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Ok so I've not seen anything on this (please link it to me if it exists) but I haven't seen anyone pick up on the symbolism of the bird Nigel was dissecting.
Based on the black and white colouring, the markings and the fact this is in the UK, Im going to hazard a guess that its a magpie and base my entire analysis on that.
If it's not a magpie I will have embarrassed myself and thats fineeeee
These are from websites I'll put at the bottom cause who the hell trusts Google ai (I've got a funny screenshot of that for a rainy day) please correct me if I'm wrong, for I'm not an expert by any meansand I'm only picking at convenient things aha
A list of possible symbolism that can be linked to our dear Alex and Nigel, holy yap ahead
"Hope, Transition, New opportunities, A time for guidance" <- key themes in general
Basic symbolism
- "As symbols of hope, they signal that change or growth is coming into our lives. At the same time, magpies invite us to release old patterns and embrace fresh perspectives"
Change is definitely coming into Alex's life, Nigel obviously being that change, (you could say him bringing in the magpie is him inviting the change)
Releasing the old pattern of his life and embracing Nugels perspective, carrying on even after Nigels death
- "Duality" by the contrast of black and white feathers (I will so use this in future fanart), also balance but I think duality suits them better
Native American traditions
- "In many Native American traditions, the magpie is revered as a trickster, a figure that uses cleverness, humor, and unexpected behaviour to reveal deeper truths"
Alex, the little trickster, entirely fooling Sally and escaping. The psychology of the film aligns with the symbolism, the unexpected behaviour from Alex and the "deeper truths" we were left with to pick apart at the end of the film (which is why Nigel dissecting the bird is important, as it's a dissection of the lies Alex told in order to get to those deeper truths)
Korean folklore
- In Korean folklore, its stated that it's an "unambiguously positive symbol. It's call in the morning is interpreted as a signal that good news, or a cherished guest is on their way"
I took that and ran with it, I don't recall hearing a call within the film but ehh, it's okay, it's a good guess to say that Jack is the cherished guest Nigel is awaiting, assuming Alex didn't by into Jack from the beginning, therefore being "on the way" and obviously thats a positive thing for Nigel
Chinese
- In China, they can represent Joy, Luck, and Reunion. The reunion of the Spade and Jack, "we will be united" yadayada, pretty self explanatory since there's joy in their reunion, which I'd say is pretty lucky considering Nigel could've not been a bit psychotic to have been moved schools.
If you look at the short summary of the Qixi story the website gave me, I'd say it has enough similarities we can count it, and I'd love to go more in depth, but I'm doing that for the British/European one since it's more "native" to the film
Prophetic
- Prophetic meaning says they are often viewed as "messengers that prompt awareness and timely action, urging us to anticipate change and prepare for it with readiness, staying ahead of those who overlook such signs"
The change is what's happening between Alex and Nigel, and Nigel is trying to prepare Alex for it (with the maracleas and stuff) and there's a big sense of superiority over those around them, (Sally, Josh, Raj, Susan, etc) <- them being the ones overlooking the signs (from Nigels pov mostly)
British/European
- The most famous one originating from Britian/Europe which is the counting rhyme, The "one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy", with the seventh being "seven for a secret never to be told", and thirteenth "thirteen beware it's the devil himself"
Secret never to be told is basically what's happening between Alex and Nigel, we really don't know what the hell happened, Alex could've fricking fabricated the whole thing towards Sally and we could never actually know what happened, therefore his not so little secret
Thirteen, already symbolism there, and we get the little devil snippet, which is perfect for us since Like Minds is based on Christian Mythology
But there's also the earlier version, because of course there is, but it ties in better so I'm going to do a line by line analysis of that for the ones I can
"One for sorrow" - Alex is the only one left at the end, there's sorrow because his other half is dead
"Two for mirth (luck)" - again with the luck, their reunion in the first place being lucky
"Three for a wedding" - wedding is basically just a union of two people (that love each other if we go down the route of they were the others maraclea) Jack and Spade uniting is a union
"Four for death" - I don't even want to explain this one because death is such a big part of the film I feel I don't have to, you can do that
"Five for silver, Six for gold" - I could try linking that to some sort of Christianity thing, since gold comes up a lot, but it's too shallow to analyse personally
"Seven for a secret to never be told" - Already explained (shortly) above
"Eight for heaven" - again, links to death, and I suppose Nigels claim over fighting some sort of holy war with Alex
"Nine for hell" - once more, links to death, fighting, holy wars etc.
