i know it’s the niallruben show and every other character is basically just garnishes but i will say niall and mona’s relationship really stood out to me just because of how obvious it was they were almost exact mirrors of each other; not only is almost her entire time on the show used as a proxy for niall and ruben’s relationship but in a way she essentially exists as a butterfly effect What Could Have Been version of niall if niall and ruben had been able to get their shit together (which still probably would have consisted of 50% obnoxious pda and 50% fights where plates get thrown against walls) i saw someone compare ruben flinching back from mona in that one scene to him constantly encroaching in niall’s personal space and it made me wanna rewatch and i only just noticed how the conversation in the kitchen where niall is helping mona clean up after ruben wrecked their house is almost beat for beat the scene of alby helping niall clean up the dorm kitchen after ruben got high and broke a bunch of stuff. both of them crying feeling overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted by ruben and being told they deserve better and both of them knowing they’re not gonna be able to give him up because they both love him too much. this leading to both of them trying to distance from ruben: niall trying to convince ruben to go home and mona sleeping with benji. and then the parallel of ruben beating alby and benji the exact same way: characters that were both framed not so much as romantic rivals but moreso threats to what ruben deemed “belonged” to him. i also think that’s why after they slept together they went mask off with their resentment of the other where before they were more or less friendly because in a way they’re both aware they’re half versions of each other and have never been able to fully occupy the role they want in ruben’s life: niall could never be ruben’s wife (what ruben wants from an idealized societal standpoint) and mona could never be ruben’s niall (what ruben actually wants).

The blade between us

Armand: I stalked you for 52 years and damage-controlled your entire life and also Sophia is Lestat’s mother—