something that’s been a confusing annoying pain in my neck for the last forever is this cultural notion of ground truth in fiction, that somehow a collection of works and adaptations can form a singularly truthful throughline, as if the thing an episode of G.I. Joe has over those doubtlessly outnumbering works of fan fiction devoted to its musclebound subjects is, of all things, credibility. this is a grave category error approaching mass hysteria. we have been conditioned to accept this for decades, for one with the ever extending and obviously violent legislation and enforcement of intellectual property law (finally, we can publicly write a fan sequel to The Little Engine That Could in 2026 without being considered a criminal in the US) and it’s hackneyed at this point to even mention the Bible, which really is countless books written in different languages by thousands of different people, but still somehow one Word. truth has always meant nothing; did you know that Super Mario Bros. 3 is actually a stage play? never mind the fact that it’s a fucking video game