"And ten for the devil's own sell (self)!" - The devil, the sin/evil seeping through their intentions, all this and they've become killers
End notes
Of course at this point it's a lot, and I have barely touch on Nigel bringing in the magpie, or the act of him dissecting it :( though they are pretty easy ones to find symbolism on I suppose so I won't do that
BUT I also found something interesting I will share separately from this post (yes its another magpie thing with like minds) which I'll make tomorrow or later since it's already 2am
Links
β¬οΈ for the symbolism, and you can just search for the rhyme on wiki (searching "one for sorrow bird rhyme should bring it up 4 u)
Discover the deep spiritual meaning of magpies, from seeing one at your window to spotting two together. Explore what your encounter is tryi
You are correct that the bird he dissects is a magpie--I believe that is confirmed on the director's commentary track on the DVD version of the movie, but I haven't listened to it for a while so I could be wrong. It's discussed somewhere, I know that for certain.
Like their cousins, crows and ravens, magpies do have a rich body of myths and stories and symbolism associated with them. It's a fun rabbit hole to jump down, especially for anyone not familiar with the classic counting magpies (or crows) rhyme.
Nigel just feels very corvid-coded in general. To add a little more fuel to your fire, here are a few related posts:
Talking about animal symbolism associated with Nigel and Alex
The art made after that conversation: Nigel and Alex
Magpie print at the Colbie house!
Ok so I've not seen anything on this (please link it to me if it exists) but I haven't seen anyone pick up on the symbolism of the bird Nigel was dissecting.
Based on the black and white colouring, the markings and the fact this is in the UK, Im going to hazard a guess that its a magpie and base my entire analysis on that.
If it's not a magpie I will have embarrassed myself and thats fineeeee
These are from websites I'll put at the bottom cause who the hell trusts Google ai (I've got a funny screenshot of that for a rainy day) please correct me if I'm wrong, for I'm not an expert by any meansand I'm only picking at convenient things aha
A list of possible symbolism that can be linked to our dear Alex and Nigel, holy yap ahead
"Hope, Transition, New opportunities, A time for guidance" <- key themes in general
Basic symbolism
- "As symbols of hope, they signal that change or growth is coming into our lives. At the same time, magpies invite us to release old patterns and embrace fresh perspectives"
Change is definitely coming into Alex's life, Nigel obviously being that change, (you could say him bringing in the magpie is him inviting the change)
Releasing the old pattern of his life and embracing Nugels perspective, carrying on even after Nigels death
- "Duality" by the contrast of black and white feathers (I will so use this in future fanart), also balance but I think duality suits them better
Native American traditions
- "In many Native American traditions, the magpie is revered as a trickster, a figure that uses cleverness, humor, and unexpected behaviour to reveal deeper truths"
Alex, the little trickster, entirely fooling Sally and escaping. The psychology of the film aligns with the symbolism, the unexpected behaviour from Alex and the "deeper truths" we were left with to pick apart at the end of the film (which is why Nigel dissecting the bird is important, as it's a dissection of the lies Alex told in order to get to those deeper truths)
Korean folklore
- In Korean folklore, its stated that it's an "unambiguously positive symbol. It's call in the morning is interpreted as a signal that good news, or a cherished guest is on their way"
I took that and ran with it, I don't recall hearing a call within the film but ehh, it's okay, it's a good guess to say that Jack is the cherished guest Nigel is awaiting, assuming Alex didn't by into Jack from the beginning, therefore being "on the way" and obviously thats a positive thing for Nigel
Chinese
- In China, they can represent Joy, Luck, and Reunion. The reunion of the Spade and Jack, "we will be united" yadayada, pretty self explanatory since there's joy in their reunion, which I'd say is pretty lucky considering Nigel could've not been a bit psychotic to have been moved schools.
