This is part 2 of the Arcane blog series.
Disclaimer: Some people may find this blog’s talk about suicide as emotionally distressing. Discretion is advised.
One of the grandest mistakes we can make is to turn away or avoid the truth. Yes, it’s a coping mechanism. And sometimes this coping mechanism is healthy. To ruminate about bad news while enduring an already-difficult day is to add on emotional distress that we’re unable to carry. We all need a vacation away from our problems. Thus, there is a thin line between “blissfully ignoring problems” and “taking a well-needed vacation from our problems.” And perhaps this answer is more complicated than I can write.
Nonetheless, the biggest mistake we can make is to ignore the question of our eternal destiny. What happens to us after we die? Where will we spend eternity? Regarding this question, the quote is true:
Either we humble ourselves to accept the truth, or the truth will force us to be humble. Either way, we all end up humble.
It doesn’t matter how many people agree with you, how loud you can shout, or how witty your insults are… Truth is what it is. Truth has always been and forever will be itself. It is fully independent from our ego.
The strongest motivational speaker in life is truth itself. It’s not in a person. It’s not in a crowd. Yet, we can find it within ourselves – if we allow it. That’s what the Millennial Spark is all about. Thankfully, we have a merciful God who can help us find it. And it makes us invincible once we find it. We need nothing else. If we have Christ, we have eternal happiness with a promised future. We have everything that matters. Nothing else can compare to that type of hope.
The narrative of our last blog involved two important characters: a small twelve-year-old girl named Powder and an older sister named Vi. Both lost their parents and attended a major protest in which Piltover’s enforcers slaughtered them. Five years later, the two daughters would join their two stepbrothers in a life of petty crime. The group always failed whenever they brought the twelve-year-old girl, Powder. They would steal valuables only to lose them in the most unlucky of ways. Thus, one of the stepbrothers (named Milo) labeled her “Jinx.”
At the end of our last blog, Powder decided to go against her sister’s wishes. Powder leaves her residence. Her adopted father had been kidnapped, and she wanted to be with her family in freeing her adopted father. This was for the worse… She inadvertently kills her two stepsiblings and her adopted father. The only one left is her older sister, Vi, who chooses to abandon Powder after calling her a “jinx.” The twelve-year-old girl was left in the rain.
Moments later, Powder was discovered by our main antagonist, Silco. He adopted her into his own family. Silco now had a daughter.
This tragic event caused Powder to develop PTSD. It would haunt her ever since. With that said, she embraced her new identity by changing her name to Jinx. Her childhood trauma had shaped her identity. With that said, it would be an incomplete and unstable sense of identity…
One of the greatest strengths of this show is its focus on psychosis. I find it genius to use an animated series to express the struggles of mental illness. It’s so difficult to exemplify the struggles of mental illness in any shape or form. But with animated characters, the emotional side can be made apparent. It’s an opportunity to magnify mental illness. For example, Jinx struggles with PTSD. She has PTSD episodes when triggered by the sight of her deceased sister, Vi. Yet, it’s not actually Vi. Jinx freezes in the middle of the battle while having flashbacks. She attempts to cover it up with what looks like childish scribbling. This “childish scribbling” will become the hallmark of her identity.
Powder develops PTSD because of her childhood incident. She changed her name to what her past family called her – Jinx. At this point in the show, we are introduced to Jinx. She is on a mission to protect the cargo on a ship.
Jinx has a PTSD episode during the mission. She froze as a look-alike image of her sister (it wasn’t her) brought about painful memories. She tries to do what anyone with PTSD tries to do – cover it up and pretend it’s not there. This is a mistake, as you must acknowledge a problem exists before you can fix it. Jinx’s efforts made this impossible.
Unfortunately, the one character who carries the fear of abandonment is the show’s loneliest character. This aligns with what people with BPD call “the cycle of self-destruction.” You run away from one pain only to find yourself running towards a different pain. This person is running in circles. And this dilemma is an uncontrollable cycle.
Jinx’s father expressed disappointment at her daughter’s failure. We watch as Jinx returns to her place where the only familiar faces are the dolls she made of her two dead stepbrothers. She also has a toy rabbit placed by her mirror. She has a second toy rabbit nailed to the wall. This is a callback to the toy rabbit Jinx was given by her sister, Vi.
We observe as Jinx is in her room where she contemplates suicide while supposedly talking to her two dead stepbrothers.
Jinx’s multiple conversations with her two dead brothers hint that she possibly has schizophrenia. Yet, it’s also possible this is in relation to her inner self conversations brought about by her PTSD.
