#opaledit

Ronan's particular brand of affection

at least it's not only Declan who doubts it

like father, like dreamt daughter

hear me out

^ Declan fearing and resenting dreams but also craving the beauty of them that he's never really been allowed to engage in fully as someone neither dreamer nor dreamt, born of dreams but traumatized by them

^ growing up watching his dad's and Ronan's dreams, cleaning up their dreams, knowing how dangerous and volatile Ronan's dreams in particular can be but never sure when they will be, always on the alert and waiting for the next disaster

^ Declan going into politics, fitting his life into rigid forms, canonically craving structure to cope with a stressfully disordered dream-riddled childhood

^ and isn't this, like, Declan's whole TDT arc? understanding that he'd let his trauma get in the way of appreciating the good parts of his childhood and his family? accepting dreams back into his life with wonder instead of fear, returning to the Barns and making it his home again?

i know that Opal is a manifestation of Ronan's subconscious, and i know she's paralleled in TRK with Adam, and this may all be a stunning display of my brainrot but i was honestly NOT expecting to reread this story and come to this conclusion, and yet here i am.