#or the opposite; ladybug is mean bc she doesn't like chat noir the same way

[homunculusalphonse]

something i remembered... back in the day, ppl hated rigby bc he didn't return eileen's feelings at first. i'd have to rewatch the show, but apparently rigby mainly avoided her, not sure if rudely or not.

regardless, i realize now, that is such a stupid reason to dislike a character. i think people felt the same about margaret not liking mordecai back in the first seasons (worse, she was called a whore for having many other boyfriends instead of dating mordecai).

like dude, you can't control people's feelings. nobody should feel bad for not returning someone's feelings, even if said someone is a good person. i know most romances don't explore the love interest's perspective, but it should matter, too!

and yeah, this is about fictional characters, but in real life a lot of ppl - especially women - are seen as mean or cruel for not liking the "nice" person (or guy) back. that, and ppl who aren't interested in a romantic relationship with anyone are seen as unhappy and lonely.

we're told that we'll only be fulfilled once we enter a romantic relationship. in other words, we have to find our soulmate, someone who'll stay with us for the rest of our lives. and all of this is still reinforced by the media we consume: we expect high school crushes to be the only true love; sometimes even young children are told they'll marry their crush one day. if we (mostly women) have too many romantic relationships, we haven't found the "right" person yet, or our relationships aren't healthy. and again, if we don't want to be with anyone romantically, we'll be unhappy forever, or maybe one day we'll change our minds.

what i'm saying is, stop demanding ppl to be in romantic relationships with someone they don't feel anything for. stop demanding ppl to be in romantic relationships PERIOD. stop making "friendzone" jokes or memes. stop hating on love interests who are uninterested in the main character. stop waiting for your unrequited crush to return your feelings, because they likely won't, and they're not a bad person for it. just... respect them. please.