what motifs do YOU associate with seth?
so many, so little time lmao
fire : it's a recurring motif in fdtd and i associate it with a few of the characters ( richie, kisa, carlos, freddie ), but for seth it's very much a symbol of rebirth and awakening while also being something deeply traumatic. all the instances where fire affected him were major turning points in his life, there's the first instance which is ray's death. the second which is when he got it tattooed on his arm as remembrance to richie saving him from the fire. third was when he realized that richie set the fire that killed ray, and the last was it coming full circle when he had to set richie on fire to save him from amaru. furthermore, seth's overall personality is very fiery, he tends to scorch everything and everyone around him whether he means to or not, he kind of embodies it, kind of a personification of it in the way it's both destructive and also representing life, or clarity.
mirrors : or reflections might be a better explanation, but seth's seen looking into mirrors and at his reflection a few times. as a character that struggles to self-reflect on himself, on events and experiences, the mirrors / reflections are moments where seth is grappling with conflicting emotions or where he's trying to process something or center himself. he uses his own reflection to remind himself of who he is.
mongoose : okay, hear me out, they're one of the only small predators that take on highly venomous snakes but they also represent defence, protection, and destroying evil in certain practices, they supposedly represent showing courage in the face of fear, to not run in times of conflict, and they also supposedly symbolise adventure, impulsiveness and rebelliousness.
wolverine : another animal motif, strong, tough, tenacious, supposedly they warn you of your dark sides, the "shadowed places that we prefer to leave alone", understanding the darkness and respecting what it represents, which is more fitting for s03!seth who's come more or less around to accepting the new reality of the supernatural.
white horse of the apocalypse : or conquest, theologically it's been argued whether conquest represents the anti-christ or satan out to conquer the world, or it could represent jesus or the holy spirit and his conquest over evil and i think that represents the duology of seth where he's both this kind of destructive, immoral, force but is also willing to go to beat to save the people around him or the world itself when push comes to shove.
hands : as a motive to represent how seth is very action and goal orientated, always moving, always touching, always doing something with his hands. he uses his hands to both save and protect, as well as inflict some pretty horrendous violence. bonus motif of the neck as it's the most vulnerable part of the body, he got bitten by the person he loved most there, went on to tattoo over his neck in an effort to forget that person, while simultaneously being a metaphorical means of shielding that vulnerability, armoring it up as it were.
the ace : courtesy of eddie for calling him the ace card, it's usually considered the highest rank in the deck but in some card games it's also seen as the lowest by filling the space of the absent "one" card. in his day-to-day, during his moves within the criminal realm of things, seth is very much considered a top dog, he’s very good at what he does, he’s very skilled and competent in his abilities and is considered a high threat. however when he’s spiraling, or when he’s involved within the culebra or supernatural horror realms of things, he’s more of the underdog, he’s often outmatched, he’s considered by supernatural beings to be lower than or inferior to them. ace of spades is also popularly known as the "card of death", typically represents a person that is highly competent in battle, and foreshadows danger ahead which i think is very on brand for him.
the devil tarot : typically represents selfishness, sexuality, knowledge, ambition, indulgence and warns that change is coming. getting seduced by material wealth and physical pleasures, while also implying that someone is living in fear, domination, bondage, being caged by an overabundance of luxury, seth goes through quite a few instances of losing everything that he's tried so hard to gain. the 30 mil in bearer bonds and richie in season 1, malvado's stash of cash and kate in season 2, his and richie's outfit along with his cash and the new friendships he made in season 3.
cain and abel : ties in with richie, there's a lot of sibling rivalry between them and it gets super intense. there's a lot of untapped potential between richie and seth, there's a lot of imbalances of power that switch between them, jealousy, confusion, resentment, tied in with a lot of admiration, respect, love, can't live with him, can't live without him kind of motifs.
