#i’m just saying if you try to deny kiarafe and your evidence is pre-s2…. anyways lol

[umathurwin]

is there anything you would tweak in canonically to make a slow burn riara endgame make more sense

wym is the evidence not compelling enough??

jk i think above all, we just needed more context. we have all these bits and pieces of longing stares, palpable tension when they’re alone, an unquestionable bad history, and none of this is given any explanation or background!

we’re missing so much information for them that leaves the duo too up for audience interpretation. did they grow up together on figure 8? did they even speak while she was friends with sarah? i’ve opined before that i think they dated— if i grit my teeth and pretend they didn’t, why on earth does she hate him so much in s1? can i be confident any of this is gonna be addressed in s5 while they’re “exploring their relationship”? lol

it’s just amusing because it’s currently a really compelling arc that’s entirely missing the first 3rd. we jump in and they hate each other— they have opposing values and objectives, and his spiraling behavior drives them apart, but this is temporary. they work together, they compromise and learn to trust each other. (the villa scene in barbados is crazy and people don’t talk about it enough; rafe opening up to say he doesn’t want to be violent with the people he loves but he feels pushed to do so? um, i’m sorry? when the fuck did rafe ever open up like that with ANYONE ELSE? not even barry! especially not s—)

and that context has to be explicit if i want the fanbase to agree. i think the people who don’t like this ship assume there is nothing more to their dynamic. just absorbing what’s directly on-screen, not acknowledging subtext or inferring things based on canon. i’ve always taken a more symbolic, metaphorical route of media consumption so i don’t end up all “b-b-but he tried to choke her in s1!!!”. as always in english class, no one here is right or wrong, obviously, but this hyper-literal way of engaging with the show is so exhausting imo