noise dept.
ojovivo
@theartofmadeline
titsay
Today's Document
No title available
Cosmic Funnies
🪼
occasionally subtle
No title available
🩵 avery cochrane 🩵
Keni
tannertan36
No title available
KIROKAZE
todays bird
hello vonnie
sheepfilms
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Xuebing Du
seen from Venezuela
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Vietnam
seen from Nigeria
seen from Argentina
seen from Türkiye
seen from Philippines
seen from Argentina
seen from Iraq
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Taiwan
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
@the-ever-expanding-kris
I keep getting random messages (from what I am assuming are bots) Saying they wanna spoil me.
On the off chance there is someone crazy enough to pay me per message- here ya go. $5 gets 1 reply to your message- put your tumblr name in the notes section. 😒
"Lunar poppies blooming at night."
Lunar Poppy by Loles Romero
in search of the artist
Mischaracterization in the Arcane fandom is such a prominent issue, and I could probably write an essay for each of my favorite characters breaking down ways I've seen people absolutely butcher their characterization, but this is going to focus predominantly on Jinx and her relationships. People seem to have this misconception that due to her mental health issues, she's unable to have stable relationships. This idea has been echoed repeatedly on TikTok and Twitter by people that believe she never should've taken in Isha (to the point I've seen people claim that "realistically" Jinx would've abused Isha) or that she never cared about or could love Ekko. I mention these two instances specifically because people love to throw around the idea that because of the relationships she has with Ekko and Isha, then her story is rooted in misogyny. This is an incredibly ignorant perspective that shows a complete lack of understanding of Jinx's character and motivations. Now, I know that most of these people are too rooted in their opinions to ever change their minds, but I have gotten fed up with seeing these things over and over again, and as someone who has watched the show enough times I pretty much have the script memorized, I want to break down and refute some of these claims, and provide some insight into Jinx's mind and her relationships, specifically with Isha and Ekko.
Starting with Isha, since so much of the fandom likes to claim that Isha was a "useless plot device" and that she "domesticated Jinx", these perspectives fail to understand that two of the main factors that drive Jinx's actions throughout the show are 1) her desire to be loved/needed/wanted and 2) her fear and trauma. Isha helps Jinx work through both of these defining factors of her character and their relationship gives Jinx a new perspective when, previously, she was able to be reckless and selfish. People like to argue that Jinx would never care about Isha or just take in some random kid, but this dismisses the fact that Jinx didn't just spontaneously start caring about Isha. Their meeting was purely circumstantial, and Jinx killing the Chembaron goons that were chasing Isha was as much for her own benefit as it was for Isha's. During their initial meeting, Jinx points the gun at Isha and tries to warn her and scare her off, but Isha chooses to follow Jinx because, in her eyes, Jinx had saved her and sticking around Jinx seemed like a safer option than being alone. Throughout their few interactions in episode 2, Jinx is pretty dismissive of Isha and kind of just ignores her. The only semblance of affection that Jinx shows Isha is when she does the finger gun at her after Isha throws the glitter bomb. Aside from that, Jinx goes about her plans as if Isha isn't there.
The turning point in Jinx and Isha's relationship comes when Isha throws herself into danger to save Jinx. Up until that moment, Jinx had been used to conditional love. In her eyes, love was only attainable if she altered herself to meet the needs of whoever's affection she was attempting to obtain. We see that at it's peak during the dinner party when she's bargaining with Vi and saying that she can have Powder again. Powder was never really gone, but she could never truly go back to being who she was before everything happened. You can't erase nearly a decade of trauma, but Jinx wanted to try to change her entire personality and essentially get stuck playing pretend if it meant Vi would love her again. This is the same as with Silco. Silco repeatedly makes a point to say that Jinx is perfect. He only says the she is perfect as he's dying, and by then the idea of Jinx had already been solidified in her head. Jinx always felt like she had to be someone else in order to be loved, but that illusion is shattered when, despite seeing all the violence she is capable of, Isha jumps in to defend and protect her. This is also a turning point in their relationship because Jinx is fully aware of the danger that Isha has put herself in. She knows that Vi wouldn't hurt her, but she knows that Caitlyn would because she knows the exact kind of rage and desire for reverge that Caitlyn is feeling (which I could write a whole separate essay on the parallels between Caitlyn and Jinx, but I'll save that for another time). Jinx knows that Isha could end up dead, and the blood would be on her hands, again. That is why Jinx ultimately ends up taking in Isha because she knows that it's too late to scare her off, and if she keeps being reckless, then another person—a little kid—is going to die because of her. It was not an abrupt decision. And to go ahead and refute any arguments about it not making sense that Isha got attached to Jinx so quickly, as someone who works with kids, I have had kids come up and ask me for daily hugs and want to follow me around/talk to me after literally a single, brief interaction. It makes perfect sense that a probably 6-8 year old orphan would get attached to someone that literally saved her life.
