#also there is no way that jinx is straight but im talking about character arcs here so thats not very relevant

[nightshade-anura]

im rewatching arcane which means im here to write a pointless essay on the parallels between nico and jinx

(arcane spoilers, obviously)

character introduction

both characters are introduced as younger siblings to sisters who have essentially raised them, and therefore both nico and jinx aspire to be like bianca and vi, respectively, and are very enthusiastic about this. for example, nico is upset when he cant join the hunters, and powder is determined for her bombs to work, so she can fight. however, the audience is in a situation where they believe that both characters do not suit the role of a fighter- partially because they are both notably younger than the other characters involved, but also because they are both portrayed as quite nerdy: nico with their mythomagic; powder with her bombs.

betrayal and turning point

as they were both introduced as younger siblings very much dependent on their older sisters, both nico and jinx are very strongly linked to their sisters, and so their betrayal is linked to them. nico finds out from percy, who he trusted, that bianca is dead, and powder gets blamed by vi for- well, a lot, and they both suddenly find themselves in a position without their respective sisters. it is also worth noting that the person who breaks them the news is the one who they end up seeking revenge on throughout most of the rest of the series (just talking about the first series, in nicos case).

"mentors" who turn out to be arseholes

after their sudden isolation, nico and jinx are both in a situation where they are easily manipulatable, as they are desperate for someone to fill the space that their sisters had filled. nico has minos and jinx has silco. both minos and silco use nico and jinx's anger as a means to manipulate them for their own needs, and at this point in both their character arcs, they grow up a lot, becoming more of a fighter, although neither the way they would have wanted.

the elephant in the room

so, jinx is a villain, or at least an antagonist. obviously. there are several reasons as to why nico isn't, although he does come very close at some points, most notably in tlo, when he takes percy to the underworld. this was most likely down to sheer naivety, like what a lot of what jinx's earlier actions were. however:

intervention: jinx is left to fully develop as a villain, whereas percy and co are able to stop minos during botl, and, reluctant as nico is, he does end up back at chb

plot: i wont go into detail now on the arguments but either hazel or nico is the most powerful demigod, and god knows how percy wouldve won if nico was a villain

sisters: vi's goal is stated very clearly to be revenge, whereas bianca is just as oblivious to the world as nico. this means that powder also wants to seek revenge from the beginning, whereas nico wanders in wide eyed.

character: there is, of course, just the chance that nico is all around just a more compassionate character. he's shown to notice both hestia and bob and they're often willing to sacrifice themself for others, straight off the bat. i'd argue that they're the most compassionate character in pjo.