If you look at the short summary of the Qixi story the website gave me, I'd say it has enough similarities we can count it, and I'd love to go more in depth, but I'm doing that for the British/European one since it's more "native" to the film
Prophetic
- Prophetic meaning says they are often viewed as "messengers that prompt awareness and timely action, urging us to anticipate change and prepare for it with readiness, staying ahead of those who overlook such signs"
The change is what's happening between Alex and Nigel, and Nigel is trying to prepare Alex for it (with the maracleas and stuff) and there's a big sense of superiority over those around them, (Sally, Josh, Raj, Susan, etc) <- them being the ones overlooking the signs (from Nigels pov mostly)
British/European
- The most famous one originating from Britian/Europe which is the counting rhyme, The "one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy", with the seventh being "seven for a secret never to be told", and thirteenth "thirteen beware it's the devil himself"
Secret never to be told is basically what's happening between Alex and Nigel, we really don't know what the hell happened, Alex could've fricking fabricated the whole thing towards Sally and we could never actually know what happened, therefore his not so little secret
Thirteen, already symbolism there, and we get the little devil snippet, which is perfect for us since Like Minds is based on Christian Mythology
But there's also the earlier version, because of course there is, but it ties in better so I'm going to do a line by line analysis of that for the ones I can
"One for sorrow" - Alex is the only one left at the end, there's sorrow because his other half is dead
"Two for mirth (luck)" - again with the luck, their reunion in the first place being lucky
"Three for a wedding" - wedding is basically just a union of two people (that love each other if we go down the route of they were the others maraclea) Jack and Spade uniting is a union
"Four for death" - I don't even want to explain this one because death is such a big part of the film I feel I don't have to, you can do that
"Five for silver, Six for gold" - I could try linking that to some sort of Christianity thing, since gold comes up a lot, but it's too shallow to analyse personally
"Seven for a secret to never be told" - Already explained (shortly) above
"Eight for heaven" - again, links to death, and I suppose Nigels claim over fighting some sort of holy war with Alex
"Nine for hell" - once more, links to death, fighting, holy wars etc.
"And ten for the devil's own sell (self)!" - The devil, the sin/evil seeping through their intentions, all this and they've become killers
End notes
Of course at this point it's a lot, and I have barely touch on Nigel bringing in the magpie, or the act of him dissecting it :( though they are pretty easy ones to find symbolism on I suppose so I won't do that
BUT I also found something interesting I will share separately from this post (yes its another magpie thing with like minds) which I'll make tomorrow or later since it's already 2am
Links
β¬οΈ for the symbolism, and you can just search for the rhyme on wiki (searching "one for sorrow bird rhyme should bring it up 4 u)
Discover the deep spiritual meaning of magpies, from seeing one at your window to spotting two together. Explore what your encounter is tryi
I'm making a like minds X murder most unladylike au, basically everything is pretty much the same but they will be vigilante detectives and possibly genderbent if I feel like it
I'll post whatever scenarios I've come up with hopefully soon to get feedback and then start working on a short comic or fic
Just putting this out there to see if anyone has read mmu
Trochlear nerve palsy trend+Nigel and me insisting on making his hair blue
How late to the trend can I be? Might make an Alex one of I find my motivation TwT, the amount of mistakes I made and had to back and redo makes me not want to
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A short piece I wrote about Nigel. / TW Self-Harm \
Alex is fast asleep by the time Nigel pulls himself away from his desk, stacking his notebooks and piling them together in their place. He looks down at the sleeping form of Alex, watching him in a peaceful silence as the boy shifts on the bed, and he averts his gaze before he can accidentally wake him. He gets himself ready for bed in the silence.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he glances at Alex again, making sure heβs still asleep; he reaches into the space beneath his mattress, pulling a thinly folded tissue from the space between the mattress and the bed boards. Thereβs a blade in the folded tissue.
He stares down at the blade silently, a twisting, pulsating heat settling in his gut before he pulls his pants down his thighs. He glances over at Alex again, and he presses the blade into the skin of his thigh, blood bubbling to the surface from the cut as the sleeping boy mutters inaudibly into his pillow. He cuts once, twice, three times; the stress of the day bleeds out of him with each new cut, a pleasant sting marking it.
