#they are soooooooooo dbsjjsjdkwkdkkw

[sparklycardigan]

AAAAAAAAH this was soooooooooo 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺, incredibly happy to see someone interpret a character in a similar way that I do? I've been thinking about Nate quite a bit for the past week and I feel like what you say here, about him being treated as the one that's Fine all of the time... I think he kind of grew to feel like he was indeed supposed to be Fine all of the time. And he's always been self-conscious about his wealth and painfully aware of the fact that he had opportunities some people could only dream of having (even worse when you think about how he didn't want those things wholeheartedly and now I'm thinking about how Nate must have felt after he saw Dan be so passionate about college and fighting for the mere possibility of attending it... That's when Nate actually sees something he was feeling guilty about in his head right before his eyes and suddenly, everything's more real to him... thinking about something and seeing those thoughts manifest themselves in the outside world somehow are two completely different things) and that could only increase those emotions of "I am supposed to be fine". That's why the reaction he displays during that play in 2x18 feels like a culmination of sorts. I don't know if it was supposed to be leaning on the comedy side or something else, but to me it was always about many many layers of struggle coming to surface. I think Nate's actions were a surprise to Nate himself, he was probably a bit confused as to why he reacted like that, "it's not how he usually is". (there is so much to Nate, so many aspects of who he is that get overlooked) And for Vanessa, there's this beautiful thing about Nate and her where they get to be people and people only when it's just the two of them. It's the outside factor that messes them up and speaking in a wider sense, the MIStreatment of Vanessa's character.

As for the fic, I really really think I could write that, thank you so much for encouraging me!!!!! It's so interesting to me, writing and thinking about a character I am not that similar to, Nate in this case, and seeing how that character could interact with someone I'm more similar to, Vanessa in this case. I think I will go with Nate's point of view, I can already hear the conversation in my head, thank you SO much for all of this and let me know when you read The Age of Innocence!

*And of course I don't mind you yelling, I loved every single part of this!!!!!!!

Can’t get over how Nate’s discomfort in playing Julius Beaufort might have came from him subconsciously connecting the character to his father (not forgetting the Vanessa storyline, I just think it’s interesting how Nate gets to play Beaufort who goes bankrupt just like his dad).