Once you’ve binge-watched enough Netflix shows, you start to see a pattern in the characters you get invested in. You might even notice that certain types of romances have you hitting the “Next Episode” button faster than you can say “I ship it.”
Even if you don’t actually read fanfiction in which romantic tropes are clearly defined and amped up to 11 (just check any of the tags on AO3.org or Fanfiction.net), there’s at least one fictional dynamic that hits ya right in the feels, every time.
Enter the latest meme going around Twitter, which has artists drawing visual depictions of their favorite ships. Would you like a scoop of some unspoken mutual pining? How about a helping of rivals who actually admire each other? Or, my personal favorite, a cup of punlord versus someone who pretends to hate their puns but secretly loves them?
more favorite ship dynamics… and to those wondering, ‘dumbass + dumbass’ isn’t its own category since that’s the foundation of every relationship pic.twitter.com/S6lcCmlNE0
— sang 🤠 (@SangledHere) April 18, 2019
These dynamic memes are like all the best parts of going down a TV Tropes page rabbit hole, with the added benefit of expressive, artistic hot takes. Also, most of the pairs have been drawn genderless, so you can imagine any number of your favorite characters!
May not be surprising, but my fave ship dynamic is the “unconventionally attractive comic relief with a big personality + the hot, pure of heart guy who is irrationally devoted to them” 💖 pic.twitter.com/cLI22TNDL1
— Nick Sumida (@nsumida) April 17, 2019
In the cheeky spirit of the original posts, people’s favorite “dynamics” seem to get progressively more goofy. Some artists even admitted that their favorite dynamics were just thinly veiled variations of “me + this character who I think is hot.”
But others felt like not everything was such harmless fun, with posts celebrating abusive relationship dynamics right alongside lighthearted ones. Not cute.
yall are goin too far with the couple dynamic shit
just saw one that was a 4-hit combo of abusive relationships with people eating it up— Alex’s Snugglekitty 💫 (@essiecatter) April 17, 2019
I just saw one that was
‘I will kill everybody here and then myself for you😳❤❤❤’ ‘awww’ and i just HELLO 911????— Moon🌛 (@DestinytoMoon) April 17, 2019
Overall though, we love these these dynamics for a reason — even if the reason why we love them is because they’re so overdone.
10 minutes ago: People are posting their fave ship-dynamics! That’s fun, let me pull up pictures of the myriad of diverse, very different ship dynamics I lo—
Now: ALL THE SAME THEY’RE ALL THE EXACT SAME I’VE SEEN MYSELF AND THEY’RE ALL THE SAME pic.twitter.com/fTSQwG3h4W
— Josie Campbell (@CozyJamble) April 17, 2019
And also because no one can help but run away with “ship” puns.
