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on twitter in 2022 i said “fandom likes to baby white villains and excuse their behavior, like with kylo ren and snape and izzy hands” and i got torn to absolute shreds even though i wasnt saying anything new and now people are coming out of a black-ass vampire movie doting on the white villain

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I think Sammie would have definitely tried to marry Pearline. The woman who saved his life, who told him to run, whos last song was one of pain as they killed their nightmare.

Sammie naming his place after Pearline, well, I just feel like that was his way of marrying her.

Of being able to play beside her again, to look up and honor her as he played his heart out. Sammie ran off with his blues and he kept Pearline in his heart the entire time. He didn't open a church, he opened an altar to those Sinners who needed music as much as they needed holy.

I also think those three scars he left with can mean so much. Of the three things he lost that night:

The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.

Smoke, Stack, and Pearline.

I don't know, I'm still processing things 🤷🏾‍♀️ it was such a good movie 😭

[dgtor-writes]

let’s think about grace actually because i find the hate for her so interesting to be honest.

there is the argument that she was working in her own self interest because she cared about herself and her family more than her black peers.

well yes! but i find that more of the human *myhusbandisdeadandnowtheyrethreateningtotakemydaughter* than *iamgoingtomaliciouslyputblackpeopleimdangerforfun* i fear

and let’s say she doesn’t let them in and sunrise comes. they have holed up inside and now the actual klan is there. now what? Smoke beat them with prep time. they showed up at the crack of dawn to kill them. there are a few guns that are out of ammo in there and 1? 2? people who have ever done any type of service that would make them THAT good at shooting? everybody would have died one way or the other because this story was always about that day being the best of our main characters lives. this story was always about white people inserting themselves into a space that wasn’t for them and ultimately destroying it. both mary and remmick are perfect examples of this. they had no business in the space they inserted themselves into and ultimately destroyed both the space and the people that came with it. the only way this movie could have went well is if mary had never showed up. there wasn’t a good ending for them without erasing every action committed by a white person in that movie.

anyway, tldr; there should be a lot more remmick hate than grace hate. i went on a tangent and lost the plot a little so if something came out weird please tell me

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Haint Blue and Indigo: The Colors of Annie and Smoke

This is by no means an extensive history of haint blue and indigo*, but I just wanted to dip a bit into how much is said just by looking at one layer of costuming for Sinners. In this case color—how it's able to convey just how deeply rooted Annie is to her heritage/history, and to me, how this case of colors shows so beautifully Smoke's connection to Annie and his love for her.

"There's that haint blue that Annie lives around as part of a spiritual color. So I took the haint blue and used it in her clothes. I wanted her to have these layers. You first meet her [...] She's a community person. She's a healer, a spiritual leader." - Ruth E. Carter, Costume Design for Sinners (emphasis mine)

Haint blue is a color seen painted on porches, doorways and windows in the American South. As the name suggests, it was believed (though the oral histories are difficult to come by beyond the 30s), to ward off evil spirits. Using haint blue, according to the Gullah-Geechee, tricked evil spirts into thinking they had come across water or sky, bodies they were unable to cross, therefore deterring them from crossing over the blue.

Annie's costume was infused with this color; the blue on her cotton blouse and her skirt belted with feathers and beads. When we're introduced to Annie, her home has a collection of blues: from the wooden panelling, scraps of fabric hanging in the background, and blue bottles strewn about. This infusion of haint blue in her home is also a deliberate choice as talked about by production designer Hannah Beachler.

*Corrections, whether through comments or reblogs, for this post are definitely welcome! I cite my sources at the end of this long post.

This type of blue is not a specific color but rather, it becomes Haint Blue when it is used for the purpose of warding off haints, a belief rooted in Gullah-Geechee beliefs. (Though for technicalites' sake, it is a range of blues -> blue greens). After the 1800s, this way of using blue trickled down from the Gullah-Geechees in South Carolina to places such Louisina where Annie is suggested to be from.

The Old Plantation (Slaves Dancing on a South Carolina Plantation), ca. 1785-1795. watercolor on paper, attributed to John Rose, Beaufort County, South Carolina

Blue has always had a fraught history with enslaved Native Americans and Africans. The production of indigo was a profitable commodity demanded by the British empire as early as the 18th century. This production of indigo however, while it oppressed, was also a way for Black and Native Americans to express their individuality, and for people such as the Gullah-Geechee, their spirituality. Annie continues to draw strength from her roots and it's incredible to see it so profusely in so many aspects of her character, including her clothes.

