It's Terrorism To Me

James and sirius were so cute for that mirror face time idea

I cannot emphasize enough how much everything In-ho did during his time in the games was in service of breaking down Gi-hun. Every glance, every story, every comment was incredibly and deliberately calculated.

His first interaction with Gi-hun immediately places the blame on Gi-hun for the games continuing: "I pressed the O because of you." He also explicitly asks for Gi-hun's help on behalf of the group. This sucks Gi-hun into being a mechanism of the games themselves (not just a player, but one telling others how to play) while robbing him of his agency to do so: whereas he was confident in helping during the first game, because it was his choice, In-ho's request forces him to share about the Dalgona prematurely, and he then has a nightmare about misleading the players. This also leads to many players becoming hostile when the game is not Dalgona, which--who could have guessed?--In-ho jumps in to stop. He orchestrated the situation so that Gi-hun would feel maximum pressure and guilt, before In-ho himself relieves it to build trust between them.

Then there are the introductions. In-ho uses Gi-hun's name before they are introduced, which may have been a genuine slip, but was very likely intentional given his response. In-ho's method throughout the games is to parallel and associate himself with Jung-bae, Gi-hun's only actual friend (he saves him during the merry-go-round games; he eavesdrops on Jung-bae's conversation with Gi-hun and directly uses the "get me a soju" line from that conversation to subconsciously build Gi-hun's trust in him during the firefight). So when he uses Gi-hun's name, he says he does so because he heard Jung-bae doing it, and Gi-hun allows him to continue--this creates the first of the links between them. But then, when they are properly introduced, In-ho laughs that "Seong" just means "last name;" in doing so, he implies to those who don't know him that Gi-hun may not be telling the truth, and in context of their conversation (focused on the significance of their names) highlights how Seong Gi-hun is "no one special." He's just an everyman.

Another reason that "slip" was almost certainly intentional is that In-ho is very deliberate about showing moments of weakness. His breakdown during the Six-Legged Race was designed to both further stress Gi-hun (and if Gi-hun had failed, they were in the very last groups present, so they could have been selectively spared as needed) and to strengthen their bond, as Gi-hun got to "encourage" In-ho; then In-ho helped Gi-hun and the team win by kicking with him the final time. Even cheering along with Gi-hun while the other teams went was in service of cementing their connection; and, any time a team failed, In-ho got to observe Gi-hun's reactions under the guise of empathy. In-ho may have felt some genuine emotions while cheering or comforting Gi-hun, but they aren't to be trusted.

That's particularly true because of his biggest "weak" moment: telling Gi-hun why he is in the games. The show confirms, when Jun-ho finds the winner file, that In-ho actually did join the games years before (from his family we know that it was because of his wife's illness), and that he won them himself. So he isn't lying about the details of his personal story--and he even gets emotional--but it is, once again, all in service of ensnaring Gi-hun and earning his trust. In-ho is not faking all of his emotions, but he is controlling and weaponizing them, which is why none of his apparent fondness for Gi-hun can be trusted. He uses his emotions as a tool, rather than being affected by them.

The ultimate result of this manipulation is that Gi-hun is made to feel that everything that happens is his choice (even the things he didn't choose). From the beginning, In-ho has said his choices are because of Gi-hun; throughout the games, there are several moments where In-ho suggests an approach and Gi-hun shoots it down, and In-ho always coalesces. Gi-hun gets to have "his way." But "his way" doesn't seem to work, and he, like the rest of the players, is changed by the games. His final plan, as In-ho forces him to face, involves a sacrifice of some for the good of the many. Only after he admits this (through his silence) does In-ho agree to help. Then, during the firefight, when Gi-hun tries to give In-ho the ammunition he risked his life to get, In-ho asks, "Are you sure?" Gi-hun's choice to trust In-ho leads to him running out of ammunition earlier, forcing his surrender; meanwhile, In-ho still "dies," and Jung-bae is shot in front of Gi-hun's eyes. None of Gi-hun's choices made things better--they made it all his fault. He is left with the blame, as the Frontman (who is In-ho! And always has been!) tells him point blank.

But none of Gi-hun's choices have really been choices. They have all been based on lies, within a system that uses the information they have to actively orchestrate events against him. The same is true of the players in the game; their choices are not free, because their circumstances (largely caused by unfairness in the world) have trapped them. The baseness they resort to is not what they would do if they really had the choice, and some are even able to choose virtue within the hellscape, but over and over, the system facilitates the dominance of cruelty. And In-ho, the personification of that system, targets Seong Gi-hun, the "Everyman," to make him submit to it--to make him choose to believe that there is no other way.

Spot the difference

Harry is the only person who came close to truly knowing who Voldemort is. That’s why I ship Harrymort.

I never get tired of any fandom discourse. And if I ever do, I'll just block those people.

I dislike the characterizations that are common in all (or 99%) of wolfstar fics. Their dynamic and relationship are significantly altered just to make them more palatable and workable. Their core personalities suffer in the process as well.

Is this a safe space to say I'm lowk starting to heavily dislike wolfstar

It's like Severus with Lily except Sirius and James were actually compatible.

It's wild to me that prongsfoot isn't more popular. What happened to the friends to lovers enthusiasts? James and Sirius had the two-way mirrors because they couldn't stand spending ONE DETENTION apart. Sirius escaped prison and spent a year eating rats and DIED to protect James' son. They were attached by the hip. They were the only ones that mattered to each other. They were one soul in two bodies and you're telling me they're a rareship??

cute

Their ship(romantic or platonic idk) name being eclipse is something really cute to me

For me, it’s all the popular ones in the current fandom. They all create a version of Sirius that feels sanitized of his complex original traits. I don’t have an issue with the fics themselves—they’re great contributions to fan writing—but I take issue when fans are so influenced by these characterizations that canon appreciation gets sidelined.

I love reading fics, so it frustrates me that so much focus in this fandom is placed on these fanon versions, and that the popular fanfictions available often feature these portrayals. Most fics you find now include them. I wish more people writing Marauders fics would focus on canon. I’d even read a Jegulus fic if it portrayed the characters well. I just find it strange that this fandom has such a huge divide in how it interprets its characters. It feels weird to completely strip them of their personalities but still call them the same names.

How do they think Sirius Black is portrayed in fanon?

Who is this referencing? Crimson Rivers Sirius or Choices Sirius? ATYD Sirius or TCOPTP Sirius? Only The Brave Sirius or KYD Sirius?

I don't really understand.

It's like a cult who creates an imaginary enemy and fights them with wooden swords. Or the enemy is children. It's worrying. I hope they get well.

Tired of it

Just thought to myself "can't women have a bad time in fiction without rape being involved" which really shows you how much you're in the fucking trenches if you are both a horror fan and women fan