#isagi doesn’t necessarily ‘save’ reader but he is the reason why reader has the conviction to actually go through with bettering herself

[wttcsms]

HELLOO WILL U PLEASE SPOIL US FOR HOW ISAGI SAVES READER IN UR FIC I LOVE IT SM

NOOOO A SPOILER WOULD RUIN THE FUN!!!! i will say, the title of the fic comes from the gracie abrams song “free now” + it heavily applies to reader and rin’s relationship, especially considering the growth that it takes for reader to acknowledge their relationship and the breakup in a healthy manner. because obviously reader isn’t in a great headspace rn, and she’s not taking this breakup well, and soon (we have a few more chapters to go before it happens hehe) we have reader being thrust into a pr stunt of a relationship w isagi.

a big part of the fic is that what we see vs what actually is the truth is sometimes vastly different. we get a glimpse of this through the jarring differences of me showing what the media is portraying you as versus how your life is currently going. so a common theme throughout the fic will always be about misconception through the public eye, especially bc of the role of social media. your “private” life is always going to be considered public business. and so, reader currently has an issue where she doesn’t mind the spotlight, but she desperately feels the need to have control over her image. so you’re constantly trying to show an outward image that will get you the headlines and feedback from fans that you’re searching for. but it comes with a nasty catch: you now have set a standard for yourself that you can’t always uphold. it’s unrealistic. it’s unrealistic bc a lot of what you present to the public is fake, and eventually, people get tired of acting, yknow? and your relationship w rin, it was this iconic pairing. a big thing i want to feature in this fic is the fact that we (collective we) have a tendency to see famous people’s private affairs as a spectacle and another form of entertainment. so reader is going through the worst heartbreak of her life, and you can delete images of him off your Instagram and camera roll, but people are still going to make tiktoks of you and him, even years after the breakup, saying some shit like “guys im still stuck at the restaurant” or “yall am i the only one who misses them😞😞”

and again, reader needs to understand and come to terms with the fact that she can’t control every aspect of her public. people will never behave the way she wants them to, and instead of focusing energy on trying to maintain a certain image, she has to just be happy with herself, with knowing the truth. and she learns this lesson (MINOR SPOILER!!!) whenever isagi gets tired of her behavior and it feels like he’s leaving her. it’s sort of her wake up call.

so not getting into too much specifics, but isagi is the reason why she realizes that she needs a change in her mentality and how she handles how the media talks about her. as for the relation to “free now”, i really like the bridge + the ending line of “never been less empty / all i feel is free now” + the meaning behind the song