A pulsating, electric heat works its way upwards, spreading out through his veins as his thigh bleeds, painting him red. Itβs a twisted type of pleasure as his thigh stings, blood covering the neat lines of scars already littering his thighs; his teeth sink into the tender flesh of his cheek as he drops his eyes from Alex, looking down at the bloodied mess.
Nigel reaches to the nightstand next to his bed, grabbing tissues and his bottle of water. He pours water across his thigh, biting into his tongue and tasting blood at the rising, pain-pleasure sting as water seeps into the cuts, he daps the tissue across the cuts. The cuts no longer bleeding, he repeats the process until his thigh is clean of blood.
He pulls his pants up, the material pleasantly scratching against the cuts, stinging lightly before he folds the blade into fresh tissues, hiding it beneath the mattress again. He holds the tissues in the palm of his hand, pouring water over them to dissolve it into a mess, discarding them in the bin next to his desk, knowing Alex wonβt look there. He moves to his bed, laying down with a quiet hiss, the cuts pressed into the mattress. Β He rolls onto his back beneath the thin blanket covering him, pressing his fingers into the cuts through his pants, the sting settling into a dulling, pleasant ache as he does.
Extra thoughts about piece below (involving gender and hcs)
Okay, okayβso this is technically for the fans of trans!Nigel, but also for the lovers of a bit of genderfuckery.
I wanted to play around with gender here especially because both of these characters have very intense relationships with it. More notably, Alexβhowever, Nigel's abuse by John (and his enmeshment with Helen) is definitely driven by gender and the patriarchal expectations surrounding it.
Having a character like Alex, who's very repressed and a massive stickler for conforming to the role of masculinity, be forced into a "feminine" role by a transman who probably had to learn firsthand the mistreatment of women and how being one would societally limit him "from his truth potential"βwhile also transforming that role into something that transcends those labels, because frankly, he doesn't care much for conforming?? That hits. More of that, please.
They're both being held back by the societal boundaries of gender, so fuck it. They meet each other in the middle, blurring all the lines.
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I just saw this photo of the newspaper being brought up again and someone mentioned about the misspelling of colbie
My brain has just decided to justify it by indicating that the real Nigel and the Nigel we are shown through Alex are entirely different. Aka the Colbie Nigel and the Colby Nigel
Or
Colbie Nigel no longer exists in a mortal plain, so that body, that boy in the newspaper, is not Colbie
We're seeing all this through Alexs memories right? In the scene where we see the family lineage from the Knights (I'm pretty sure) it's the ie spelling
This is the initial Nigel, not twisted by Alex's perspective
But this is not towards the end of their relationship, Alex is only just beginning to give into Nigel, to indulge, he's less so aware of how deep he has already actually fallen
Nigel shoots himself, he would forever haunt Alex that way wether or not he's willing to comply
Their relationship twists and shapes into its final form, Colbie exists within him, together united for eternity
Nigel is bound to Alex now (a merging of like minds if you will cause I can't get that speech out of my head)
So therefore to Alex, Nigel Colbie is well alive inside his mind, inhabiting a corner or more
In the newspaper it's a whole different person
After all, the world doesn't know, doesn't understand Colbie like he does
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I like how both their characters, while each having very different respective ideas, ultimately changed the other characters own ideas (internalisation).
Friedrich went on to leave the school after Albrechts death, both unable to cope with his close friends death and likely realisation of what Albrecht meant, only after it had actually affected him. (no I don't think he was naive enough to not understand the intentions of the school, but anyone would love the priveledge and opportunities the school gave)
Alex went on to continue Nigels plans after his death, for Nigel and him merged into one like minded entity if you will. There's much we don't know about their true relationship, but assuming Alex changed after Nigel, it seems that his ideas encaptivated Alex and he continued the prophecy/ritual even after Nigels death
(this is also the reason I think Napola is closer to like minds than like minds is to dead poets society, but I might make a different post about that)
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