History Main / RelationshipWritingFumble

* Hiei and Kurama from ''{{Yu Yu Hakusho}}''. Their relationship is depicted as a very close/brotherly type. Inevitably, of course, people take it farther than that. The evidence for them liking girls (or at least not liking one another) are put out there, but are extremely thin. It also didn't help that the producers of the anime seemed to like playing up the idea of them being together(probably for the {{Ho Yay}}). The author said he never intended them to be a couple, but when fans asked him about it, he speculated that maybe he ''should'' have made them one. In the end, he said it's up to fans to decide.

** During the Fifth Doctor's run, there was a no touching rule between the Doctor and his female companions to dispel the notion that he could be having a sexual relationship with either of them. It just made fangirls think he was having one with the token ''male'' companion of the time.

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* HarryPotter and Luna Lovegood's relationship is preferred by many fans, with a sweet and subtle rapport that even non-shippers admit is there (though they view it platonically, of course). This is especially noticeable in the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film version]] of ''HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''.
** Also, Harry and Hermione. Rowling has even said (in an interview for the book "Harry, A History", that came out in late 2008), "Now the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. She shared something very intense with Harry. So I think it [the relationship thing - who Hermione would end up with] could have gone that way." Of course, in other reviews, Rowling said Harry and Hermione are incompatible, so it's a bit vague-ish.
*** All this can be boiled down to "Harry has meaningful interactions with many people... and not ''one'' of them is the girl he marries in the end."

* In ''{{Yugioh}}'' Jounouchi and Mai are "JustFriends". Right.

* [[MindGameShip Flippy and Flaky]] from the ''HappyTreeFriends'' are victims of this trope, according to most fans. In spite of the fact that the creator has set two prominent [[OfficialCouple official couples]] (Cuddles/Giggles and Handy/Petunia), [[FanPreferredCouple a lot of fans still want to see Flippy/Flaky happening]]. There are many reasons this happened, but the most important ones are the fact that Flaky is the only one who has appeared to get closer to Flippy, becoming a potential good friend of him, which apparently determined him to stop killing her, and she even made him return to his normal self once, although, Flaky has developed a phobia for him and she has started running away from him in the latest episodes.

* [[MindGameShip Flippy and Flaky]] from the ''HappyTreeFriends'' are victims of this trope, according to most fans. In spite of the fact that the creator has set two prominent [[OfficialCouple official couples]] (Cuddles/Giggles and Handy/Petunia), [[FanPreferredCouple a lot of fans still want to see Flippy/Flaky happening]]. There are many reasons this happened, but the most important ones are the fact that Flaky is the only one who has appeared to get closer to Flippy, becoming a potential good friend of him, which apparently determined him to stop killing her in the latest episodes, and she even made him return to his normal self once, although, Flaky has developed a phobia for him and she has started running away from him.

* [[MindGameShip Flippy and Flaky]] from the ''HappyTreeFriends'' are victims of this trope, according to most fans. In spite of the fact that the creator has set two prominent [[OfficialCouple official couples]] (Cuddles/Giggles and Handy/Petunia), [[FanPreferredCouples a lot of fans still want to see Flippy/Flaky happening]]. There are many reasons this happened, but the most important ones are the fact that Flaky is the only one who has appeared to get closer to Flippy, becoming a potential good friend of him, which apparently determined him to stop killing her in the latest episodes, and she even made him return to his normal self once, although, Flaky has developed a phobia for him and she has started running away from him.

** Ben and Kevin also have ''a lot'' of HoYay, especially during the time when [[MisterSeahorse Ben was pregnant]] ([[{{Squick}} don't ask]]). Basically, every pairing ''but'' the official one has more chemistry.

[[NeonGenesisEvangelion http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NeonGenesisKiss_1268.gif]]
[[caption-width:324:Not a very ''motherly'' thing at all.]]

** The fumble is so big that the show has its own [[BrotherSisterIncest/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace list of innuendos]].

* In the ''Eyeshield 21'' manga, Agon's jerkass behavior towards his brother is limited to teasing and noogies while his brother, Unsui, wants nothing more then for Agon to live up to his full potential. In the anime this is flanderized into Agon being almost violently abusive to his brother and Unsui declaring that his sole reason for existence is to serve his brother. So a relationship that was meant to be fairly normal (Agon being a jerkass and Unsui being a bit of a prude), ended up having parallels to an abusive relationship.

*** Given that Tony/Pepper didn't work out in the comics and she's currently married to Happy Hogan, that might've been semi-intentional.

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** Gundam0083 has a notorious example of this. The actual relationship premise (involving TwoGuysAndaGirl) wasn't bad, but the poor execution left a very bad taste in the mouths of Gundam fans.

