MC did feel like they were invading, because Amy made the choice to write with a particularly insecure MC - that doesn’t mean that the MC is invading
I honestly haven’t known this to be true in my relationships/relationships I’ve witnessed since, like, high school. Every healthy, long-term relationship I’ve seen requires some intentionality. Otherwise, what’s the point? You could be living life with anyone then
Well, this is not true lol, and Amy recognizes that. I’m not sure why people think that a little few thousand word snippet set in the very beginning of their reconciliation is just going to be… it? Just no development for the next 10-20 chapters?
Sure, they have similar interests and work in the same industry, but that’s really not all it takes to make a relationship work. They’ve grown to live separate lives for the last few years, are in separate bands, have separate friends, have separate outside commitments, will do separate work outside of BOTB, etc. There’s space to fit each other in amongst all of that, they just need to find it.
Are they truly not though? I believe in show dont tell so it does not need to be explicitly stated that the mc is invading for the player to feel as the mc is, in fact, invading. They ended up standing at seven’s door when they clearly stated they needed space. Yes, seven could have told the mc to walk away but then that imo would have been just shitty beacuse they could clearly see their partner needed them. So, to me seven in the valentines special wasn’t as much into it as the mc— they were compromising. The mc just happened to be there and suggested that they spend the day together and they agreed and came up with something. That is in my books regarded as going along with a suggestion rather than making effort.
No, they are not. And what’s written so far doesn’t support that either, unless we’re talking about Seven’s semi-hysterical POVs. I mean 7’s clearly trying to convince themselves of that, but their focus is solely on MC and not on ““perfect Avina””.
It is obvious that Seven keeps Avina at a distance (while being codependent!) and does not open up to them. Avina knows nothing about Sev’s childhood, their relationship with MC and the band. They’re not on the same level of emotional involvement. Seven doesn’t even see Avina as an individual. They see Avina as someone FOR THEM, Seven. That’s why they are constantly repeating “Avina is a true friend”, “Avina is a perfect friend”, “Avina is good at managing conflict” (translated from Sevenese to English, “Avina is on MY side and doesn’t contradict MY point of view”).
Seven and Avina do have codependency, but they are bad friends
There was enough other stuff in Dakota’s that the money talk didn’t bother me. I found Dakota to be sweet, really, in a grumpy, “I wish I didn’t have these icky feelings but I do so I’m screwed” kinda way, lol.
I know, right? I really loved Blake in the special, and getting to see that side of them. In some ways, they feel like the most mature RO, even including O.
You know, I felt the same way until I compared it to Seven’s. Then I realized O’s wasn’t soulless at all, lol.
I really hope you’re right! But she likes inflicting misery on the MC too much, and that makes me doubtful, lol.
Yeah, I caught that as well. Dakota’s was another one of those “feel good” specials, like Blake’s. Reading both of them left me grinning. G’s did too, even if it was less “grinning” and more “smiling sadly” because of the situation they’re in.
Well. I’m wondering if a “happy” ending with Seven will even qualify as “happy” in my opinion–I don’t find emotionless, soulless, and distant “relationships” where one party has all the control and avoids the other one 99% of the time (so they can spend time with their bff instead) all that “happy”. But I get what you’re saying, so thanks for the tumblr post.
Absolutely. It’s the first time that the ‘rivals to lovers’ trope has ever worked for me in IF. There’s a perfect balance in the writing of a natural sexual tension, chemistry and banter. Sooooo excited for that route.
I don’t think so. Invading implies intrusiveness or a lack of permission. Sure, Seven didn’t ask to hang out, but not because they didn’t want to. They’re trying to figure out where they stand with each other and what level of contact or attachment is acceptable. You can like or dislike how it plays out, or how it makes you feel, that’s fine, but it doesn’t mean that it’s “invading”
I agree that they both need to work very hard to make the relationship …uh… work (English is not englishing).
But!
So far we see that Seven’s life is basically about the MC. They don’t need to make room for them, not really.
What they need is to make room for OTHER people than MC and for themselves.
…Now I’m sure I was confused by the fact that this is all from the POV of a certain type of MC My MC is not that insecure, I doubt they would even have such thoughts
(Tbh, I don’t read IFs for the healthy mature realistic relationships and dynamics. I read them for obsessive, toxic, unhinged characters and dynamics.
If I wanted something more healthy and mature, my MCs would stay tf away from Seven and G. And a healthy mature person irl wouldn’t even try to get back with someone as troubled and unstable as Seven)
It’s set months into the reconciliation. Months. But yes, I do expect development over the 10ish chapters that follow Seven/MC’s reconciliation. But I suspect this relationship will always be more distant than it was before, and be more of a “separate lives, worlds apart” kind of romance than a “together forever” kind of romance, simply because we’re told it’s healthy for Seven to distance themselves.
See, this is a problem for me. You can tell me Seven is “more overly attached” all you want, but if I’m not seeing it, it’s just a bunch of meaningless words. Fact is, Seven isn’t showing it. If anything, the special shows that Seven is NOT attached to the MC at all, and is going out of their way to make sure they never will be again.
Throw in the fact that the only “effort” from Seven’s part is that they’re making an effort to keep the MC at arm’s length.
