Optimistic Audience

One of my all time favorite fictional exchanges comes from the show Babylon 5 (huge shock to my followers). In it, a late-middle-aged Centauri ambassador and his much younger attaché have a discussion. The attaché had just narrowly avoided getting in major trouble for helping two other young Centauri marry for love rather than status. The ambassador, Londo Mollari, who had scolded his attaché for this, tells a story. When he was young and his father was getting older, he told Londo "My shoes are too tight, but it does not matter, because I have forgotten how to dance." Londo says he did not understand then, but he does now: "My shoes are too tight, and I have forgotten how to dance."

His young attaché, Vir, replies with some confusion that he doesn't understand.

Londo, with a bittersweet sort of tone, replies, "Nor should you."

Additional note: I was able to find the scene. I love older, obscure shows for that.

For some reason, today my brain decided to apply it to K-pop Demon Hunters, of all things. It could apply to any of the girls, especially Rumi with her tight shoes of shame, but my brain picked out Mira first, actually.

Because she was forced into tight shoes much younger than anyone should be. We don't see much about it in canon, just how Cool and Rebellious about it she was.

But I can't help but wonder -- how much of her youth did Mira spend having forgotten how to dance?