* Another HoYay example: GameXRush, big time. It doesn't help that there are almost no major characters besides the two main guys, who spend the first volume in a platonic SlapSlapKiss states and the second volume having Deep Emotional Confrontations and Meaningful Looks and Intimate (not ''that'' intimate!) Physical Contact.
* [[DotHack .hack//Legend of the Twilight]] had serious AdaptationDecay from the source manga, which made it look like the brother and sister were incestuous.

* Some {{Genshiken}} fans feel that Saki and Kousaka's relationship was written badly. Kousaka has shown himself to be genuinely caring when he is not wrapped up in his hobbies, but because the reader never gets to see this much, many felt that their relationship was based solely on them beng physically attracted to each other. That, and some fans just want [[FanPreferredCouple Saki to get together with Madarame.]]

* ''X-Men'' characters Juggernaut and Black Tom practically lived in HoYay territory. Their concern for each other was unusual for villains and went beyond concern for a friend. Cain was so frantic when Tom's powers went haywire that he went to the X-Men for help, and Wolverine even called him out for caring more about his "boyfriend" than his own stepbrother. When he slept with She-Hulk ({{Retcon}}ned into an alternate Jennifer), the way he said "Sometimes women are just plain better" made [[ThisTroper at least one reader]] wonder if he had really...[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean done the research]] at some point. And yes, it's far more enjoyable to speculate on Cain's sexuality than Tom's, who was {{Squick}}y even before he became a walking tree.

* Marv Wolfman [[ShipSinking SUNK]] the Cyborg/Sarah Simms relationship down to the Friend Zone after a ''single'' Black fan bemoaned the frequency of interracial relationships over completely Black ones; Wolfman eventually hooked Cyborg up with black scientist Sarah Charles instead (at least for a while).

* In ''Freaks'', Hans and Frieda -- a romantic couple -- [[IncestuousCasting are played by brother and sister]] Harry and Daisy Earles. To prevent things from getting ''too'' freaky, their romance is very very much downplayed. There isn't even a kiss between them. We've got the BetaCouple for that.

*** And again in The End of Time. Doctor in a bondage chair. 'Nuff said.

* In LifeWithDerek, the titular character and his [[NotBloodSiblings step-sister]] have a very flirty relationship with each other. A lot of moments between the two that ''may'' have been intended to be family-like are...not family-like([[YourMileageMayVary according to some]]). Huge emphasis on the ''may''. Recently the writers have become the [[MasteroftheMixedMessage Masters of the Mixed Messages]] and aren't really clear what the relationship between the two really is. [[WordofGod Word of God]] states that Derek and Casey care for each other more than anyone, but whether it's on a family level or romantic level has yet to be stated (much to the displeasure of the [[PortmanteauCoupleName Dasey]] fanbase). And it doesn't help that the actor and actress who play Derek and Casey (Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat respectively) seem to support the Derek/Casey pairing and (most likely due to being real-life chums) have great chemistry on screen...

* The TV Show FlashForward Featured a gay couple on their first date discussing getting married, having children, and saying things like 'I'd never leave you'. That doesn't happen the first time you go out for dinner.

* Mulder and Scully of TheXFiles are a classic example; the idea that the characters would have an intense platonic relationship but ''not'' be sexually or romantically interested in one another was firmly established in the original idea for the series, and the writers repeated it in interviews for years. But by around Season 5 or so the characters seemed to have different ideas, and eventually the writers went with it.
* More than one article covering the {{Smallville}} special "Justice" made the mistaken assumption that Clark's jealous guarding of Chloe from The Flash--er, Impulse was on his own behalf rather than Jimmy Olsen's. Given that this behavior has been happening all the way up to and including Season 8, it's difficult to blame people for [[{{WMG/Smallville}} the Chlois theory]] when they keep doing this.
* Happened frequently on GilmoreGirls. At first we have the normal BettyAndVeronica dynamic for Lorelai and Rory's romantic interests. The WillTheyOrWontThey gets resolved between Luke and Lorelai for the 5th season. Dean gets awkwardly PutOnABus and [[CherylBlossom Logan Huntzberger]] complicates Rory and Lorelai's relationship for the first half of season 6. Then Luke [[JumpedTheShark suddenly finds out he has a daughter]] and most of the show gets shot to hell, drawing the WillTheyOrWontThey out painfully until the series finale. Due to ExecutiveMeddling on the part of the CW merger, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband's contracts ended and many fans agree that the final season was the worst. In an attempt to "fix" the mistakes from the sixth season, Logan doesn't even end up with Rory while Luke and Lorelai finally get together in the finale, yet it feels more like a LastMinuteHookup and the series goes out on an unsatisfactory note.

* In {{Neighbours}}, the characters of Libby Kennedy and Stephanie Scully are meant to be 100% heterosexual. Now look at [[LesYay the way Kym Valentine and Carla Bonner actually play the parts]]...

** Megaman: You and me. One on one. No PANTS. Protoman: You got it.
* {{Bolt}}. [[spoiler: Bolt and Mittens.]] Between some of their conversations, the way they are written together versus with other characters, and their body language around one another, it draws a fine line between [[spoiler:a close sibling-like relationship and InterspeciesRomance.]]

