#same as always

SPOILERS

I very much enjoyed it. Everything about it. I love how the magic was barely explained at first but as Harrow and Gideon become more properly intertwined things do become clearer and we get world building to go with it.

Cythrea was a fantastic antagonist and I do love that the author never painted her as Dulcinea as someone fully perfect and sweet. She's clearly got hidden motives and all her interactions with Gideon feel loaded and double sided. And while it's clear Gideon to a degree can tell something is hidden, it also makes complete sense that Gideon isn't someone who is just completely wary of her and in fact desires her company.

Once again I think the character deaths were well handled. They all made sense. And they all felt tragic.

Sixth house being wiped out first because I think it was clear if they weren't, most likely everyone would've been far more willing to work together and likely more ascending to Lyctorhood would've been in the cards. Is there a chance with all the brawling personalities things might still have a darker ending? Sure it's not impossible. But I do think people would've lived.

The various houses specializing in different areas and magical abilities that other houses found strange also helped with everyone feeling distinct. It helped their personalities to make so much sense.

I really really loved the progression of Harrow and Gideon. I love how their confession scene flowed, it truly was as romantic as a scene in this series between gideon and Harrow could've been. It made complete sense for their characters. I also love that their kiss wasn't written as just "lips connecting" or something similar. In other media it would make sense, but instead "until they couldn't talk" is just top tier.

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop after gideon and Harrow made up and it did, right on my face. The last fifth was heartwrenching. "I don't care about the others I care about you" being the logic for Gideons actions was so on brand. The way you just knew what she'd do before she even herself came to the conclusion. The descriptor of Harrow and Gideon fighting as one to win and the gut punch of Harrow bolting to drag Gideon's body back in some vain hope of anything.

I do get why some readers might be incapable of enjoying Harrow and Gideon romantically but I feel like they perfectly embody Gothic romance. An enemies to lovers story where everything in the universe ultimately decided they'd be bound together for better or worse.

For example: “They have always hated each other and now they don’t have to hang out anymore. They are brothers and work friends only. They used to be a thing, but they aren’t anymore. They are cover for a real relationship. The company forces them to mention each other on social media. And my personal favorite….They’ve only seen each other a couple of times this year, they just aren’t close”.

What?! Are they stupid or something? Do they honestly think that the ONLY time Jikook (or any of the members actually) see each other is when they talk about it or post about it on social media? The rest of the time, nothing? Oh Lordy, I need something pretty to calm my nerves.

Phew! Thats better! Do these people really live in such an isolated world that they believe that the litmus test for a relationship is the number of posts on Instagram? Because that’s the standard they are holding Jikook to. Heck, I checked my own personal social media pages and saw that I’ve posted things about the people I actually LIVE WITH or that I see every single day…only a handful of times this year. So clearly, social media posts aren’t necessary for maintaining (or proving) a relationship.

We all know why that specific group of people are here. They NEED to try and disprove Jikook because if Jikook exists as a couple, then their fantasy is just that, a fantasy. And listen, they KNOW. They see it. Images of Jikook, in all of their Jikook glory, are burned on their retinas. They wouldn’t take Jikook moments and alter them (badly…oh so badly) by replacing Jimin’s face with, well, someone else’s, if they didn’t see the moments as romantic. Oh the second-hand embarrassment I get when I see those edits. Yeeeeshhh.

As for the so called “insecure Jikooker”, I can see how it happens. Listen, we used to basically LIVE with BTS. We saw them during practice, at concerts, eating together, backstage, on RUN BTS, Bon Voyage, Bangtan Bombs, In the Soop (1&2), during special content, at music shows and awards shows, photoshoots, commercials. They were much more active on social media, posting selfies on Twitter, talking in Fan Cafes, doing vLives regularly. I mean dang! It was constant. During all of that, from day ONE, we saw Jikook together. Sometimes they were quiet, sometimes they were loud. Regardless, they were always together (Satellite Jeon saw to that). Now, during solo era, we rarely see any of them together. And there is no “natural reason” for Jikook to be joined at the hip in the public eye. Before, they had reason, they had “cover” so to speak. But now? Suddenly, they share very very little about themselves. It’s quite the adjustment for fans to make and I can see how it leads to “discomfort”.

So now, I’m finally to my point! Jikook has been close for 10+ years, closer than close. They’ve risked a LOT to be together, worked through tough and scary times together. After all of the risk, hard work, and commitment, do we really, really think that different schedules would cause them to throw in the towel? Do we really think that having different work priorities would make them suddenly fall out? Really? I call BS on that. Out here in Normalville, people in relationships manage to go to different jobs daily, have sets of friends that do not crossover, even go on work or pleasure trips without each other, and still maintain a healthy, happy relationship. Couples in Normalville don’t have to post about each other regularly on social media, nor must they FaceTime all of their family, friends, and coworkers just to give them an update or their relationship status. Yet, this is the standard people are holding Jikook to. If they don’t prove themselves, they aren’t real? Wow. Harsh.

I saw this tweet and I thought it went well with my Ted Talk today. All you have to do is look at them and you know they have something special. And just because we can no longer see them as often, it doesn’t change the fact that their special relationship still exists. Just look at them. LOOK AT THEM. I feel confident, based on what we HAVE seen during this solo era, that Jikook are the same as ever. They are just having to travel down a new path together. And an actual BONUS for them, I think, is that they are getting to have a lot more privacy than they have had in the past. Anybody who says different has their own agenda and I, for one, don’t plan to give them any of my attention.