#love this weird theatre kid

[coffee-cait]

To you, my dear audience, I dedicate my performance... I wonder,

гРł ฿Ɽł₦₲ ₳ Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ ₥ØⱤɆ JØɎ ł₦₮Ø ɎØɄⱤ ⱠłVɆ₴?

[hoperays-song]

The New Moon Theatre Troupe

[phoenixcatch7]

Why can't we have a batman is the spirit of Gotham au?

He already is, in meta, in character, in theming. Him and the joker. He is so very built upon what Gotham is made of, and Gotham builds from what he needs in turn, the setting of his story.

What if that is the reason he can take damage that would permanently ruin a physical career and come back? What if that's how he's managed to maintain his no-kill streak to such an extent? What if that's how he manages to maintain such high maintenance and all consuming identities?

For the heart and soul of a city containing all extremes, the richest nobility and the lowest of the poor, the cruellest villains and the most compassionate heroes, orphaned children and ancient lineages, a city rooted in fear and madness and grit-teeth determination and hard won kindness, what better choice could you find than Bruce Wayne?

But what if he wasn't alone in that? What if Gotham has sunk to such a low because its spirit is damaged and corrupted?

For the heart and soul of the cruellest city in the dc universe, the most unrelenting and uncaring, the one that practically laughs at your pain and suffering as you try to make it through another day, what better choice than the Joker?

[texanmarcusdavenport]

I just KNOW Marcus thinks he's soooo smart and such a good manipulator and beloved by everyone and So Normal. Meanwhile everyone at school thinks he's the Weirdest Guy Ever. Nice! But weird.

[cyb3r-mutt]

what is your favorite musical?

i saw that you're a theatre need (so am i;])

Aaaahh I love musicals so very much I can’t even begin to explain!!!

My favourite of all time would have to be the Rocky Horror Picture Show!!!! I have seen it more times than I can count and I can and will recite every word!!!

I also really love the Heathers musical and the Beetlejuice musical so they’re close seconds and really hope I can go see them live someday!!!

Also other honourable mentions would be Repo! The Genetic Opera, I just love a good horror musical. Also Les Misérables because that was the first musical I saw live in the West End

[strangesickness]

getting a ps3 and a TV fundamentally changed me as a person. not because of all the new video games i suddenly had access to, but because of all of the movies i can now go out of my way to pick up once a week at the library that i've always had instant access to on my computer.

[emma-d-klutz]

one time in recent history I was in a car with a group of people, and after like six seconds into “All Too Well” coming on Spotify, the driver took a breath and asked, “Is this the 10 minute version?” 

And the guy in shotgun picked up the phone and said, “Yeah, is that ok?” 

And the driver said, “It’s fine. But someone else needs to drive, or I will throw us off this bridge.” And passenger side nexted.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this interaction since. 

[papas-pizzeria]

all I can think about is how during rehearsal today a kid brought sticks of fucking butter.

And two kids were throwing the stick of butter to eachother like a football ON STAGE

[kinglypup]

ive suddenly had the worst fucking day. im like. numb wtf

[unproduciblesmackdown]

i can specifically remember this october when i was like 7 or some shit thinking of a craft like, cutting out a haunted house silhouette & having like fold out window shutters with halloween figures & scenes behind them, and the like precise awareness of [oh god task execution] to then think along the lines of “watch me never get around to it” and now like decades later yeah still haven’t gotten around to it

[welcometogrouchland]

Girl why did they write the score to Annie like that

[misuser-of-the-speaking-weight]

as much as i love seeing someone’s else tourist town i miss my tourist town <3

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Spamley

Debut: Ralph Breaks the Internet

Hey, remember the Ralph Breaks the Internet craze of 2018? What a time to be alive! Disney's film about What If The eBay Was A Place was an instant hit, due to the fact that everyone knows the Internet, and everyone wants to see a movie about it! You couldn't stop hearing about it! No wonder it won the Academy Award for best animated film! I think it beat out some movie about spiders, or something...?

Kids today might not remember, because 2018 was so long ago. They're too obsessed with their new age sexymen, like Raymond and the big balls Dwarf. But this movie wouldnt've been the cultural phenomenon it was without one character taking the world by storm: a certain J.P. Spamley!