I think this is the one area where Avina does know about Seven… their relationship with the MC and band. Seven has told all of SV what a piece of shit the MC is, how they abused Seven, treated Seven terribly, and betrayed them. That’s a big reason why Avina hates the MC.
Objectively, I agree with you. But Amy constantly defends Savina on tumblr, so I think she disagrees and sees Savina as a healthy, “they love each other” friendship, and Seven maintaining some personal thoughts/opinions/history makes it healthy, since he’s not info-dumping his life story on Avina (even if they do want Sev to do so). Avina wants to have the same kind of relationship the MC had with Seven–they just think they are better-suited to be Seven’s one-and-only because they are more loyal and non-argumentative. Plus, you know, MC is garbage in Avina’s eyes.
Hell yeah. Blake is the best.
Only other time I’ve seen it done well is Hawkins, lol.
No, Seven specifically requested that they and the MC NOT spend VD day together because it was too much. And the MC pointedly ignored that demand and planted themself on Seven’s doorstep, demanding attention. It was an invasion, pure and simple.
Really? So if someone is thinking about you (be it positive or negative) but never spends any time with you, does that count for you as being a part of their life? It doesn’t for me. Not even close.
All Seven does is spend time with other people. They don’t, at this point, spend more than two seconds around the MC, and those two seconds are spent either being nasty to the MC (and informing them just how much Seven loathes them) or Seven trying to get away from them. The rest of the time? They have Avina up their ass so far they can chew Seven’s food for them. And they have the rest of SV. And they have their mom. And they have whoever it is on the phone that makes them so happy. In other words, MC does not have a place in their life. In their thoughts? Sure, but not in their life.
So yeah, Seven does need to make a choice as to whether or not they want the MC to be a part of their life. Saying you’re SOs while never talking, avoiding each other, and making an effort not to get attached or have each other in your life is the exact opposite of having them in your life.
It’s the time you spend with someone, be it talking on the phone, texting, sitting together while reading, sleeping in the same bed, etc. that makes them part of your life. Not the amount of time you spend thinking how much you hate/love them while spending all your time elsewhere.
It’s a private jet. And I agree with Chani Dakota will likely grow bored of the mc before long. Best case scenario it is an on again off again relationship that lasts for decades where Dakota always cheats but also always comes back to the mc eventually. It’ll very much be on his terms though and always an unequal power dynamic.
My main mc just avoids Dakota as much as possible.
An ending where my mc ends up as Blake’s husband and songwriter would pretty much be the perfect ending for my shy mc. Let Blake be(come) the famous superstar my mc would be just as happy mostly staying home and taking care of any adopted kids in addition to a more low key career as a songwriter for Blake and occasionally for select other artists.
Of course due to his shyness and how much he’d struggle with superstar fame giving that up for himself to support Blake instead wouldn’t be that much of a sacrifice for him.
I doubt that’s how his pseudo-romance will end and a guaranteed shit ending makes sexy boy not worth investing that much time in.
Every relationship is like that – after you meet your partner you make conscious choices to spend your time with them, and it comes at expense of all alternatives you’d normally spend that time on, if you haven’t met them. You don’t “just happen” to suddenly have multiple extra hours each day you can devote to spending with each other, with zero change to your life and existing relationships.
Two months. Which is next to nothing when it comes to new relationships.
I think the part that’s missing in this interpretation is that yes it’s healthy for Seven to distance themselves, respective to how attached they were before. That doesn’t mean not involving each other in their lives.
Yeah, that’s the point. They’re doing what they can (like literally sleeping to avoid pining for MC) to not feed into the over-attachment they have to MC. It’s not healthy - the short acknowledges this, Amy acknowledges this - and that’s intentional. It’s a point of conflict, not a summation of their relationship by chapter 20.
They both agreed to not spend it together (In ${shis} defense, you two agreed not to do anything for Valentine’s Day. It’s ‘too much too soon.’). And what’s to say that Seven wouldn’t have been in MC’s position had they not literally forced themselves to sleep so that they would stick to their word?
It’s Seven, not MC, who comes up with the idea how to spend the VD after MC pays them a visit. It’s Seven, not MC who declares they’re still in love. It’s Seven, not MC, who initiates a makeout and goes for the last kiss. If that’s your idea of MC doing all the effort and Seven doing nothing but slapping them down, i have to conclude you’ve got very biased view of their relationship, as presented in that snippet.
Ugh, now all these locals are on the Blake bandwagon too? How mainstream. How uncool. I’m jumping off and getting a first class seat on the Blake hate train now /j
Yeah, besides Orion, they’re obviously the biggest threats but see, I think I have a solution for how to at least avoid G’s wrath.
For G, you take out a pair of comically large glasses (You could use your regular glasses if you have them but I recommended just going to Party City and getting goofy ones.) and you do the “I’m just a little guy, you wouldn’t punch a little guy with glasses, would you? I’m just a little guy, it’s my birthday!” routine and that would amuse them long enough to escape.
You can’t do that with Blake because Blake would still kick your ass. And probably take greater pleasure from it.
My MC is not that insecure, I doubt they would even have such thoughts
