A Medieval Cat

I've seen so much interesting discussion going on that I thought I'd add my specific interpretation that I haven't seen many people say exactly. If I talked about everything I thought about the whole finale I could be typing all night lol but here's just a few things.

ok so I think a lot of the discussions regarding the "alternate abstraction scenarios" behind Jax's doors in her mind are, as many people have said, not meant to be truthful representations of what would happen in those scenarios. But I also don't think they genuinely represent what Jax would actually do so much as exaggerated versions of what she thinks could happen - the Gangle abstraction scenario pretty much proves Jax isn't taking these scenarios that seriously, and I think that's clearly because she can't genuinely bear to think about what would happen if anyone else abstracted, hence the implication that she can't even hypothetically bring herself to imagine Pomni abstracting. But if they are not truthful representations of what Jax would actually do in these scenarios that have doubtlessly crossed her mind many times, why include them? Because I think they represent deeper truths about her relationships with the others.

In the scenario where Ragatha abstracts, Jax is violent and unhinged. I interpret this to mean that Jax imagines that if Ragatha abstracted, she would deal with it badly and lash out, possibly ruining her relationship with Pomni. She knows she deals badly with grief and she knows she would miss Ragatha, because she knows Ragatha cares about her.

In the scenario where Zooble abstracts, Jax imagines Gangle to be ordering everyone around and organizing Zooble's funeral. I think this more than the "meet me in my room" joke is more significant because it shows how Jax imagines Gangle would react to Zooble's abstraction, and it says a lot about how Jax sees Gangle. Despite the lack of seriousness in the scene - again, Jax not being able to genuinely deal with the possibility of anyone abstracting - Jax clearly sees Gangle as more than a weak crybaby. Jax thinks Gangle would try her best to be *strong* and not break after the pseudo-death of someone she cares about. I think this also indicates Jax's envy towards Gangle's perceived strength, or at least, what she sees as a lack of true inner weakness (Gangle has, by the finale, come to deal pretty well with life in the circus.) There's a lot of talk about how Jax envies Zooble's self acceptance and their relationship with Gangle but I see this too.

The Gangle abstraction scenario is mostly a joke but I do think it pretty clearly shows that if Gangle abstracted, Jax feels like Zooble would blame her, and she wouldn't particularly disagree. She just deals with this by thinking about it as a joke.

Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn- have you ever considered the concept of a modernized Sweeney Todd about an actress whose revenge comes in the form of a "comeback" to Hollywood, starting a skincare brand that may or may not be fueled by murder? Well now you have. You have to at least respect the idea. Very fun read.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin - ok there is a maga influencer by the same name who is also a young blonde white woman so I got kind of confused and thought there was a grift situation going on when I looked the author up lol. I liked the idea of this book a lot (two estranged sisters reconnect after one of them s attempts and ends up in the hospital) but it wasn't really my thing. I liked the writing style though.

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James - one of the best books I've read in a long time. Genuinely incredible writing and story that will stay with me, lines and scenes that will haunt me. It's one of those modern classics I've been meaning to read for years. The story of Lilith, a girl born into slavery in 1700s Jamaica, and how she becomes involved in a rebellion, is unforgettable. I don't want to describe the book any further because I don't think trying to describe it would do it justice, it's something you have to experience.

Molka by Monika Kim- this horror/thriller about the epidemic of illegal hidden spycams in Korean society is a deeply disturbing and unsettling short book that does a lot in a little time. I want to read the author's other book now. I didn't expect this one to go in a supernatural direction but I liked it.

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy - everyone was so mad about this that even if I wasn't interested in it before I was going to check it out, out of contrarianism lol. Definitely not for everyone even if you liked I'm Glad My Mom Died. But it was #forme. I found it to be a really beautiful character study of a young working class girl. You can tell Jennette was inspired by her life - there are moments when I see details that are similar to things in IGMMD - but it's fiction and she's good at fiction and I want to read whatever she publishes.