So here is where I deviate a bit from "canon" per se, or give some interpretation of Ruth E.'s and Coogler's "Smoke is blue." We talk a lot about how the movie does a great job of showing how, though Smoke wasn't completely "sold" on hoodoo, but that he did very much believe in Annie. And that trust between them goes beyond what Smoke's willing to communicate through words (he wears the mojo bag through the war, through Chicago, and removes it only when he's ready to die. How he let's her take the reigns when talking to Cornbread. How he follows through with his promise as painful as it was).

"Smoke is blue. Stack is red." - Ruth E. Carter explaining how Ryan Coogler first posed the characters to her as a jumping off point for costuming.

Whether or not it's a conscious knowledge, I like to think that he dresses in blue as an extension of that trust. That bond between Annie and Smoke and the protection that comes with it bleeds into something as "ordinary" as Smoke's choice of color. One can say that maybe the color reminds him of Annie, and I also think there's some argument to be made about the universe answering Annie's prayers of protection, wrapping Smoke in an extra layer, another ward against evil.

----

Sources:

Blue Roots by Robert Pickney

Red, White and Black Make Blue: Indigo in the Fabric of Colonial South Carolina Life by Andrea Freeser

Haint Blue, the Ghost-Tricking Color of Southern Homes and Gullah Folktales

What the Color ‘Haint Blue’ Means to the Descendants of Enslaved Africans

Interviews of Ruth E. Carter and Hannah Beachler linked in the pull quotes above.

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given my previous rants about my personal disdain for antiblackness and how it conducts itself in fandom, I feel the need to state this blog is NOT a safe space for non-black arcane fans and especially Jayce x Viktor shippers. I've already dealt with so many of y'all over on twitter and honestly have no patience to hear you out. This your only warning. I won't be posting about the show or reblogging anything from it unless it's mel or ekko related on my main.

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not all character interpretations are valid some of you are sexist

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remmick and the vampires present a false dichotomy

Hogwood (the man who sold the twins the mill) and the KKK are very obviously bad, they are outright malicious bigotry, they use the n-word and plan to lynch the moore's and their community, they are so blatantly racist and hateful it's unavoidably obvious

remmick and the vampires however say that they believe in equality, say that they want to create a community, and yet remmick's goal throught the movie is to both metaphorically and literally steal sammie's ability for his own goal of reconnecting with his irish ancestors, a white man wants to harm a young and upcoming black man and use talents for his own goals without giving any regard to said black man's autonomy or agency

when sammie sings 'I lied to you' in the juke joint and calls forth the spirits from the past and future, it's a blend of cultures; west african, east asian, native american, and african american song and dance blend together across time and space to tell the stories of blues; where it takes its inspiration from, the music genres it then inspired, the complex history of black american culture and its intersections with other peoples of colour in the USA

when remmick and the vampires kill and turn the people in the juke joint, and then perform rocky road to dublin, only remmick's irish culture is on display, there is no influence from the black and asian people he has forcibly assimilated into his song, it's juxtaposition with the earlier scene is blatant, remmick is more than happy to assimilate people of colour into his 'community' of 'equals', and yet its only whiteness that is celebrated, that is normative

remmick claims that he's doing people a favour by turning them immortal, conviently ignoring that he literally has to suck the life out of them to do so, trapping their spirits on earth, he claims that he's the good guy, that the KKK were gonna come and lynch everyone at the joint in the morning anyways, conviently ignoring that he's doing the exact same thing; a white man leading a mob to kill a bunch of black people

in the final confrontation with sammie remmick repeatedly dunks him into the river, a forceful baptism. both the celtic irish and enslaved west africans had their religions suppressed and destroyed by colonialsm, had christianity forced upon them by the british empire, and in that scene we see remmick repeating that cycle, using christianity to inflict harm, and sammie reclaiming christianity, despite all the complex emotions he has arround it, as many colonised peoples have and still do, when he recites the lord's prayer

remmick and the vampires are no less racist than hogwood and the KKK, are no less predatory or evil, they're just less blantant about their bigotry, they represent the system, the normalised white supremacy that is seeped into the very foundation of culture in america, the point isnt that remmick would call any of the black characters in the movie the n-word, i dont think he would, the point is that his exploitation and desacration and inserting-himself-into-when-he-wasn't-invited of the juke joint is a microcosm of what white people have done to black american arts and culture since ever since there have been black and white people in america, and even before that

theres a reason vultures are shown early on in this movie

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jayme lawson and miles caton as pearline and sammie behind the scenes of SINNERS (2025)

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The portrayal of white people who have been violently separated from their own culture stealing the power of black culture and music to try to get reconnected was SO literal and somehow not at ALL heavy-handed or trite. Fkn remarkable.

