#Rosalind looks at Bloom and Farah and just sees pathways to make them a mirror of herself

[skloomdumpster]

Agree 100% on what you said about farah, rosalind and bloom! Farah herself said she made a decision to become a figurehead when she became headmistress and i'm sure it had to do with her realising how rosalind blurred the lines with her favourites and how that affected them. Rosalind kind of reminds me of gothel from "tangled" but more subtle lol it was great seeing her manipulative side in s2 (which farah mentioned in s1). I know farah was angry when she first realised that bloom let rosalind out but once things calmed down you can see she doesn't hold it against her at all and i think that's because she knows first hand what it's like to be played by rosalind and she also realised she should've made an exception with bloom when she needed her. The way rosalind could get away with putting the adults through harsh training since they were students and how farah admits people were scared of her and yet farah and andreas followed her without question is quite telling

Yes!! YEs!!

It honestly is quite terrifying to think of Rosalind's easy manipulation, not in regard of Bloom because she's 16/17, but in regard of the adults. OOC-ness apart, it's terrifying that she gets under Saul's skin, how she's breaking Ben's spirit in season 2, how she is still the biggest motivator in Farah's behavior when she's in a dangerous position (season 1 with the Burned Ones being back). We don't even have to talk about Andreas, because- We don't have time to unpack all that.

An unpopular take, but I love how larger than life Rosalind feels in s1 versus how she actually is in s2. This woman who's almost a boogey man to the adults, kept under the school but still fueling their actions, still controlling from beyond the grave (Andreas, Beatrix, Bloom), and they still have all the faith in her. "Rosalind killed all of the Burned Ones", it's SUCH a childish line and it reveals the extent of their faith in her even after everything.

Then Rosalind actually appears and she's a tiny woman and she's petty and mean and it doesn't feel like she's all that manipulative. Until you realize you're falling for her bullshit all the same. Did she kill Devin? How was he alive? Why let Saul be taken out of prison by a tiny team if not in order to make sure he got caught? So she could have leverage on Bloom? So she could have done something good for Bloom? Why invite Sky to the banquet? Why did she let Bloom take the book?

Rosalind's goal in season 2 isn't to be loved by anyone, it's to entangle Bloom in a web so solid that Bloom feels isolated and like her only way to "fix things" is by turning to Rosalind. A necessary evil.

Sadly Rosalind's fatal flaw is underestimating compassion and love in every single turn. Affection she understands, neediness, lust even. She doesn't get compassion, love. She doesn't see Farah, Saul, Ben turning on her in Aster Dell once they realize they killed innocents, she doesn't expect Andreas betrayal over his daughter, she doesn't expect Bloom to kill her over Farah.