#i kind of rambled on the discord for a solid five minutes and then copied this here and rambled for another solid five minutes

[willexmagic]

y’all ever think about the parallels of these two scenes?

in the bench scene they're sitting out in the public in the sunlight, happily talking to each other and facing each other bc they're more open to each other. there's some tension between them but only because they're strangers and their body language suggests that they want to get to know each other more. willie especially looks like he's in his element, with his hair down and his skateboard leaning against the bench, his posture slouching but not because of exhaustion, more because that’s how he sits comfortably. alex looks eager to continue the conversation, not at all anxious like he was before.

in the orpheum scene they're sitting in the dark in privacy (even though it doesn’t matter, because they’re both ghosts so they can’t be seen). they're both wearing hats/baggy clothing (alex's hat, willie's sweater covering his hands) as if they're trying to hide from themselves and each other, and they're not fully facing each other because there's that layer of tension between them as if they're now SCARED of opening up fully. not to mention that willie's hair is tied back, which is interesting bc he's more of a carefree, laid back person and so seeing his hair neatly taken care of is unusual and out of character. alex is clutching onto his drumsticks, all of the anxiety of dying back in full force. here we're in alex's element more than willie's, but this is pretty much where alex's hopes and dreams died and so he's terrified. and alex is also definitely slouching more, but this isn’t how he normally sits. he’s pretty much closing into himself (and so is willie, tbh)

and the major parallel of these scenes is that they’re both confronting death. in the first scene, willie’s talking about how being a ghost isn’t so bad, and it’s telling that it doesn’t freak willie out to be dead like it freaks alex out because dying isn’t a fear for willie. being zapped out by caleb isn't a fear for him. because he lives through death as he lived through life, carefree and happy.

in the second scene, they’re now talking about alex’s death, and the permanence of how once he’s zapped out, he’ll be gone. alex is so terrified because he wants to cling to things he cares about. he needs people like his family and friends and willie and he doesn't know what to do without that, and he’s not ready to face the next stage of his life alone, like willie is.

willie isn’t scared of his own death like alex is, because willie's death didn't change how he lived. alex's did, completely.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp meta #willie jatp #alex mercer #willex #text #mine #willie #alex #otp: i'd do anything for you #this is very awfully proofread so please forgive me #i kind of rambled on the discord for a solid five minutes and then copied this here and rambled for another solid five minutes