Before I Ever Met You: A Euphoria Book~(Nate and Jules)

Introduction; "Euphoria" Revisited

This introduction contains spoilers to the series. If you have not seen Euphoria and you do not want to have your experience ruined ahead of time, then please do not read any further!

Enjoy the book!! 

~Dani

Hello my beautiful and faithful readers! Welcome to yet another long and tedious process of waiting for me to upload another chapter to yet another unfinished product of my imagination....(yes I have heard the rumors)....but this time you guys are in for something new and special from me! So let's begin with what this book is based on and what it's about!

Euphoria, the controversially popular HBO series that examines the lives of teenagers living in what modern America perceives as its reality, has attracted millions of viewers in the US and around the world, and I decided after seeing enough memes and makeup tutorials on YouTube surrounding the show that I would acquire HBO Max and see what the hell makes this show so undeniably addictive.

Firstly, the show is a master of surrealism. Granted that the predominant theme is drug usage, I decided to dig a little deeper and I discovered something that goes beyond just some simple kids taking Molly or Percocet for fun or boredom over their lives as middle class American kids. No, this is beyond your regular programming.

Each character in the show has a secret to hide, a part of themselves that they don't want to share with anyone but themselves and/or the others partaking in the same activities, ranging from the obvious such as Cal's homosexuality and Cassie's indiscretion to Rue's inner demons and Jules' fear of change. The effects of these secrets affect not just their individual selves but this drug-enhanced and unconventional group of friends altogether.

There's also the theme of fluidity in love and romance, something I've been wanting my readers to experience for a long time within my writing that Euphoria manages to portray to utter and undeniable perfection. The show takes away the subliminal boundaries that love between two people must be defined by sexuality, race, gender or even romanticism itself. Accordingly, it appears to make everything feel completely normal when it comes to relationships. In a sense, everything is meant to be in cosmic order even if it seems like chaos or ridiculous at times because that's exactly what the title of the show is like when you are under its influence.

The way the show presents herself  seems to vary from season to season. Season 1 portrayed a purple/blue/neon pink aesthetic with sparkle, chic clothing and hazy drug trips whereas Season 2 became more dark and gritty and realistic, much like a scene from Criminal Minds with its plot twists and turns yet still managing to keep viewers intrigued with a fresh perspective on the series.

Character changes are also rather common. For instance, Maddy Perez (played by the one and only Alexa Demie) is presented in the first season as a crazy, self-deluded young girl with a rather arrogant flair , yet in season 2 we find that she actually has true insecurities and through these admissions she becomes more humanized and therefore becomes a heroine in her own right. Cassie Howard (played daringly and perfectly by Sydney Sweeney) on the other hand, takes a deep and dark twist in her storyline, going from an absentmindedly beautiful young girl with a troubled past and an unfortunate reputation of being the misunderstood school "squeeze" to a self-absorbed, sly and sociopathic creature that would grace any high school nightmare story that Stephen King could create minus the telekinetic powers of Carrie and the frightening spirituality of Pet Semetary.

We also see the rise and advent of Lexie Howard (played by the lovely Maude Apatow) in the series, going from the quirky sideline character of the first season to creating a literary masterpiece in the name of revenge in the second season. We see the maturity of Fezco (Angus Cloud), the inner-demon struggles of Kat (Barbie Ferreira), the recklessness of  Ashtray (Javon Walton), and the introduction of airhead-turned-angel Faye (Chloe Cherry) play out perfectly in this latest season, and quite frankly we just can't get enough of these characters and their ever-developing stories.

Rue, as an individual, has been center-stage through the entirety of the series. She gives Euphoria what Carrie Bradshaw gave to Sex and the City in true HBO alumni fashion; a cold, hard look at the gritty reality of her life as a codependent, drug-addicted teenager.  Where Sarah Jessica Parker dazzled us with shoes and discussions amongst her best friends ranging from Dior purses and Louboutin heels to Japanese vibrators and disillusioned relationships in SATC, Zendaya as Rue states the facts around her with a sense of "I have seen the world and it's not a pretty place" energy. She never truly claims these people around her as her friends (with the sole exception of Fez due to a close relationship founded in her substance abuse addiction); more or less she seems to perceive them as those who grow along with her without ever really establishing a connection with them. Jules is the only one who Rue truly felt something even close to a normal connection with, and even though we left season 2 with an understanding that she now is more in favor of newcomer Dominic as her significant other and with claims that her relationship with Jules was based on euphoric behavior during her trips on various drugs, we are left rather confused by the possibility that she could indeed still be in love with her best friend? Only time (and season 3 in 2024) will tell.

After all these explanations you have just heard, this leads me into the biggest one of all; the defining aspects of my take on Euphoria thus far and my take on the two characters I deem to be the most troubled and somewhat demented; Nate Jacobs (played by the handsome and brooding Jacob Elordi) and Jules Vaughn (played by the ethereally beautiful Hunter Schaefer).

Nate Jacobs is by far the most twisted character in HBO (and at this point, in modern television) history. He is charming yet ruthless, sweet and sadistic all at once. He is the very epitome of poisoned sugar in a human embodiment and he has both dazzled and disgusted viewers of the show with his surprisingly unique code of ethics regarding Maddy, Cassie, and even his own father.  One minute we want to hate him with everything we have for cheating on Maddy, the next minute we love him for sending his father to prison for pedophilia. He is exquisitely damaged, which is why we as the audience can't get enough of him. And in my observations of the show, only Jules has the capability to stand up to him fearlessly {roll the first episode scene where they first met for an example} and effortlessly....and thereby she seems the perfect candidate for him.

Jules Vaughn can be considered many things; a trampish vixen at certain times, and then in some instances we see her as a truly troubled soul who has been affected by her life circumstances. She is to television what Moll Flanders was to classic literature, and with this connection we see her as someone who is constantly unsure of herself and her life actions. She pursues a relationship with Rue that seems to carry its share of ups, downs and upside downs, and as Rue herself points out with cutting accuracy in a very poignant moment in the show,  she "loves being loved." This deficiency of affection has drawn her, as not only a female but also as a transgender male-to-female member of the LGBTQ+ community, into some very complicated and emotional struggles and scenarios. However, these past two seasons of Euphoria have shown her not just as a character to occasionally pity from behind the screen for her poor choices but also to admire her for her strength, her vulnerability, and her constant search for who she is as an individual.

The relationship between Nate and Jules was considered and is mentioned in season 1 as an anonymous Internet hookup app date gone wrong, and we see Nate and Jules in one brief scene in season 2 seem to overcome the trauma of the first season and we see that they both still have one thing in common; a mutual understanding of one another and a hidden possibility for something more.
We have no idea if the next season or any other seasons following will cover this again in more light, but I have decided to take it upon myself to retell the romance between these two bipolar forces of the show in the way that I see best.

So in closing, dear readers, I wish you all the best in your journey with all the familiar characters of Euphoria that we have grown to love (and sometimes hate), and I hope you enjoy my take on this critically acclaimed masterpiece of a storyline.

My love and thanks to the cast, crew, writers, directors and production team of the series, my mom, my boyfriend, my true friends and family, and most of all God.

All the love from me,

Dani 💝