Now, it's time to dig into the whole "it's unrealistic and misogynistic that a motherhood arc healed Jinx" argument. First off, Isha didn't magically heal Jinx. We still see Jinx struggling with her mental health even while she's in hiding with Isha. When she mentions Vi and Powder to Isha, her face pretty clearly shows that she misses Vi and is still regretting everything that happened between them. The scene of Jinx running off to Silco's office after she and Sevika argue show that she's still depressed and grieving. Really, the only difference is that she's not as volatile because she knows that indulging in those violent impulses means putting Isha in harm's way, and again, the blood will be on her hands. Also, I've seen people argue about Jinx not being enough of a revolutionary because of her storyline with Isha, but Jinx was never a revolutionary to begin with. She didn't want to be a leader or hero. The only reason she fired Fishbones at the council is because she was angry and grieving and she wanted to lash out and make a statement. She even admits that she didn't know Caitlyn's mom or the rest of the council would be there. It was purely coincidental that they happened to be holding the meeting to vote on Zaun's independence that night. All of Jinx's 'revolutionary' actions are things that were done purely out of emotion and motivated by personal factors. Everything she did while with Silco was for Silco. Even with after the argument with Sevika about staying in hiding, when she's in Silco's office, she says "probably owe it to you, on account of the murdering and all" which shows that even if she were to involve herself in everything it would be because of him and Isha, not because she really wants to.
One of Jinx's reasons for staying in hiding and not wanting to get involved with the revolution is because she's still struggling with her depression, anxiety, and abandonment issues. If she puts herself into public eye, it puts a target on her back and more importantly, it puts one on Isha's back. The fact that Jinx wants to stay in hiding is a testament to the fact that Isha didn't really "heal" her. She is still terrified of getting the people she cares about killed, and her hallucinations/psychosis get triggered as soon as Isha does end up getting taken.
Jinx and Isha's relationship is meant to parallel three of Jinx's major relationships: her relationship with Vi, her relationship with Silco, and her relationship with Vander. This parallel gives her a new perspective and ultimately is what leads her and Vi to be able to reconcile. Without Isha, Jinx and Vi wouldn't have reconciled. Vi had decided she was done with Jinx, and Jinx needed something to push her to be the one to reach out. Vi had already extended the olive branch once before, and Jinx let her paranoia and Silco's manipulation get the better of her and pushed Vi away, so it was her turn to reach out and show that she still wanted Vi as her sister. Jinx never would've come to that realization or decision without Isha giving her insight into Vi's perspective of their relationship when they were kids. All those times that she felt like Vi left her out or didn't believe in her were actually because Vi was worried about losing her, and having Isha in her life—giving Jinx something to lose—is what ultimately makes Jinx understand that and be able to heal that piece of herself. I think this parallel between Vi and Powder's relationship and Jinx and Isha's relationship is a good bridge for the motherhood vs. sisterhood debate, because I think the entire point is that the lines are blurred. Family is such a complicated thing in Zaun because the emphasis isn't on blood relatives, but rather found family. Even with Vi and Jinx, who are blood relatives, the lines between their relationship blur and Vi does take on a more maternal role for Powder because she's the older sister, and Vander unintentionally puts a lot of pressure onto Vi, essentially parentifying her as she's the one that Ekko, Mylo, Claggo, and especially Powder look up to. This line between maternal and sisterly relationships is blurred again with Jinx and Isha. Realistically, I don't think Jinx views herself as a maternal figure, but given the nature of their situation, it's a role she almost instinctively has to take on because there's a little kid looking up to her and relying on her.
