#I DON'T CARE IF DAXTON WINS

[leoalvarez-clowncarcommittee]

Sprite Objectification Poll Round 2

[rainparadefromhell]

tw// LOL a think piece by me about daxton and s3 expectations (it is long bc i am bored and extremely opinionated)

(if you are a daxton fan please try reading with an open mind as i am making commentary on tv romance and ship dynamics on a broader scale than just why i dislike your ship. at the end of the day we are all here to have fun and it is perfectly fine to like whatever you like!)

Putting all of my anti daxton jokes aside, I would actually love to see Mindy handle their storyline with respect and their, in my opinion unavoidable break up, with some cleverness. I don't hate Paxton and I don't wish him any harm, just to clarify!

I know nhie is a comedy show and its point isn't to make some big commentary on romantic high school relationships but i think it is a great opportunity to show young impressionable people that you shouldn't hide the parts of yourself to win over someone's affection. You shouldn't change for them or just want to be with them because of societal pressures. I am team benvi but I do realize that Devi isn't ready for a relationship and her ending up single would be fine with me. What I do not stand for is this horrible notion in teen rom coms and rom coms in general that portrays girls and women like some desperate for love, would do anything to get it creatures. I will say this description does suit Devi for now - she is a (young!) nerdy, insecure and traumatized girlie that just wants a boyfriend. Ain't nothing wrong with that! And ain't nothing wrong with having a kind of superficial relationship when you are that young. I do understand that. But if we are taking the longevity of the show into account, I want to see Devi mature and learn.

And maturing means understanding that you ARE deserving of love AND respect! This is not to shame Paxton, he is a kid as well but why aren't we teaching young women what it means to love and be loved? And not even love, just how to feel respected in a relationship, even a silly high school one. How much time it takes and sacrifice, yes, but not at the expense of losing yourself in that person. Why aren't we teaching young men how not to feel pressured by your friends to obtain an image? I see that a lot among boys. The feeling like you can't share your feelings and that masculinity means pretending like you don't care about anything and that nothing fazes you.

Imagine if the show went in deeper into THOSE topics and not just have Paxton have one panic attack and 3 days later he is magically okay. This is where I fail to connect to his character and I would argue that that is not his fault. I just don't understand how the same writers that wrote these three amazing characters with the most depth in the show (Devi, Ben and Nalini) won't do that for the rest of them (there is probably not enough time but c'mon Paxton is a pretty big character).

I also see a lot of discourse about daxton and the idealization of their relationship from young people (not all of them are young of course but I am talking about influencing young people here) and it makes me sad sometimes. Not because I look down on them (bc i ship benvi) but because this trope, if you will, is all over media. We've seen it a million times. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the message that it's "cute" to pine over someone that isn't really that interested. That the crumbs that this person gives you sometimes are acts of love or romance (like climbing through your window to make out or saying "Damn Devi are you really gonna make me say it" when asked if you are committed, or showing up with your tail between your legs at a dance). I'm sorry but that isn't romantic and shouldn't be viewed as such! It is teaching young girls to settle and conform if they want love. And that is absolute bullshit! You are deserving and perfectly able to find someone that is going to communicate with you in a healthy way and treat you the way you want to be treated. And this goes both ways! Devi should communicate all the issues and things that bother her to Paxton!

It would be fine and I wouldn't be writing this now if Devi is a type of girl that is fine with being casual and not putting much effort and passion into things. But she is not and that is where Paxton and Devi's love languages will probably never meet in the middle. And that's okay! As long as they realize that in s3 and talk about it and end things with no hard feelings. Devi now understands what she wants in a relationship and even better how to ask for it. This would be my perfect ending for s3.

(i need to take a break from the nhie tag now like i've got actual college papers to do lol-)

[emmamayhews]

I'm scared but kinda reassured too. If there's a season 3, then I think it would be the last one. Netflix has a history of sticking to 3 seasons for their original shows. Throwing conflict Ben at daxton too early is unlikely because they seem like they want to really explore the relationship. It's good because they would be giving them a fair shot. The bad is: the endgame is up for grabs in the last stretch of episodes. I don't care for "endgame" if the ship isn't properly explored so it's a win for me. At the same time, I don't want to feel the bitter aftertaste of a break up when the endgame is in reach.

Unless (!) they treat the Ben issue completely separate from daxton because his feelings for Devi and Aneesa, whatever they may be, is his issue to solve. I may be biased but I really believe the only person who needs to end this show single is Ben. Not because lonely boy is faithed to be alone. Because you need to be comfortable being alone if you want to be comfortable in a relationship, and that guy is always getting in relationships.

But this is still a teen drama, so I'm not holding my breath for scenario #2.

Maitreyi, Darren, Jaren and Lang talk about a potential season 3.

[rainparadefromhell]

i am ready to fight anyone who says they don't ship daxton bc paxton's hot. like even if you don't ship it for that reason specifically or exclusively, the whole basis of their relationship is that he's popular, she's not but he's gonna choose her bc... reasons??? and the only reason he's in that position (being the popular guy) is bc he's an athlete and hot! i am willing to put actual money on the fact that ppl wouldn't defend him so passionately if he wasn't good looking bc his whole character doesn't make sense without that! if he wasn't, devi wouldn't have to try so hard to win him over bc he wouldn't care what others think so much.

what i am trying to say is, it's fine to ship daxton ofc, ppl can do whatever they want but saying that paxton being conventionally attractive isn't one of the main things you find appealing about the ship is silly bc their whole dynamic relies on it.

(also, this is just personal preference, of course, and i'm not trying to invalidate anyone's feelings but the least attractive thing ever about a ship to me is feeling like you're inferior to that person and that you have to try sooo hard to earn their affection. like it just seems kinda....sad to me. why would you go after someone who's not really that interested? but again, that is just MY preference.)