#loid forger i can't wait until you have narrow eyes and a serious expression when you kiss yor forger

[my-bated-breath]

The Man and The Persona (or he who has a thousand faces)

Every one has a persona -- a side they’re willing to show to others, and a side that they hide to themselves. This is a central theme in the show Spy x Family, and it’s pretty blatant about it given that the whole premise of the story hinges on each member of the Forger family hiding how unordinary underneath their cover of being a normal family. Nonetheless, given how blatant the premise may be, there’s a detail I noticed in the manga and anime that really serves to emphasize the gap between truth and persona in a subtler manner, that being Twilight’s appearance.

When we first meet Twilight, he has adopted another identity (to prevent the world from realizing the prime minister wears a toupee! for world peace!), which is quite fitting for his character introduction. Then, he rips his mask off and we see him like this:

His appearance here only lasts a few frames, and almost immediately he becomes “Robert,” as we see below.

You can see how it’s still Twilight, but the aura (the vibe, if you will) he gives off is completely different, from the hair, to the glasses, to the sternness that surrounds him.

This is just an example though. What I really want to highlight is the difference between his Loid Forger persona and his identity as Agent Twilight. We can see this when he is looking at apartments for his new fake family to live in:

See the difference between the calculating, narrowed eyes and the wide open ones? The serious line of his mouth and the carefree reply?

This becomes more prominent throughout the show when Loid begins to spend more time with his family and thus settles more into the Loid Forger “happy family man” role.

Above we have Agent Twilight assessing a threat to his marriage, versus Loid Forger who is very happy in said marriage. His eyes are very, very wide in the second shot compared to the first, and his features a much softer to give him a cheerier, more trustworthy aura.

We can also see this in his “happy family” smile. He looks so kind and patient and considerate, there’s no way he could be a spy!

Of course, these details add a subtle layer of immersion to the story as it is, but what I really like about Twilight’s many faces is that you can glean important character moments depending from how he looks in them.

“I was just admiring what wonderful siblings you are. You two have supported each other through so much.”

When was the last time I was envious of other people?

“The way I see it Yor, it’s not just us. In most the families out there, everyone’s playing a part. They tell themselves “this is how wives are supposed to act” or “this is what parents do.” Striving to live up to one’s ideals is an admirable thing, of course, but when those ideals start to constrict you, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are and where your true strengths lie. Having to perform all the time can be completely exhausting.”

When we see cracks in the Loid Forger mask Twilight has donned, we can see a glimpse into his true thoughts, and we can see that his family and desire for love are slowly breaking him open. Of course, in these moments, Twilight will immediately get into character afterwards to avoid jeopardizing his mission, but I think we’ll see more of his “Twilight” face in “Loid Forger” situations as the series continues. I think we’ll see more vulnerability from him in general.

After all, what is a story about personas for if it won’t reveal the truths hidden underneath them?

#spy x family #sxf #Loid Forger #Agent Twilight #sxf meta #meta #my bated breath analyzes #my bated breath's posts #i'll say it: i'm a hoe for strong men being weak #show me who you are beneath your veneer of conviction and strength! #also let me say that this is a central theme of kaguya-sama #i'm literally in love with the kaguya-sama anime/manga but this is a sxf meta not a kaguya meta #loid forger i can't wait until you have narrow eyes and a serious expression when you kiss yor forger #loid forger i can't wait for when you look at anya with narrow eyes and a serious expression when you tell anya you'll never abandon her #the above text makes absolutely no sense unless you've read this lmao #twiyor #loiyor #loid and anya