Along with paralleling Vi and Powder's relationship, Jinx and Isha also heavily parallel Vander's relationship with Vi and Powder when he takes them in. The parallels between Jinx and Vander are another thing I could write an essay on because, ironically, she ends up becoming more like Vander than Silco. While Silco was willing to sacrifice relationships and hold onto grudges for the sake of getting what he wanted, Vander and Jinx are both willing to stop the violence for the sake of protecting the people they love.
Isha and her relationship with Jinx was not just a useless plot device to "fix" Jinx or eventually make her more depressed. It was what was necessary for Jinx to grow as a character. Without Isha to change her perspective on her past and specifically her relationship with Vi, the sisters never would've reconciled, and ultimately Jinx would've ended up killing herself or stuck in a stagnant cycle of hurting the people she cares about and in turn getting hurt/facing the consequences of her actions. Breaking the cycle of violence is a huge theme in the show, and ultimately, Jinx did break that cycle with Isha. She showed Isha show much love and care that Isha was willing to sacrifice herself to save Jinx because she'd rather die than live in a world without Jinx in it, and that is a direct parallel to how Jinx's story ends when she sacrifices herself to save Vi. The whole reason she shows up to the war at all is for Vi.
This is a good way to shift over to Ekko and Jinx's relationship and breaking down all the timebomb hate that I've seen recently. I've seen all sorts of hate ranging from claiming their relationship is misogynistic, to Jinx being mentally incapable of being in a relationship, to claiming that Ekko only loves Powder and that Jinx doesn't care about Ekko at all. All of these perspectives, once again, center around a total lack of understanding the individual characters.
Jinx's actions throughout the course of the show are heavily influenced by the people she cares about. When Jinx fights the Firelights, she's volatile and has no fear of killing most of them because she knows it's what Silco wants/what will get her praise and affection. However, despite presumably facing each other in fights for years, and the fact Jinx knows exactly who Ekko is, if she didn't care about Ekko, why wouldn't she just kill him? Silco repeatedly talks about how the Firelights are a thorn in his side and he wants them gone, and if Jinx truly didn't care about Ekko, she easily could've killed him, and Silco would've been thrilled. She didn't though. In fact, it's heavily implied that she knew that Ekko was the Firelights leader, and yet she never said anything to Silco. Even during their fights, it seems awfully convenient that a character that has practically perfect aim in every other situation, somehow misses her shot every time she aims (or fails to aim) at him. I've seen multiple interpretations of the bridge fight and whether or not she was purposefully misaiming and holding her shots or if it was just because Ekko could predict her moves and surprised her, and frankly I think it's a combination of the two. Before the fight, between the snarky remarks and the cold smirks, we see the dread on both of their faces, particularly hers. I think Ekko was far more prepared to directly face off with her, thanks to years of frustration and repressed emotions, than she was to have to face him. I've seen people point out that during the bridge fight, she holds her gun at an angle, which would affect her aim, and I think that is probably enough evidence that she was holding back. I also think that the moment just before he tackles her, she does hold her shot, but I think it's a combination of shock that he's actually going through with it, and also knowing that if she takes the shot, another person Powder cared about will be dead.
All of these things show that, at least to some degree, Jinx does still care about Ekko. Alternatively, Ekko also cares about Jinx, arguably more than he cares about Powder. The whole point of his arc in the AU is to make him see and understand that Powder and Jinx are the same. The key difference is circumstances. The different circumstances between the two worlds is what makes the difference between Powder and Jinx, but other than that, they are the same. Powder still struggles with her mental health, but she has a support system to help her manage it. Jinx didn't have that. In fact, Jinx had Silco manipulating her and actively reinforcing her deteriorating mental state which is what led her down her path of violence. The first seed to rebuilding their relationship was planted on the bridge when he saw that spark of Powder in Jinx, and really allowing himself to recognize that Jinx isn't just a mindless monster that kills for the sake of it is what solidifies his end of things. While the AU is definitely a utopia compared to the world he's used to he chooses to go back to his world for Jinx. Yes, he also goes back for the Firelights, but it's implied that essentially the first thing he does when he gets back is go to save Jinx. If he didn't care about her, why would he go back for her at all?