The Internet fell in love with Spamley at first sight, flooding social media with memes and fan art about the loveable green prick. He rose to the highest ranks of the Tumblr Sex Man for a good while! You couldn't scroll for a few minutes without seeing his catchphrase, "Now's your chance to get rich playing video games!"

What kind of a megacorporation would Gisnep be if it didn't capitalize on Spamley's popularity? So they held a special Spamley Sweepstakes event on November 2019, allowing fans to donate money in honor of Spankley himself! All proceeds would go to Bob Iger and Baby Yoda, and if that's not wholesome, I don't know what is. Those who entered even had a chance of winning WILD prizes, like:

That's it that was the only prize

See him in theatres! This is what Disney told us all to do, and we listened! Little did we know they were doing this to hide a dark secret! If you buy the Blu-ray version of the movie, you can actually manipulate the Scene Select to watch the movie out of order and make some... strange things happen. You can look up a walkthrough online, but the gist of it is making Vanelope kill all the Disney Princesses. Especially Merida. And when you do, you unlock a weird alternate ending...

Spamley NEO is the secret true main antagonist of the film, and he wants to take over Oh My Disney to spread spam and advertisements! No! Not Oh My Disney! Please, for the love of God, NOT OH MY DISNEY!! You have to kill him. You have to destroy your Blu-ray copy of Ralph Breaks the Internet now. I hope you're proud of yourself.

[lunarmoves]

beauty and the beasts

summary: you should've expected they were up to something when they picked you as a volunteer for one of their theatre shows. you just... didn't expect all of this.

pairing: DCA sun/moon/eclipse x reader

mentions: gender neutral reader, non-sexual intimacy, pining, fluff, true love's kiss<3, takes place when the dca used to work in the theatre, so includes ruin eclipse & their characterization, more eclipse-focused than anything tbh, eclipse uses they/them while sun & moon use he/him, they are all the same animatronic, lowercase fic

word count: 3.2k

ao3 link

this was not how you'd expected your day to go.

the theatre had been scheduled for an afternoon show according to the email you'd received from management. you were the only one on shift at the moment, so you were required to go and supervise. you didn't mind, not really. all of the jesters' stories were perfect for the kids, with just enough adventure, magic tricks, and morals to satisfy everyone. you liked watching them perform—weaving tales from that robotic mind of theirs. they never did the same story twice, not precisely, anyways. it was entertaining. and hey, getting to spend time in a dimly-lit auditorium beat having to walk around the plex any day.

ten minutes before showtime, you made your way over to the theatre and entered through the main double doors. families were already starting to trickle in, sitting on the plush seats that surrounded a curtained stage as they chattered excitedly. you smiled and offered polite nods to those you made eye contact with as you walked over to the stage to take your position next to it. you leaned against the wall and crossed your arms, gaze surveilling both the lower level and the balcony of the auditorium. looked like it was going to be a full house.

from your position, you could see the edge of the red curtain closest to you shift a tad before a glowing, white eye peeked out from behind it. you watched as it seemed to take stock of the room's capacity, the sunrays you could see spinning left and right in little motions. then the eye turned to look right at you.

you offered them a smile and a wave. they jerked back a little in a way that made your smile falter only slightly. then, their eye upturned in delight—sunrays spinning once around their faceplate—before they disappeared once more behind the curtain.

they'd been acting a bit weird lately, you pondered to yourself as you waited for the show to start. at least, weirder than usual. you'd caught them numerous times staring off into the distance—sometimes at you—or mumbling lowly to themselves. you figured maybe they were just thinking about more stories to perform. but when you'd approach them about it, they'd jump and their voice would start glitching out slightly before they'd run off to their little room.

they didn't always act like that, of course. it just happened enough times that you were starting to wonder if they were okay. did they need a check up in parts 'n services or something? maybe you'd bring it up next time you chatted with them.

as soon as the clock hit three p.m., the curtains rustled a little before a tall figure stepped out from the middle part. a hush settled over the theater at its sudden presence, the lights dimming slightly so that everyone's attention could focus on it.

