𝕀𝕊𝕆𝔹𝕀𝕆𝕊𝕀𝕊

OP's tags and comment are on point, what more can i add?

i can ramble about the ascending stairs. like, usually when you're talking about darkness and corruption, you'd use descending imagery, right? but no, these guys are going up, and they're going further into the shadow. and like, this makes sense?

Rook has grown as a person thanks to his pursuit of beauty, and his devotion to Vil as the person most determined to embody beauty. Rook doesn't do anything by halves, he's throwing himself into what he believes in wholeheartedly - up and including drinking lethal poison. his "villain" is also placed so much higher up. Vil's figure is almost like an image of a saint on a stained glass window, or at the very least a deity on his throne. it's a figure you're meant to worship. and he's weeping. and Rook is approaching him as the most loyal devotee, disregarding everything it might mean for his well-being.

Kalim was always in touch with the dark and ugly parts of life, thanks to the fate of an Asim heir being tied to assassination attempts, and being put into a position of power he might not even want if he examined it closely. he's complicit in maintaining an unfair system and reaping it's benefits. and yet he's not exactly afraid of dying. his only concern is how troubling it might be for his killer to not be able to get his forgiveness; or maybe he realizes that there are people who'd be punished for negligence if he's killed? his "villain" is almost at the same level as him, because the power more or less balances out between them, if only at a personal level. it also feels like Kalim is put in a position where he still can turn away from the darkness and the knowledge it brings.

it's so, so fascinating that between the three of them, it's Silver who's actually creating the shadow to fall over him. and again, typically you'd shield your eyes to avoid something, which can be a nifty shorthand for ignorance and suchlike; but since for the purposes of this yap "darkness" means something closer to Jung's Shadow, Freud's Id and whatever dark knowledge and secrets lurk in the subconscious? it's like Silver chooses to create a window for himself to look into the darkness, because he wants to learn more about his past and what it means for himself and his adoptive family. he's also the only one in motion, like he's actively in the process of following up on his choice.

Mally gets his own paragraph, 'cause his shadow on the pure white wall? like, on one hand it's not supposed to be possible in the world of light physics, right; so you could read this as him disregarding the laws of nature - as one does - to show up regardless. which, if we accept that he's supposed to be the poster child of the franchise and it's darling, kinda checks out! on the other, consider the relations between the og characters these six are twisted from. a loyal Hunter serving his Evil Queen. a Sultan ruling a country, with an Evil Vizier secretly manipulating him. and then a princess and a prince against an Evil Fae Sorceress. i'd argue that Silver is twisted from Aurora and Philip both, making him Malleus' direct foil and supposed opposition - except Silver is going to step into the darkness, because that's what he's choosing with everything he's learned.

it's also an interesting detail that Rook's hand is stained with blood. so is Kalim's hand. Silver's hands aren't, although the handle of his wand seems to be stained crimson? not to mention he's holding Kalim's bloodied hand. and again, it just makes me think how Silver is making a deliberate choice; and like you'd assume Rook has made a deliberate choice too, but idk, Silver's just seems to hold more weight? if that makes sense?

this makes me think of an interesting theory - tho i don't fucking remember where exactly i've read it - that the reason Crowley is always all "i am so kind and generous!" and why he's so insistent that Prefect helps everyone work together, is because Crowley knows about the storytelling conventions. Crowley knows the heroes are supposed to always win, and he knows they're the villains. so he's trying to, like, reframe his side and make it look good? to trick the powers that be into letting them win for once?

idk if this theory holds much water, but! it's an interesting idea to consider! what if the Light Trio is actually key players to sway the narrative in favor of the villains. what if their love and care for their respective villains is what's gonna tip the scales to the bad guys' favor. just hope these three aren't gonna die in the process! would be dramatic but also devastating af!