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Perfect audio choice

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CINDERELLA III: A TWIST IN TIME (2007), dir Frank Nissen

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(via)

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TO CATCH A THIEF 1955 — dir. Alfred Hitchcock

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Sometimes the rats in my brain come together and start yelling “YEARNING” and in trying to appease them I ask “FOR WHAT” but they are too small so all they can say is “YEARNING” which is a very big word for such a tiny creature, even collectively

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Sidney Poitier in A RAISIN IN THE SUN (1961) dir. Daniel Petrie

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Hey does anyone have that painting of the Argonath but they’re dabbing? I don’t need it for anything but I do want to inflict it on all my followers again.

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Third time’s the charm? 🥲

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Good boy

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Let's tell a story one word at a time

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love it when a nondog baby animal is called a pup anyway

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Synchronized swish

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Battle of submission

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Rumi x Jinu and the danger of sinking together

I’ve been thinking a lot about the dynamic between Jinu and Rumi in K-pop Demon Hunters. To me, their bond is so clearly rooted in mutual understanding — not just because of who they are, but because of what they share. As I wrote in this other post, I read the “patterns” in the film as a metaphor for mental health (though I know many other interpretations are just as valid and important).

So when I look at Jinu and Rumi, what I see is mirror dynamic based in unhealed trauma. They connect because they carry similar wounds. They speak the same language of shame. And when you’re hurting, having someone who gets it, who mirrors back your struggle, can feel like salvation. You’re no longer alone. You’re no longer broken alone.

This kind of connection can be a lifeline. But what happens when that person is your only anchor... and this person falls?

That’s what makes Jinu’s relapse so painful to watch. There’s this beautiful moment during Free when he says he can’t hear Gwi-ma anymore, as if Rumi’s presence has muted the voice that tells him he’s not enough. But the moment she’s gone, Gwi-ma comes back, the shame and issues come back.

And this time, Jinu doesn’t just fall : he pulls Rumi down with him. That betrayal at the award show isn’t just cruel. It’s self-sabotage. He weaponizes her vulnerabilities because he’s drowning in his own.

Their confrontation scene is devastating. Rumi begs him to believe they can heal, that they can still be free together. But Jinu, broken and spiraling, tells her it won’t work. That moment shatters her and she screams "it has to!".

Because if the one person who knows her patterns, who shares her shame, stops believing in the future, how is she supposed to hold on?

And sure, I love the trio dynamic with Mira and Zoey — but let’s be real. At that point in the story, they don’t understand her. They’re hurt by her lies. They fear what they can’t name. That’s something that happens too, with self-harm or mental health struggles. Even people who love you don’t always know how to show up. Sometimes they lash out. Sometimes they disappear. And that adds a second layer of loneliness to the whole thing.

After all that, Rumi is completely alone. That’s why the scene with Celine under the ancestral tree hits so hard. She’s not just asking for love. She’s confronting the silence, the control, the generational pain she inherited — and finally choosing to stop running from it (more on that scene here).

And what strikes me most is that, even at the end, Jinu and Rumi don’t save each other directly. Rumi doesn’t return to fix him. She returns because she’s faced herself and that’s what makes her steady again.

By standing there, vulnerable but grounded, she creates the space for Jinu to breathe again too. She doesn’t push him. She just exists in front of him, honestly. And that alone gives him a reason to move.

Maybe seeing her live with the patterns and still choose self-worth helps him believe he can do the same. And that’s why he makes the choice to sacrifice himself — not just for her, but because he finally recognizes that clinging to the same loop will destroy them both. It’s a painful but meaningful gesture. A rupture that breaks the toxic dependency and opens up the chance for something new.

So yes, I love their bond. And I ship them hard. But I’m also glad the film didn’t rush into a resolution. Because depending entirely on one person — especially someone carrying the same pain — doesn’t always heal you. Sometimes, it breaks you both.

A healthy Rumi x Jinu relationship might be possible someday — but only after they’ve rebuilt themselves on their own terms. After they’ve stopped trying to survive through each other.

I’d love to see how that’s explored if we get a sequel.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ more kpop demon hunter ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

If you’re curious about my post on K-pop Demon Hunters and mental health through the songs, it’s right here !

I also wrote about Celine and Rumi's relationship here.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ more on mental health and love ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

And if you're interested in a deeper exploration of this kind of bond — mental health, shame, love, and trying to climb out of darkness together — please read Seven Days in June. It’s an adult novel and beautifully written, though be warned: it deals with heavy themes. You can check my full review for content warnings.