"hello friends and welcome to the faztheatre!" eclipse spoke out, hands politely clasped in front of them as a spotlight beamed down on their body. you were always in awe at how easily they could command the attention of a room. their rays did a little wave-like motion around their faceplate, shifting the night cap they had on slightly. "before the show begins, please make sure to silence your cellular devices. flash photography is not permitted in the theatre. in the case of an emergency, exits are located in the back and to the sides of the stage. we hope you enjoy this fazbear-approved performance!"

and with that, they stepped back behind the curtain. a gentle murmur started up in the audience as music played from the speakers overhead. the lights dimmed further and you got yourself comfortable as the curtains parted so the first story could begin.

whoever designed eclipse had certainly done a good job helping to balance the three A.I.s they had in them. you always found amazement in how easily they were able to switch from eclipse, to sun, to moon. it was seamless—smooth. almost natural. you ended up zoning out slightly as you watched them perform, having watched this particular story so many times beforehand already. you mostly liked watching the motions they made, observing every click, twitch, and spin of their joints and head adornments.

ten minutes later, you were roused from your daydreaming when clapping erupted around the theatre. you blinked and glanced at the stage to see eclipse doing a little bow. done already? that was fast. well, the stories were rather short. each show was about half an hour long, after all. kids could only sit still for finite amounts of time. you clapped along for a bit, then quietened when you noticed eclipse straighten back up.

"for our next story," they said as they rocked back and forth on their heels, "we will need a volunteer!"

you tilted your head to the side slightly as a few hands waved up in the air, a chorus of 'me me me!' following in their wake. you don't think you'd ever supervised one of their performances where they asked for a volunteer from the audience. first time for everything, you supposed.

eclipse made a show out of tapping a finger against their chin, faceplate moving from one side of the theatre to the other until their bright gaze landed on you.

"you there! eager participant!" you blinked owlishly as a metal hand extended in your direction. their grin seemed to widen at your stupefied look. "come on up if you so insist!"

"wh—" you started, only to cut yourself off as your gaze darted around the audience. a sea of eyes stared at you, some expectant, some disappointed. sweat broke out on the back of your neck. "i don't—"

"come on, don't be shy!" eclipse bounced closer to the edge of the stage and reached a long hand over to grab at your arm. you swallowed thickly and found your legs moving to climb up the small set of stairs and onto the stage. the lights were so much brighter here, nearly blinding you and causing your eyes to squint slightly. large hands grasped at your shoulders, moving you along to the center of the stage. eclipse made a sound as though they were clearing their throat, then projected their voice out to the rest of the auditorium. "the show will resume in five minutes. please take this time to stretch, use the restroom, or purchase a drink and/or snack from one of our nearby stations!"

and with that, the curtains drew themselves back across the stage, hiding you and a seven-foot-something robot behind them. you were grateful for the reprieve from the lights, but the feeling did not last all too long.

"eclipse, dude, what the hell?" you wheezed as you stepped away from their hold and spun around to look up at them. a rasped 'language!' came from moon that you ignored as you gave them a look. a smile was still on their face. "you and i both know i didn't volunteer myself. what gives?"

"come on, it'll be fun!" they told you delightfully, rays spinning slightly. they swayed gently side to side to a tune you could not hear. you frowned. they were planning something, you knew it.

"i don't even know how to act," you grumbled, listening to the chatter of the audience from beyond the curtain. it left an uneasy feeling in your gut that made you feel slightly sweaty. you did your best to push it down.

"fret not, my dear! just follow along with us and you'll do wonderfully!" eclipse soothed you, hands reaching out to hold onto your upper arms. "you needn't even say a word, just allow us to guide you!" your frown only deepened before you let out a long sigh and allowed some of the tension to ease itself from your shoulders. something seemed to sparkle in their eyes at your relent.

you only had to last through a ten minute show for a bunch of children. you could do it. you didn't even need to speak. it shouldn't be too bad. "fine, but this is the only time i'm doing this, okay?" you wagged a finger up at them, then poked them right between their eyes that upturned at your action.

"amazing! now come—let's get you a costume."

five minutes went by quicker than you'd expected and soon you found yourself standing off to the side as eclipse stood in the center of the stage once more. you fixed the shiny headpiece they'd put on your head and took in a deep breath when music started playing through the speakers once more. the curtains withdrew and the audience quieted.

"once upon a time," eclipse began in a honey-coated voice—soft, gentle, dulce—as he narrated, "there lived a humble prince."

before your eyes, they shifted over to sun—who stood proudly on stage decorated with a fluffy cape and golden crown placed around the rays on his head. eclipse's voice continued on even as sun let out a hearty 'ho! ho ho!'. "the prince loved adventure. the thrill was something he chased after. sword in hand, he journeyed far and wide, looking for people he could help." sun brandished a wooden sword from somewhere behind him and bounced around the stage, pretending to fight invisible enemies.