Jinx was handed a flare by her sister, Vi, when she was a child. Vi made a promise to Powder, “Light the flare when you’re in trouble, and I’ll find you.” It serves as a keepsake. Even after the seven years, Jinx hadn’t used the flare. She held onto it. This is important, as the flare is the symbol of Jinx’s hope. The tattoos on her right side show smoke from a flare. I believe these tattoos represent a cry for help. She had changed her name, but she was still holding on to her sister’s unconditional love. If she could only talk with her sister one last time, then everything would be different. She would find that unconditional love once again…
While she was holding on to her sister’s love, she also held resentment for the Piltover enforcers. After all, they were the ones who killed her parents.
While in a local pub, Jinx had heard the strange rumor that her dead sister, Vi, was back in the city. (And strangely enough, she heard that her sister had befriended a Piltover enforcer.) Jinx wanted to find her long-lost sister, so she took this rumor seriously. She found the highest place in the middle of town and lit the flare. This was the moment Jinx had always hoped for. With that said, Jinx got an unexpected (and unfortunate) surprise…
To Jinx’s surprise, her sister, Vi, was now friends with a Piltover enforcer (Caitlyn).
As the show went on, we discovered that Vi and Caitlyn had developed a significant relationship with each other. This is problematic in that Jinx desires her sister’s unconditional love, yet has to watch Caitlyn being the one receiving the affection. The fact that Caitlyn was a Piltover enforcer only made the scenario worse for Jinx. The unconditional love she had always desired was now developing affection for someone she despised. Why is this significant? Let me remind you of Jinx’s darkest fear: The fear of abandonment.
When Jinx escapes one ailment, another pulls her in. And the worst part is she’s forced to figure this out by herself. She has no family. She has no friends. She has no one to guide her with the mental ailments. She can’t stop the voices. She can’t stop the visions. And her actions are made by both impulsiveness and a deep fear of abandonment.
Here’s my interpretation: Jinx had found her long-lost sister. Yet, Jinx remained uncertain whether the meetup was real or if she was in a state of psychosis. Thus, she asked the blunt question, “Are you real?” The sad part is Vi once again tried to reach out to her sister by softly touching Jinx on her arm. Once again, Jinx became confused. How could she feel touched unless the experience was real? Was this real? Or is she seeing things? The moment was interrupted by Jinx’s enemies who are known as the “firelights.”
This was the moment when I realized that Jinx was alone in her struggles. This was also the moment when I stopped seeing Jinx as a villain and more as a victim. For the most part, Jinx isn’t making decisions based on evil motives. (although she does in some cases…) Most of her decisions are based on emotional distress. She acts on emotional impulse. She lacks the “emotional skin” that is demanded in everyday life. This is a reason why I believe Jinx has BPD. Once again, let me remind you of Jinx’s greatest fear: The fear of abandonment. It dictates every aspect of Jinx’s life. Yes, she finally found her lost sister. But she’s unwilling (or unable) to share that type of love with someone else. Especially with a Piltover enforcer…
Jinx walks back to her home with a large gash on her leg. She’s forced to staple her own inner thigh. And because she’s in a state of psychosis, she doesn’t realize she staples her pant leg to her own skin. The broken mirror symbolizes an unstable self-identity. The mirror could also symbolize her overall brokenness.
The first figurative slap to the face I wish to hand out (pun intended) is the narrative that Jinx has to change. They consistently say, “Jinx should change, but she can’t. She’s hopeless.” With that said, Jinx has repeatedly made the effort to be her 12-year-old self again. That’s the purpose of why she wants Vi’s affection. Moreover, she wants to become the person who was loved by her sister, Vi. In Jinx’s mind, this is the only source of love she will ever find.
So let me say it plainly: You are not hopeless. And the only part that needs to change within you is the part that goes against Christ’s teachings. Here are the two golden rules: Love others as you want to be loved… And love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Aside from sin, you are perfect as you are. Your disability doesn’t define you. Your disapproval from society doesn’t define you. You are who God says you are. God has declared that being with you for eternity is worth the pain of the cross. Be at peace. Follow God’s guidance. May you be yourself.
At this point in the story, Jinx is on a mission to steal an important gemstone. She has planned an ambush for the attack. Yet, Jinx is surprised when she finds out Vi is still with Caitlyn (the Piltover enforcer). Vi escapes with Caitlyn. Jinx loses the fight. Jinx attempts suicide at the end of the battle.
Jinx is still alive but in critical condition.
Copyright Disclaimer: This blog post features short, heavily edited video excerpts for the purposes of criticism, commentary, and analysis. Such use falls under the protections of Fair Use. Every effort has been made to use only the minimum amount of material necessary to support the commentary. To view the original series in its entirety, please visit Netflix.