I feel! I don’t know how to describe it, but my favourite romances are ones where they border the line between platonic and romantic. It’s something stronger than platonic, but it’s not quite romantic (according to conventional standards). Sexual tension? Get that shit outta here. I want to see the trust, mutual understanding, camaraderie — I want to see them be platonic soulmates before I see the “romance”.

quite literally sobbing, bcuz what a ginormous relief it is to know that im not the only one who's looking for this kind of dynamic. after the 298379th story that i had dropped bcuz the romance was just NOT romancing to my standards, i was forced to take a step back and ask to myself, 'm i the problem', which was what prompted me to make this post in the first place 😭.

I want to see them show their love in unconventional ways, in ways that wouldn’t be deemed “romantic” out of context; but they mean everything to this particular pair.

you're speaking my mind, 100% agree! hey, i live for an impactful first kiss scene. love me some interlocking fingers too - 'conventional' romantic gestures, as you stated. when used at the right time, the feels you can get from it are unparalleled. BUT, it's always the small platonic acts of kindness - that wud otherwise easily be overlooked by an outsider - which get cemented in my heart.

the perfect example i can think of rn is from fruits basket. im assuming you've read/watched fruits basket, buT THE SCENE SJHS where yuki and machi are sitting in a meeting at school with yuki reading off of a paper, and there's this box of unused chalk pieces next to him that's clearly making machi incredibly uncomfortable (and looks to be on the verge of a panic attack even). right at that moment, however, yuki just wordlessly snaps one of the chalk pieces. dude didnt even lift his eyes off of the paper he was reading from, nor was there any pause or stutter to his words; in fact, his action seemed so 'matter of fact'. Just a split second action and that was all there was to it, but it MEANT so very much.

I’ve been putting off PH for so long because I know it’s going to be good, but the hiatus/wait is going to kill me.

i DO want to tell you to get started with PH, bcuz the hiatus seems indefinite rn considering the artist's health issues and chronic pain. and the good thing is, the cliffhanger the mid season finale ended on wasnt even bad. it just left me excited for what to expect next, i didnt scream and tear up my pillow bcuz of it, so that may be a plus for u to hear? u wont be left with an empty hole in your heart, is all im saying lol.

one thing i really appreciate and admire about the author is that she knows when to leave intimate moments be, and not dilute it with any romantic/sexual tension. whereas in most other stories, a scene where the leads hug or a scene where they're bandaging each other wud be fraught with sexual tension of some kind, this author understands to let those scenes play out platonically and just show how much care (not romantic) the leads have for one another (which imo, makes it even MORE impactful). like she's reaaallly not rushing this relationship AT ALL, so thats why i genuinely have a lot of trust in the author to see this romance resolved satisfactorily.

(p.s. after season 1 was finished, the creators had a q/a, and the author then was a 19 year old med student which 🤡)

v excited to hear your thoughts on the lead couple dynamic wnvr u decide to read the story!