"one day, the prince learned of a gentle noble who'd been kidnapped and locked far away in a castle for reasons unknown." that was your cue. you took in another deep breath and stepped into view on the stage, resisting the urge to squint your eyes in the light. "none had been able to save the noble, for a dangerous beast guarded them."

sun suddenly shifted over to moon, white eyes being replaced with red ones that lit up his face in an ominous glow. straight teeth slanted into ones sharp enough to rip you to shreds. the crown disappeared and was replaced by a familiar night cap. moon let out a low, raspy chuckle and swept up close to you, circling you slowly in a way that had goosebumps rising on your skin. he reached out a clawed hand and pulled you close to him so he could guide you across the stage in a strange, sweeping dance.

your gaze darted up to his face, allowing him to lead you along. moon's sharp grin seemed to widen at the slight confusion on your face. the close proximity made your heart skip a beat. you hoped he couldn't hear how fast it was racing.

moon suddenly let you go as eclipse continued with the tale, shifting over to sun in the process. you stepped away into the shadows of the curtains. "naturally, the prince believed this to be a worthy adventure. so he set off in search of the noble." sun marched about the stage, a determined look on his faceplate. "he found the beast in his travels. knowing he was close, the two fought against each other."

you watched as sun and moon took turns shifting into each other as they enacted a dramatic battle. it was interesting to look at, especially with you standing so close by. sun struck his sword out in front of him, then twirled around into the spot he'd slashed as he shifted into moon. "the prince won the battle. but as the beast lay dying on the floor"—moon made some choking sounds and collapsed onto the ground in a heap, clutching at his chassis where sun had presumably injured him—"he used his last breath to curse the prince."

moon made a clawed motion with his hand, then shifted up into sun who clutched at his rays and made a pained noise. he dropped his sword and cleverly kicked it to the side near the curtains. he seemed to fight with himself, rays jittering in and out of his head before he shifted into eclipse. they stared down confusedly at their sharp hands. "the prince turned into a beast. dazed and disoriented, he found himself stumbling towards the castle the noble was imprisoned in until he found them."

you emerged back into view as eclipse staggered over to you, reaching a clawed hand out. "the noble looked in horror at the prince, and as he managed to tell them that they were free—that he killed the beast—they only looked at him in sadness." you did your best to school your expressions into the ones eclipse was describing, but you weren't quite sure if you succeeded.

"the noble told the prince that they had been kidnapped and locked up because of their powerful magic. they had grown to believe it was dangerous and that they needed to keep away from society." eclipse took your hand in their own and squeezed it gently. you patted it sympathetically with your other one. "they refused to leave and with the prince now turned into a beast, he did not want to go either. so they stayed in that castle together—healing. grieving."

eclipse tugged you close and twirled you around in another dance, your hand still gripped in their own. they were being awfully touchy with you. you found yourself not minding all too much—not with how careful they were being. "the two grew close together over time. they danced around the feelings that had developed between them." eclipse dipped you swiftly and brought you back up so fast you wondered if it had happened at all. a rosiness dusted itself across your cheeks that you did your best to fan away. "but just when the prince thought to confess, disaster befell them."

eclipse ripped themselves away from you and shifted into moon again, crouched low to the floor. "a warrior had arrived at the castle, intending to free the noble once and for all without knowing their story. and upon seeing the prince-turned-beast, the warrior struck."

moon launched himself forward and made a slashing motion with one of his clawed hands. he spun around and switched over to eclipse, who clutched at their chassis and fell dramatically backwards onto the floor. "in the noble's grief at seeing the prince fall, they used their magic to end the warrior's life then stumbled over to the side of the prince."

you didn't know what to do about the whole 'using magic to end the warrior's life' bit, so you just fumbled your way over to eclipse's side and sank down onto your knees by their chest. their eyes were closed and they lay as still as possible. their voice continued on with the story. "the noble grieved over the prince's body." you sniffled and did your best to force yourself to cry, wiping your hand at your eyes. "and as the prince let out his last breath, the noble leaned down and gave him true love's kiss."

wait— what the fuck?

there was a moment where you froze, eyes widening slightly. eclipse's grin twitched from where they were laying on the floor, feigning death—or close to it, anyways. and as you processed the words they'd spoken, you shot them an incredulous look and felt your face burn with the heat of a thousand suns.

were they messing with you? they were just messing with you, right? you glanced up at the audience before you—so silent that you'd nearly forgotten you were on stage, performing. right. you were just acting. you swallowed heavily and—ignoring the way your heart thumped rapidly away in your chest—leaned down to press a light kiss to the metal of their smile. you added a weak "mwah" for effect.

eclipse's grin widened delightedly.