* IronmanArmoredAdventures has this in spades. Pepper is always jealous whenever Rhodey looks at another girl and ''starts a fist fight'' over Rhodey wanting to hang out with another friend of his who's a girl. She also has a heart to heart and long, laughter filled date with Gene in one episode, after which she becomes his devoted Gene-can-do-no-wrong fangirl and texts/calls him constantly. Tony also comes across as flirting with Rhodey a lot of the time, made even more HoYay intensive whenever Rhodey yells at him to open up and stop blocking people out. They have so many heart to heart conversations and Tony apologizes to him so often it's more reminiscent of a squabbling couple than best friends. Then there's the way Whitney follows Tony around even when he's being an asshole to her (although given her abusive father, she might just be okay with it) and how far she'll go to save his life... And we're not even going to get into Tony's fanboying of Gene Khan. Oh, and in the last few episodes Rhodey seems to care a bit more about Whitney than he lets on.

[[caption-width:324:Not exactly the way most [[ParentalSubstitute guardians]] motivate their kids.]]

*** Not usually one to mix continuities here....but, I'm thinking that the UST between Slade and Terra WAS meant to be more than was shown. If you take into consideration the Source Material, Deathstroke and Terra do have an implied physical relationship. Something that the show couldn't exactly ignore nor fully divulge....SoYeah

*** While all the above is true, Gino actually is presented as fairly [[TheFettered righteous from the get go]] in the Knight of Rounds light novels. He supposedly [[StarCrossedLovers fell in love with his noble family's Eleven maid]] and eventually [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority ran away from home]] because the girl was punished. But then again, Kallen may not necessarily appreciate this tidbit [[spoiler: considering what happened between her own biological parents]]. And there's also the questionably canon nature of those light novels, considering the light novels of the main series both expanded and contradicted the anime and the official picture and sound dramas, with some characters coming off differently - Euphemia as much more intelligent once she gives her surprisingly logical reasoning for [[spoiler: the creation of the SAZ]], and Genbu Kururugi being [[spoiler: turned into a villain,]] making his murder more righteous, and less a case of MoralsDissonance - with [[spoiler: Nunnally even coming off as insane, or at least strongly psychologically damaged a few times.]] YourMilageMayVary, of course.

*** While all the above is true, Gino actually is presented as fairly [[TheFettered righteous from the get go]] in the Knight of Rounds light novels. He supposedly [[StarCrossedLovers fell in love with his noble family's Eleven maid]] and eventually [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority ran away from home]] because the girl was punished. But then again, Kallen may not necessarily appreciate this tidbit [[spoiler: considering what happened between her own biological parents]]. And there's also the questionably canon nature of those light novels, considering the light novels of the main series both expanded and contradicted the anime and the official picture and sound dramas, with some characters coming off differently - Euphemia as much more intelligent once she gives her surprisingly logical reasoning for [[spoiler: the creation of the SAZ]], and even Cornelia getting much more fleshed out - with [[spoiler: Nunnally even coming off as insane, or at least strongly psychologically damaged a few times.]] YourMilageMayVary, of course.

*** It really didn't help that what lines Gino did get smacked of "generic Britannian Noble". His opinion on war was summed up in one Picture Drama as "Strong guys win, weak guys die", as opposed to Suzaku's "The strong should protect the weak", his actions during the festival at Ashford involve him helping out in a way that is completely unhelpful, and [[spoiler: his monologue about joining the Black Knights sounds like he's against the revocation of his own position as a noble, (though it's more likely about his loyalty to Charles, and the death of the other Knights Of Round)]] so it's hard to believe their characters would mesh well for a long term relationship. The only example of Gino being a good person is his stopping [[AxeCrazy Luciano Bradley]] from assaulting Kallen.
*** While all the above is true, Gino actually is presented as fairly [[TheFettered righteous from the get go]] via the Knight of Rounds light novels. He supposedly [[StarCrossedLovers fell in love with his noble family's Eleven maid]] and eventually [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority ran away from home]] because the girl was punished. But then again, Kallen may not necessarily appreciate this tidbit [[spoiler: considering what happened between her own biological parents]].

** The most famous example, however, is Luke and Leia, the major YouShouldKnowThisAlready after the LukeIAmYourFather moment of the series, and their obvious romantic intentions towards each other in the first movie and half of the second. Whether they were intended to be siblings from the beginning has numerous conflicting sources, but the end result is that many reacted with {{Squick}}. Supposedly, however, this is a common occurrence between opposite-sex siblings who are reunited.
*** [[{{Squick}} It's common for brothers and sisters who are reunited to tongue kiss?]]
**** apparently it's common for reunited brotheres and sisters (who didn't know about each other before) to feel sexually attracted to each other. saw a documentary about it but not sure if how true it is.