Stories n Stuff

My heart is broken for a nation full of such strong and loving people. I have friends in Ukraine, several of whom are married with little kids. I taught a class of middle school students there, so full of joy and excited to learn about the world. I met people who had fled their homes in the East, and been physically and emotionally traumatized by the war.

One, it was unexpected. I kept shouting, "I didn't know this was a romance!" but in a good way. I thought the initial meet-cute was just a gag, not that it would develop into something genuine. Maybe the surprise is what made it fun to follow.

And also, something about the mature nature of the relationship and the issues both characters were unpacking with each other. It felt so much more complex than Disney romances, because of heavier themes of shame and being afraid to be who you are. The rawness, the realness of two people crippled by shame finding solace in each other. Disney can't produce that cause it's a darker theme for them, plus usually the love interest is an accessory to the main character. I loved that Jinu had his own storyline that felt just as high stakes as Rumi's.

Their chemistry felt genuine, and didn't need to be explicitly romantic for it to be visible. They were becoming friends before love interests, and that's what worked so well.