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Smoke 💨

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thinking about the vampire remmick in sinners coming from a same place of oppression as the people he's terrorizing, thinking about him using the music that his oppressed ancestors played to perpetuate the cycle of domination that they were a victim of, thinking about him trying to use his background to make sammie think they're on the same side when he's trying to take his gift for himself and use it for evil, thinking about him using his talents to destroy communities instead of healing them and bond his people together the way sammie does, music as the vessel of love through generations of black people against a white man that wants to take it for himself, vampirism in the movie being represented as a continuation of the south's racism, one that wants to appropriate the culture ("your memories become my memories") by using it to destroy the community, ryan coogler... genius i'm afraid

[dgtor-writes]

I don't come on here often. But when I do I always regret it.

I have never seen a film so dedicated (and lovingly so) to black art, black resilience, and black joy be reduced to mid-ass oppressor x oppressed yaoi and a pulpit for non-Black viewers (calling you fans is a kindness you don't deserve) to center themselves.

Y'all managed to turn a love-letter to Black southern culture, music, and history into a battleground for a ship you're desperate to shove into the narrative, and an opportunity to center (culturally) white queerness. And that's fucking embarrassing for y'all.

For starters: Remmick's Irish heritage isn't negligible... but it also doesn't negate the racist framework of his actions. Too many of y'all are stuck in a 2020-ass definition of racism as slur-slinging, police brutality, and klan membership. The reality is that racism is our society. Particularly the anti-blackness, which the film is about second to blues music and Black art, that the U.S is built on, and requires each immigrating body to participate in order to gain membership/respect.

Remmick being an opportunist who exploits this framework, (and understands it, do not be deceived), is a facet of racism. Exploiting a racial community for their gifts, talents, and culture, is racist. Ergo, Remmick is racist. Is he funny? Yes. Charming? Yes. Jack O'Conell played the hell out of a complex and entertaining villain. And I agree it's out of pocket for people to insult him over a character.

None of this means Black fans are jumping down your throat for finding him (or Jack O'Conell) attractive, but denying fact about his role in relation to the Black community of Clarskdale, which he terrorizes for most of the film, is a cop-out.

You attempting to use Ludwig Göransson's masterful composition of the soundtrack and score to prove Remmick doesn't simply subsume the Black partygoers into his hive-mind is laughable.

Rocky Road To Dublin having an 808 track is done to tie it in the the musical landscape of the rest of the film and signifies the (heavily-influenced) participation of the Black fledglings. It doesn't mean they've willingly or happily volunteered their own culture to be part of the jig. You can take Coogler's singular interview on Remmick's intentions as a total read on his character... or you could watch the numerous other interviews that go into the impact Remmick's mass-turning had on the Black community of the film. Him claiming "equality and love" doesn't negate his true aim of wanting to use Sammie's gifts and the power of community to commune with his dead ancestors. He states this when he mentions wanting Sammie's songs and stories and giving Sammie's his. This isn't an equal exchange (or romantic). In practice, we know what this looks like throughout the film: using what musical talents of the fledgling remains while putting his own culture and music in their mouths. Remmick knows this and that's what he wants. Sammie and the community of Clarksdale are a means to an end. You miss out on the meta-commentary this provides when you as a non-black viewer are desperate to center your discomfort with a character you like being a racist.

White people like Remmick are real.

(Yes I'm calling Remmick white here. By the time he's made it to the delta, the Choctaw, the Klansmen, and the Black community of Clarksdale recognize him as such.)

They come into Black and Indigenous communities of color and claim to be an ally, a friend, or a kindred spirit who understands what we've been through. But most times, they view themselves as saviors with an answer, and us as their resource to mine. They steal culture to profit, or construct a new identity for themselves and mask or destroy the culture and people they pillage from. Their intentions don't matter, when this is nearly always the result. Remmick, though not a Klansmen, is exactly that kind of white man.

Dismissing this lens just to feel less guilty or uncomfortable about shipping a violent and racist dynamic with it's primary victim is foul. But it's even worse when y'all try to hide behind "fandom culture" or "don't like don't read" when Black fans call you out on this. Shipping isn't activism, but you do bring your racist worldviews into those spaces. Black fans are told to tolerate this in media that isn't made with us in mind all the time. So when you do it in spaces that weren't made with you in mind? You'll get checked every single time.

