#some thoughts

You guys, middle class doesnt mean "a stable enough rented roof over your head," it means "a house you bought, a nice car or two, the ability to support a family, and take days off and vacations every year with income to spare for retirement savings and rainy days." If all you have is a rented apartment without a roommate and a used car, you're lower class. That's lower class.

before we start a bit of appreciation for kurt elling and rebecca naomi jones, both of whom i knew nothing about and they were both fucking insane

also apologies for how sporadic this is/that there is no order, it’s 4am and i desperately need to sleep but i simply Cannot

enjoy lol

And Celine totally knew that it’d be like this. She checks in a lot. Her voice is steady, and she never ever shows how worried she is but she watched as Miyeong grew weaker and weaker and is worried the same will happen with Mira. Celine is scared. In my head, Miyeong’s demon pregnancy with Rumi didnt kill her but it weakened her significantly which did play a role in her death. Celine has grown to love Mira like a daughter and now she’s scared she’ll lose her exactly like she lost Miyeong.

(Celine and Mira have a conversation about this. Early on. Celine knew Mira could handle the conversation & Zoey and Rumi would not be able to. Mira knows the risks. Made Celine swear to never mention it to Zoey or especially Rumi.)

Rumi can obviously connect the dots, eventually. She knows. She feels guilty but Mira reminds her every chance she gets that she wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves her, and loves their child, and loves their little family.

If I had to put my finger on it, I would say the best idea I have is that Val's history (whatever the show decides to give us anyways) will mirror Angel Dust's.

If we ignore Vox being the de facto leader of the Vees for a moment and center Val as the main one (which he will be next season), then Valentino strongly parallels Angel. He's energetic, flirtatious, charming, funny, often femme-presenting (though he does both) and uncomfortably sexual around others. He's a bug demon just like Angel. He also has an older love interest in Vox who calms him down and that he's softer towards much how like Angel is with in his prospective relationship with Husk. And much like Angel and Cherri, Val has a best friend in Velvette who enables him and stands by him.

So, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Val's experiences in his past would mirror or parallel Angel's current predicament in some way.

That said, let's look at some surface observations that fit closely with the "Val was an abused sex worker in his human life" narrative:

- Valentino will always sexualize and paint himself as desirable every chance he gets. His penthouse is full of posters of himself being a performer. He seems to enjoy and relish in being wanted and desired and never second guesses it. There's even a point to be made about how his spit is commodified into a substance that can make love potions/r*pe drugs. Valentino doesn't hesitate to shed his clothing or dress scantily clad in nearly every scene he's in save for when he's wearing more masculine clothing at work.

It's almost like it's second nature for Valentino and that he knows his entire value is wrapped up in how desired he is. Performing is natural to him.

- Valentino's concept of love seems to be based around it being conditional. He lovebombs people, notably Angel and overwhelms them with his lover boy persona and gets them dependent on him. He's uncomfortably good at what he does and it's not crazy to wonder where he's learned such tactics from. Vivzie noted that while Val is Vox's dumb trophy wife, he's still "very good at what he does". And he is. Emotionally, he's quite adept at manipulating the scenario in Ep 4 until Angel demands for Charlie to leave himself so Val didn't have to. So... one could easily speculate he knows how to manipulate others emotionally because he has experienced it himself through a brutal sex industry in the 70s.

-Look at everything Val does to excuse Vox's behavior in S2. He calls himself dramatic, says Vox is "Just a man". He mutters to himself and walks off after Vox slaps his ass, but still lets Vox get his way while his frustration builds. After the way Vox treats him, Val just... does as Vox wants and gives him Angel too. We know Val's feelings for Vox are something different and real in contrast how he works on others he treats as disposable. The only line Vox crosses is when he tries to blow himself and everyone else up at the end of the season and only then does Val jump in to stop him with Velvette.

But this vulnerable side is definitely curious from Val, who is no stranger to violently ripping apart his best friend's models when he feels his tantrums aren't being listened to.

-Valentino doesn't know what consent means. Take this with a pinch of salt with Vivzie and the crew just joking on the commentary track, but ithe comment is notable. The only reason Val would not know this word is because it was never once used with him in any context in his actual life.

-Val, while being an attention whore, isn't put off by being under constant surveillance from Vox. It's normal to him. Keep in mind, Val has about six cameras in his penthouse on him alone and feels completely comfortable with it.

-Val more than likely has an ED, a trait so many sex workers amd performers struggle with in the industry. Angel also alludes to having something similar when he tells Husk that his lunch was "three cigarettes" in S2 Ep6.

-Val can take being stabbed with really so much as blinking at it. He's also notably great at brawling with his fists. Even though he's usually portrayed with his gun, he seems more adept at scraping by with his hands. It's like he's used to physical pain.

-Vox is prone to grabbing Val and shaking him roughly and Val doesn't have much of a reaction to it at all.

-Valentino is a moth, commonly a preyed upon insect. Spiders eat moths, fun coincidence. Also, moth was once considered slang for a prostitute because moths would linger under lamp posts much like sex workers.