#but zuke's speech at the very end when he apologizes to eve? much. to. think. about

[jabberwockprince]

I NEED to talk about this so bad so bad so bad I couldn't just scream in the replies because Eve is my favorite character to think about in the whole world, like???

she's so wonderfully flawed, complex and multifaceted, and her relationship with Zuke goes much more deep than "she's just jealous of Mayday"

it's the fact that Eve yearned for Zuke (or really, anyone) to COMPLETE her because she fully rejects a whole ass half of who she is - the PINK side, the one that is more aggressive judging by Mayday's side of the battle, the one that is stronger and more impactful, a color that is EXTREMELY hard to ignore which she loudly presents as EVE, not as Nadia (WHICH COULD. BE SOMETHING THAT SHE AND MAYDAY COULD BOND OVER. IM JUST. SAYING.)

As opposed to the WHITE side, that represents her quietest, most vulnerable and lonely parts, if the white room during her talk with Zuke is anything to go by. also the color she used to conceal her uniqueness when she was younger

so when Zuke finds someone who, instead of completing him, COMPLEMENTS him, it's obviously Eve's wost nightmare. Because this really showed that he could live without her, he could go on without her and she's still carrying him everywhere she goes. Her fucking JACKET is literally Zuke's hair shape and palette???? SHE HAS THE BROKEN HEART MADE OUT OF BOTTLES FROM WHEN THEY WERE IN COLLEGE???

when you go around exploring her district, you get THIS when interacting with a sculpture that's a bunch of hands

MAYDAY: Hmmm. Is this supposed to be symbolic of how grabby Eve is...? This is way too abstract for me to understand. ZUKE: It's a symbol of her lowest point in life, and how Eve felt helpless no matter what she did. I guess she stil can't let it go.

AND THEN HER BATTLE LEVEL IS FULL OF HANDS HANGING AROUND, HURTING AND GRABBING MAYDAY AND ZUKE. BECAUSE THIS MOMENT IS REALLY EVE'S WORST NIGHTMARE, to have the ONE person she's put on a pedestal come back to show how he replaced her with someone who doesn't EVEN come close to the level of artistic view she and Zuke share???

and we didn't even get into the fact that Eve sees herself as a stepping stone and a tool to be used by others, and it's shown so many many many times through her art it's PAINFUL

LIKE. there's the OBVIOUS chair moment, the fact that she directly says that a chair without a seater has no purpose - she has no purpose if she's not being perceived or adding anything to this world. she's not worthy of taking up space unless it's useful or meaningful to anyone in any way. LIKE YOU SAID IN THE REPLIES, EVERYTHING ABOUT HER SCREAMS "LOOK AT ME"???

And there's a LOT of art sculptures in her district that directly tell you how much she cares about the outside world - a lot of sculptures are to help with the flooding, some are to filter water, others are just to repay the kindness of those who supported her when she began her career. when Zuke abandons her, she immediately goes on to become an icon for those who struggle with similar issues.

it makes sense that she's Tatiana's right hand-woman because Tatiana embraces all of her, therefore she must repay the love and acceptance she received

and like. the extreme close up on Eve's eyes when Mayday tells her that Zuke is better than her? I always interpreted that as Eve's realization of. Zuke never needed her in the first place, she did.

the broken mirrors motifs in her battle are just. so important to me. because it really feels like Eve is looking at the whole world through a one way mirror, and she wants everyone to see what she sees, but there is a barrier and she REALLY cannot cross to fully connect with anyone - hence wanting to elevate others to her level instead

I think so much. about the fact that her hair falls over that specific white half, and how that correlates to Eve being both desperate to find genuine connection and at the same time, refusing to show vulnerability again.

The duality of her WHOLE character is so good??? she wants to put herself out there, to be perceived, so that those who are misunderstood like her can feel less lonely, she struggled so much with how the world saw her and perceived her throughout her entire life. but then she isolates herself through her art and uses the world's perception of herself, NSR's quirky diva, as a weapon when she feels threatened and continues to put up barriers and obstacles for those who want to genuinely connect or help??????

IM NOT EVEN DONE SORRY GUYS IM NOT DONE. BECAUSE THE ALBUM COVERS ARE SO GOOD FOR STORYTELLING TOO

in here, Eve's eyes are wide open and the mirror is cracked - because her perception of reality, the unique view she clinged onto that she wanted others to understand but also set her apart and made her lonely, has been shattered and challenged. there's that distinct separation between her two halves

BUT AFTER HER TALK WITH ZUKE???

THE PINK AND THE WHITE MIX TOGETHER. Like she's REALLY taking his words into consideration and coming to terms with accepting she doesn't need anyone to complete herself, she's enough on her own??? but it's still a very hard pillow to swallow, so her eyes are closed

OK I'LL SHUT UP NOW THANK YOU GOODBYE

Thinking about Zuke and Eve and her powers and his ability to always see her.

Yes, he can see her art, yes he can understand it to an admirable degree. He can explain her thought processes and methodology in a subject that he really knows nothing about aside from the fact that she considers herself one with it.

But through all of what she covers herself with he can see her.

He knows her.

He knows her well enough to explain the sheer incomprehensible matter that she made herself to be to someone who's never seen her.

He can tell May when to focus and he can warn her of Eve's 'performance,' whatever way she'd prefer it called.

Something about the concept of "he's nothing without her and yet he figured out how to see her all on his own."

And the fact that in the beginning of the battle May quite literally is unable to see her while for Zuke this is a normal occurrence. To May, nothing was there, but he knew better.

How many times have they done this?

How many instances have there been where someone else had to question who Zuke's even talking to if they walked in on everything—because, to an outsider, there is nothing. To an outsider, Eve is nothing when she doesn't want to be. Or maybe even more than that, maybe it isn't always intentional. Maybe she does truly hide herself under however many layers and metaphors she can manage but he will always see her.

Something about her calling him nothing without her when art needs to be perceived to be considered "art" and he can see everything.

And at the same time... he can't.

He may have tried so hard, he may have come so close to seeing the full vastness of her, and yet even he couldn't see it all at once. Only mere glimpses of her 'greatness.' And she wants it to be a challenge. Something to be earned. A great, arduous task that only one person can ever even fathom to succeed in.

And he came close.

He came so, so close.

But maybe in her eyes, he gave up on her. He failed. And instead of trying again, trying to make himself up to the task, he chose to run away.

Something about her never truly perceiving herself as whole without someone else and being met with that person who nearly was everything she needed who is now telling her she already is whole, she just has to find herself first.