What makes timebomb such a compelling relationship isn't the romance, in fact, in my opinion, it's the lack thereof. Their relationship and dynamics are so much more complex than just a traditional romance. These are characters that have known each other since childhood and seen every version of each other. Ekko has seen Jinx at her absolute worst, and yet he still shows up to save her, and that is why he was the only one that would've been able to get through to her at that point. Even if Vi had shown up, I don't think Jinx would've have been convinced by her. In Jinx's eyes, Vi is essentially obligated to love her and blind to all her flaws/curse. At this point, Jinx only sees herself as a curse and a monster. Ekko had to be the one to save her because he has seen every side of her, and there was a time when he had given up on her, so the fact that he came back and offers her another chance is part of what convinces her to live. There's a lot of blanks that have to be filled in between that scene and their appearance at the final battle, but I believe that wanting to live long enough to save Vi was the other factor that contributed to Jinx choosing to live and fight.
Now, one aspect I do agree with, in terms of actual canon, is that nothing romantic happened between Ekko and Jinx prior to the war. While it is fun to write and read fics that explore the what-ifs, realistically, Jinx was grieving and in a deeply depressive state during that time, and I think anything romantic would be the furthest thing from either of their minds. One of the major themes with their relationship is the whole 'what could've been' situation. Whether or not they could have developed into something romantic in the main universe is up for debate, and something the writers purposely left up to individual interpretation, albeit with heavy implications leaning towards the potential for romance, but suggesting that they couldn't be because one or both don't care about the other or that Jinx is too unstable for a relationship is a disservice to the characterization and stories of these characters as well as an incredibly ableist take. Just because Jinx struggles with mental health issues, doesn't mean she's unsuitable for a relationship. I think it would take a significant amount of time for them to rebuild their trust in each other, but I also think that Ekko would do what he can to support Jinx regardless of the label on their relationship.
My final note is specifically focused on how much this fandom likes to throw around words, in this case it's misogyny. Just because a female character is shown in a maternal role/enjoying a child's company or in a implied potential relationship with a man does not make the story misogynistic, in fact, I think implying that it does is far more misogynistic than anything that happens in the story itself. Specifically, the views on Jinx having a maternal relationship with Isha or the reactions toward fandom content depicting Jinx as pregnant or with kids comes off as incredibly misogynistic. Jinx is a character driven by family, she wants to love and be loved, and that is not something that should be misogynistic. Women are allowed to enjoy kids and/or want kids, and implying that it's bad writing or a disservice to her character is a terrible reflection of how society views mothers and women that want families/children. While I will certainly agree that certain "trad wife" propaganda is problematic, this isn't that at all. Nothing about Jinx and Isha's relationship falls into the truly misogynistic "trad wife" ideals. If you do take the more maternal perspective of Jinx's relationship with Isha, then Jinx is essentially a single mother with an adopted child, not some meek housewife with a bunch of kids. Aside from that, it's not unrealistic or crazy that Jinx becomes more stable with Isha in her life. As previously mentioned, Jinx doesn't want to lose Isha and having Isha around gives Jinx a purpose. One of the best ways to manage depression is to have something that gives you purpose, and for many people, that could be their kids, or a pet, or whatever else that provides a reason to wake up and get out of bed everyday. When you have something/someone else that is relying on you, it forces you to get out of your own head, and that's exactly how Isha was for Jinx. It has nothing to do with misogyny and everything to do with changing Jinx's perspective to allow her to grow and evolve as a character.
As for timebomb, I truly can't even begin to understand the claims that their implied (since they aren't even technically canonically in a romantic relationship) relationship is misogynistic because both characters are independent and at no point in time does Ekko see Jinx as someone that needs to be fixed or saved. Ekko "saving" Jinx by interfering with her suicide attempt isn't a "damsel in distress" situation, it's, once again, him trying to change her perspective and offer her support. He knows that he can't force her to stay alive, he just happens to say the right combination of words that makes her reconsider, and ultimately she is the one that chooses to stay alive and go with him.
I know this was a really long and rambling character analysis essay (and it's also my first real character analysis essay lol), and there's probably still some points that I missed, but I am so tired of seeing people misinterpret Jinx's character so badly and I needed to get all the thoughts out of my head.
{Song: Count on Me - Bruno Mars | Scenepack: 404scenepacks on Insta | CapCut for PC}
i love them <3
Jinx fanart!!
My fav terrorist <3
The Queen of Snakes by NatasaIlincic on DeviantArt
Mucha Art Nouveau Floral Print - Dark Purple: Vintage Paris Artwork by DesignBohemian https://www.etsy.com/listing/4386595162/mucha-art-nouveau-floral-print-dark?ref=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr
