I don't think Kalim is the sun and Jamil is the moon.
Let me clarify: The popular opinion of their dynamic is Kalim, the sunshine boy, and Jamil, the calm moon. I hate those.
Kalim is not an innocent, naive, sunshine, always happy, always lucky, nepo baby. He's emotionally intelligent. He's not stupid, he just believes in second chances, and is just so kind, amongst more shrewd people to the point that he's SEEN as stupid.
Kalim's generosity is often overlooked as his "stupidity", and the fact that he grew up by being praised for average things, and somehow still grew up to be kind is also overlooked.
It doesn't take a lot for anyone to be traumatized after seeing their best friend get poisoned by food they were supposed to eat, you know.
He has gotten kidnapped. He has gotten poisoned. He has trauma, and it's seen in the game. He hates curry for a reason.
Something like this, that should be seen as resilience, is often seen by the fandom as just another thing Jamil had to deal with (the fact that he got poisoned for Kalim, and all the stuff he did in order to keep him safe, along with him not being able to eat curry becuase Kalim hates it). And yes, it is true. Jamil has to technically do all that but Kalim is still a victim of a traumatic series of events. Jamil is also a victim but Kalim's sunshine like personality stops the fandom from looking too deep into his trauma.
His guilt is also highlighted toward his friend, Jamil, not sadness over his own situation.
Jamil is not a silenced slave that never fights back. He might be silenced and enslaved but he's definitely fighting every step of the way and screaming curse words at someone or planning to gaslight them. He is scheming a hundred different plans to overthrow the government. He's Jamil "burn down the corrupt government and build a new, better one" Viper.
Jamil being a quiet, tired, parent figure (which he technically is), is not the full version of his character.
If we are specifically using the famous lyric "I shine only with the light you give me", a reference to the sun and moon trope, yes, both of them can be the sun and the moon, with the Kalim as the sun, and Jamil as the moon trope being more popular. Jamil shines only with the light that Kalim, and his family allows him to have, as his status as a servant holds him back. Yet, Kalim is also the moon. He also only shines with the light that Jamil gives him. He's not been given a proper chance to fight freely for the number one spot without Jamil helping him by stepping back into the shadows.
However, that is not what I was trying to mention.
I mean their personalities. Jamil may seem calm, yes, he's tired. He's composed. He's quiet, he seems like the moon. However, he's more ambitious than anyone. About as ambitious as Azul, though Azul’s greed/ambition is divided into many aspects, with Riddle claiming he had a finger in too many pies. He, during Book 6 firmly believes that if he wasn't holding back due to his status and situation, he'd be able to do as much as others, which Leona points out. His belief holds him back more than anything. Not to forget that his entire Overblot was based on his desire to be free, a show of his ambition.
Yes, Jamil can be seen as the moon: being forced into the background while Kalim shines brightly.
However, Jamil burns. He burns bright, he would burn himself into destruction if it meant tasting freedom before he died. He would burn in the most bright, and dangerous way, grabbing everyone's attention. Jamil burns with potential and self destruction in his core. Jamil isn't just lacking in ambition, he's just containing it, and hiding it.
He can be the moon, but that's only if Kalim is seen as the sun.
In my eyes:
Jamil is the sun, or, he can be considered a star. After all, a sun is a star. If we simply talk about Jamil himself, without involving Kalim into anything, he is a star. Because stars don't just exist to be seen, they burn regardless. Some may just disappear without even being acknowledged, but they are still bright, and massive, and overall: burning.
Kalim, is the moon. The moon can shine even when it is dark, during the night, mirroring his ability to remain positive even when things are bad. However, his light is artificial, since his light is based off how much he is given. Even without Jamil being the sun, he can still be the moon as he is often controlled.
Although, the thing about Jamil being the sun and Kalim being the moon is that I feel like then the sun should shine more than the moon.
However, I think if Jamil wasn't forcefully hidden he would burn brighter than Kalim in some shape or form. So, more likely the sun is forced to be "eclipsed" and the moon suddenly has a spotlight on them.
Either way, both of them are severely mischaracterized or oversimplified.
I'm just saying, if Jamil was the type to easily give up he would have never Overblotted and attempted to make a cult.
If Kalim was just a naive, sunshine character, he would have not offered to become Jamil's real rival, nor would he have punched him.
They have so much more depth than what the fandom sees.
Comment what you think.
All I know is, Jamil should have a cult.