"the prince turned back to normal and came back to life," eclipse said as they shifted back into sun, who wasted no time in springing to his feet and grabbing onto you. he swept you up into a crushing hug that shocked a laugh from you and spun around, rays happily clicking in and out of his face. "and they all lived happily ever after. the end."

the audience burst into applause at the end of eclipse's story, the sound echoing in your ears. but all you could hear was the pounding of your heart—feel the breathlessness in your lungs. sun grinned happily up at you as the curtains drew together once again, swathing the both of you in shadow.

"you did great, dearest!" sun exclaimed once you were both out of view, spinning you around once more for good measure. you laughed and attempted to hold onto the headpiece you were still wearing to no avail. it slipped off your head and fell somewhere to the floor in a light clatter that you couldn't hear over the crowd of people leaving the theatre.

"that was surprisingly fun," you admitted, your hands holding onto sun's shoulders so you could keep your balance. "it's cool seeing you guys at work. you've really got a knack for storytelling." as sun preened with your compliment, you paused for a second and thought back to the ending. "well. you've got a few plot holes."

sun's grin twitched a little before he switched over to moon. it was a bit strange, especially with you still clutched in his hold. moon grinned sharply at you. "plot holes? do tell."

"well for one, the noble used their magic to kill the warrior when they were in the castle because they were afraid of how dangerous they were," you rambled, tapping moon on the arm so he could set you down. he did so after a short moment of hesitation. you fixed your clothes once you were solidly on the ground. "like, talk about trauma. no way they're gonna wanna leave the castle after that. they didn't really have any character development either in terms of accepting their magic."

moon tilted his head at you then said, in a dry voice, "it's a story for children. they won't remember it by tomorrow." he then switched over to eclipse, who clasped their hands together.

"we'll workshop it!" they chimed out, swaying side to side animatedly. "a tale of helping others, love, and embracing who you are!"

you gave them a smile. "i'm sure it'll be great after."

eclipse seemed to look at you then, almost in an expectant manner. their hands wrung together. "you know, maybe you should get a position as a theatre assistant! you'll do numbers on stage!"

at that, you laughed and waved a hand at them. "who, me? no thanks, i don't think acting's for me. you guys do fine on your own." something changed in their expression that you couldn't quite make out, but before you could ruminate on it further, you distracted yourself with looking at your phone. you didn't know why you were feeling so... odd. you brushed it off easily. "i need to get going. got a mess to clean in bonnie bowl. i'll catch you guys later."

with that, you spun around and waved at eclipse as you headed to the stage's stairs. you couldn't linger—if you did then you'd never leave. their arm spasmed a little before they lifted it up to wave back at you. "come back soon, friend!" they called out, watching as you disappeared past the thick, red curtains. they waited—as though hoping you'd return—but when you didn't, their body slumped.

their arm fell slightly before they reached their hand up to touch at the smooth metal of their grin thoughtfully. longingly.

eclipse sighed, the sound getting lost in a stage that was a bit too big for just a solo act.

[earlgreyinpajamas]

