#rumi kdph

Be free, Jinu! ✨

After my latest rewatch, I was thinking about Free and What It Sounds Like, and how their lyrics reflect their place in Rumi's arc and her relationship with Mira and Zoey vs with Jinu.

The central theme of Free is hope for absolution. Freedom from all the things that weigh Rumi down and come between her and her friends.

All the secrets that keep me in chains, and All the damage that might make me dangerous You got a dark side, guess you're not the only one

If there ever was a summary of how Rumi sees herself after being forced to hold on to her secret for years, it's here. Secrets. Chains. Damage. Dangerous. Dark side. These are not the words of someone who is at peace with themselves. This is her putting into everything into words.

What if we both tried fighting what we're running from? We can't fix it if we never face it What if we find a way to escape it?

This further highlights the headspace Rumi is in. Just look at the verbs. Fighting, running, fix, escape. This is someone who is struggling with what they are carrying and are desperately looking for a way to get away from it.

This is what makes Rumi connect with Jinu. She sees in him someone with a similar secret and reaches out for him to join her in this fight.

I've been hoping to change, now I know we can change But I won't if you're not by my side

Does Jinu actually do anything to help Rumi? Not really. He negs her, gaslights her, mocks her, tries to kill her, lies to her. The most positive thing he ever does for her is the "I don't think you're a mistake" line. That's pretty much it. The rest is Rumi trying to carry the fight for the both of them. In all their interactions, all the hope and attempts to find a solution come from Rumi.

Jinu is the embodiment of everything Rumi struggles with. He locks her into the headspace of secrets and seeing herself as a creature of darkness, someone who needs to be fixed.

In What It Sounds Like, the tone of the lyrics is completely different. Despite the events taking place on a stadium, it's actually a song that Rumi initially sings to Mira and Zoey. It starts with the most heartfelt apology.

Nothing but the truth now Nothing but the proof of what I am [...] My head was twisted, my heart divided My lies all collided, I don't know why I didn't trust you to be on my side

Then it moves on to the main theme of the song: acceptance.

The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like Why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head? I should've let the jagged edges meet the light instead Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony The song we couldn't write, this is what it sounds like

This is at the core of the vulnerability Rumi meets Mira and Zoey with now. She has accepted that she is what she is: a half-demon. It's something she cannot change, so the healthy option is to accept it.

It's also not only about Rumi accepting herself. It's about Mira and Zoey joining her, embracing her, fighting alongside her. Accepting Rumi, but also accepting their own needs (to the extent they are explored in the movie).

So we were cowards, so we were liars So we're not heroes, we're still survivors The dreamers, the fighters, no lying, I'm tired But dive in the fire, and I'll be right here by your side

Towards the end we also get two words that are very important for anyone struggling with their identity.

Fearless and undefined

This is a declaration and a half. I don't fear anymore, you cannot define me. Your definitions have no hold of me. The most important lesson of acceptance: the categories given from the outside don't get to define you.

Another interesting detail is that both songs talk about being on Rumi's side:

Free I've been hoping to change, now I know we can change But I won't if you're not by my side

What It Sounds Like I don't know why I didn't trust you to be on my side

With Jinu, Rumi pleads him to be on her side. In the way she phrases this, there is a strong implication that she might not trust him to be there.

With Mira and Zoey, Rumi acknowledges that they have been on her side. That it has only been her own failings, her own secrets and lies, that have been pushing them apart.

Both lines are ultimately about trust. It's very present in What It Sounds Like, not so much in Free.

The songs are obviously in very different places in Rumi's arc. But it's remarkable how their lyrics reflect the shift in the way she sees herself, but also her relationship with Mira and Zoey vs her relationship with Jinu.

The alt Rumi and au swap posts got me to thinking. If they can swap canon vs alt realities, why not other fandoms entirely?

How would the girls (and Celine) react to a jinchuriki from Naruto? A human being, sacrificed to contain a demon with powers and strength on par with a natural disaster?

Or Naruto's situation - orphaned at birth, his parents deciding to seal the Ninetails into their newborn child? At least the other jinchuriki had a say - he didn't.

How about how Naruto grew up - mistreated, neglected if not sabotaged from what we see at the start of the series - living in his own apartment, with dirty clothes on the floor, subsisting off of cheap instant ramen?

Oh, oh how about when the Ninetails takes over- the skin and muscle burning away to reveal the demon within? And when Naruto snaps out of it, the exposed muscle and deep burns sustained all over his body?

Ooh that's a blender for sure!