Y'all hate to be genuinely challenged on the underpinnings of your worldview that center your comfort and wants over the stories and experiences of Black people. And you've really shown your entire ass over this movie.

I haven't even gotten into the flagrant dismissal with which you all treat Pearline, Sammie's canon love, who he names a club after and remembers even sixty years after that fateful night. I haven't gotten into how many of you ignore Delta Slim's role as a mentor, a heart, and a survivor in this film. I really wish I got to the total lack of shame or even awareness that y'all operate with in regards to Black stories. But we'd be here all day.

Genuinely, fuck y'all.

So mini-biggish? rant about Remmick, Sammie, White Culture and just media literacy. Because, no, Remmick cannot be just popped out of his heritage and the historical context of greater Irish relations with indigenous and black communities. I have thoughts that are all over the place and TBH this shit is gonna be all over the place, sorry.

Also-- I'm very fucking disappointed in the people calling Remmick and his actor ugly. Like, I'm sorry, if you don't like a character? That is not an excuse to target a real persons characteristics.

So proud to be one of the people shipping Remmick and Sammie. Like people are fr MAD MAD and saying etc etc about it being white fujos meanwhile I'm blocking all these miserable as people.

Literallly hanging out with all the black folks in the tag thirsting over Remmick and also shipping like, uh-oh? Do I smell a party pooper? BloCK! Anyways, Remmick would be so pro-swallowing---

He is an antagonist but sorry I don't think he's the VILLAIN of the story and YES I have read Coogler's interview where he basically says the same shit. Also, people keep reducing Remmick's desires when he said very explicitly that it was to be a two way street. You can HEAR in the soundtrack ( which I've been listening to multiple times ) the intermingling of beats in Remmick's jig.

He wants what Sammie has and he is trying and he MAY have been able to form that kinda community that Sammie was capable of in life, but he's just not that guy. If he could do it on his own he would have and the music playing for him does imply a mixing does occur.

ALSO?! Since when was it said that he was trying to use Sammie's music for evil or to make other fucking vampires? XD He's trying to bring back the spirits of his ancestors and community experience - not turn more people into vamps with Sammie's abilities. As Coogler said, the intention of love and freedom is 100% true and not a disguise for anything. The issue is, is that Remmick only sees himself as the savior. He is an antagonist that thinks he's the protagonist.

You can have an antagonist that does evil things. He can be the villain of someone's story, and through his actions, his forceful nature, he is villainous. But the goal isn't straight assimilation 'I don't see color and we're all gonna be Irish now' because he looks at black culture and loves and it wants to see it mix.

"I want your stories. I want your songs. And you're gonna have mine."

Additionally, I love when Remmick gives his 'mock' baptism. Like, he said he'd gone through all that stuff and been taught it but uhhhhh he seemed to be VERY angry at it even being mentioned and attempted. Sympathetic. But so pissed. Cuz remember, the vampires of this movie are people who are stuck in their bodies and downright fueled by their anger and lust for satisfaction.

And I'll be honest! Remmie acts like a normal ass vampire? He's very Dracula coded. ( keep in mind Dracula was written by an Irish author and so was Carmilla )

Two of the most aggressively sexual and hungry ass vampires we continue to obsess with. The nature of a vampire is sexual, obsessive and, literally, hungry for life. Remmick saw a community that was alive and keeping on no matter what they were going through. They were still being themselves and I wonder if there's a chance that Remmick may feel a particular kind of way about how other Irish are this time assimilated into a 'white culture'. We have this conversation every other week that 'white culture' is a force that seeks to erase people's backgrounds to reinforce white supremacy.

At least in America, perhaps to Remmick, his community is dead. They have assimilated and erased their heritage to fit into this larger pool of racism.

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this is why I wish WWC was still active because I would've been able to have an action items list to go off of. I have the bones and historical context of the story nailed down, but I have a nagging feeling telling me this probably isn't the project I wanna go with.

I think I've avoided the "animalizing" indigenous people part by affirming the monsters/illnesses came from white settlers but I worry i might still mishandle things.

planning to enter the webtoon contest but I'm still waffling between which story I should use. I have two ocs that are part of a whole werewolf cowboy butch x vampire fem idea but i made them both turtle island indigenous and the lycnathropy/vampirism a metaphor fo colonization trauma. So i don't think I'll use theirs. Especially since there's a cash prize for this. It would feel wrong and like it's not my story to tell.

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"Orcs have been hunted down by adventurers for centuries, having their body parts get used in the markets and were all essentially chased out of their homes, but also they are naturally prone to violence and have brutal natures so look out for that in Dungeons"

Like yeah-