the point is that Ralf isn’t irrationally telling Johnny to shut his mouth when Johnny was only agreeing with him.)

And then finally, in the garden later in the episode:

Nelvana:

Johnny: “Open the new stadium? They’re not worth the honour! Why don’t we finish them off right now?”

Robert: “That’s enough! You are not fit to lecture me about honour, Johnny.”

and Madhouse:

Johnny: “Wait a minute! Even you are falling for this, Ralf? You said you never fight anyone twice!”

Ralf: “I said that it’s an exhibition match, didn’t I? It’s not a real battle. If you don’t like it, just drop out.”

Ralf is being a hypocrite, but telling Johnny that he can leave if he doesn’t want to play is reasonable. Meanwhile, Robert is contradicting my entire thesis on why these four are friends; because they can’t deny that they are equal in riches, status, and HONOUR. If Robert considers Johnny beneath him, then they have no reason to hang out.

Somehow, Nelvana managed to consistently turn their rewrites into personal attacks on Johnny, until there’s enough of them that it comes across as bullying. In the original, Johnny is himself the most deliberately mean character, but the sting is taken out of his comments both by how the others brush him off, and by how clearly he’s coming from a troubled place. Where Madhouse is telling us that Johnny needs to grow and heal, Nelvana is trying to pass of this bullshit as friendship.

And don’t try to tell me it’s not a big deal because it’s just a story: When I look back at my first RobertJohnny WIPs, they make all the warning bells ring. I was writing an abusive relationship and I thought it was romantic, because Nelvana do not condemn the bullying, and so neither did I. I still write RalfJohnny with un-agreed-upon and therefore unhealthy domsub vibes, but now I do it critically and deliberately.

[burnsopale]

Tall and Fabulous has been brought up to speed, everyone is back in the dining room, and with the addition of two more characters, the dynamics have changed a bit.

Ralf has taken his place at the head of the table as is natural for the master of the house. Externally, it is also natural that he should be center frame, as he is the character the others are trying to influence.

Olivier has moved down to Giancarlo, displacing the Italian, which again I would say suggests the hierarchy of authority between those two; Giancarlo moved for Olivier. But both of them are respectfully flanking Ralf, same as the BBA.

Meanwhile, Johnny has his boots on the furniture. On the one hand he has placed himself outside the circle in a show of indifference (look at him. he’s trying so hard bless his little shorts), but he is also flanking Ralf on the other side, ready to be his shoulder-devil.

His casual appropriation of the settee also says something about his familiarity with the house and its owner; he has been here enough times and knows Ralf well enough that he feels comfortable making himself at home.

There is a duality to his attitude, respect and disrespect, familiarity and distance.

*small squee*

[burnsopale]

STAHP it. You’re making it sound like he’s IMPORTANT to Ralf. I’m supposed to be cool and rational NOT DROWNING IN FEELS.