merthur fic recs masterlist

last updated: 8 Jan 2024

authors

vintagelilacs

aus and fusions

arranged marriage au, pt 2, pt 3

college/university au

different first meeting au

hanahaki au, pt 2, pt 3

high school au, pt 2

hogwarts au

modern au, pt 2

modern with magic au, pt 2

modern royalty au, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8

pride and prejudice au

regency au

social media au, pt 2

soulmate au, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10

s2e10 fix it

wing fic

arthur

actor!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

bond girl!arthur

detective!arthur

himbo!arthur

jealous!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8

pining!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9

pregnant!arthur

protective!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6

oblivious!arthur, pt 2, pt 3

spy!arthur

virgin!arthur

merlin

assistant!merlin

bamf!merlin

consort!merlin, pt 2, pt 3

detective!merlin

druid leader!merlin

enchanted!merlin

exhausted!merlin, pt 2

flustered!merlin

hurt!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

irish!merlin

jealous!merlin

knight!merlin

oblivious!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6

pining!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

royal!merlin, pt 2

selkie!merlin

spy!merlin

virgin!merlin

other tropes and categories

00q fusion

5 + 1 things, pt 2, pt 3

accidental marriage

amnesia

angst with a happy ending

arthur courts merlin

arthur finds out about balinor

arthur finds out about freya

arthur knows about merlin’s magic

arthur loves merlin’s magic eyes

arthur’s donkey ears

arthur returns, pt 2

balinor lives

bathing

bed sharing, pt 2

bedside vigils

bets

comfort fics

coming out

crack, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

dragon dads

drunkenness

enemies to lovers

fake/pretend relationship, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

fandom iconic fics

fav aus

fav fics

figure skating

flowers, pt 2

fluff

forced proximity, pt 2

fuck or die

getting back together

getting together, pt 2, pt 3

getting together with the help of technology

hurt comfort

hurt no comfort, pt 2

hypothermia

kid fics, pt 2

kinktober

love spells and potions, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

lovers to enemies

magical exhaustion

magic reveal, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10

married/engaged merthur

meddling knights, pt 2, pt 3

merlin dies

merlin goes insane to get arthur back

merlin knows about arthur’s pining

merlin leaves camelot

merlin sleeping in weird places

merlin teaches arthur about sex/kissing

morgana and merlin friendship

not actually unrequited love

ot4

outsider pov

parties

protective!knights

remixes

role reversal

royal balls

scar reveal

secret relationship, pt 2

theatre/drama

time travel

truth potion

underappreciated fics

weddings

wedding stopping

wound cleaning

[nectar-cellar]

thornton & morgana makeover.

thornton looks like a soap opera star and morgana looks so goffik i can't. they look like an odd pair, side by side ... i guess it fits their lore. how did they ever end up together, i wonder??

i kept morgana's whole purple thing. morgana, if you like it i love it!

very long headcanon ramble below:

in high school thornton was a theatre kid and morgana was the emo girl who sat with the queer kids, #ally. they were both really smart straight-A students but thornton had very strict parents and morgana's parents were a lot more chill and hippy. morgana has big dreams, she's a modern woman who wants to have it all - while thornton feels like he has been forced into living and pursuing a certain socially acceptable lifestyle created for him by his family/society. they got married young and as they mature through young adulthood, morgana finds it increasingly difficult to relate to thornton's personality and worldview. (i think morgana's parents were probably always surprised she ended up marrying a man who seemed so fundamentally different from her.)

when they were young, thornton was drawn to morgana because of her open-mindedness, her kindness, her ambition, and her creativity - all qualities he admired about her. and he always thought she was very pretty. she was so different from anyone else he knew, and he loved that she was never afraid to not fit in with the norm.

morgana was drawn to thornton because he was charismatic and handsome, sensitive and in touch with his emotions, and seemed to have his life and future figured out compared to their peers. they could talk for hours about anything. he was always respectful towards her, she never felt weird or creeped out by him like she did with other guys. she could see him as a good husband and a present father to their children.

so they kept dating and eventually he proposed and she said yes because that's what you're supposed to do, right?

thornton has never wanted kids. he thought he might change his mind when he got older but he hasn't. and lately he's not sure he even likes women. he envies the childhood and family that morgana has, he envies her confidence in herself and her hobbies and her freedom of self-expression, things he never had and perceives to still be out of his reach. he resents her for wanting a family and for the pressure it places on him to continue playing the role he has cast himself into.

but they're both doing well for themselves considering their youth, they have a comfortable life together if they don't think too deeply about things, and neither of them wants to ruin that picture-perfect suburban life.

i think deep down they both genuinely have love for each other and care about each other, so it's that much harder to honestly acknowledge that they're incompatible as life partners and they're unhappy and the marriage isn't working.

regarding jamie jolina: i think the reason thornton hit off so well with jamie is because jamie has many of the same qualities as morgana: she is smart, open-minded, kind, and caring. she accepts him for who he is. she listens and doesn't judge. and he can be honest with her about his sexual orientation because she's not his literal wife.