For those who don’t know, I’d like to confess that I’m not a big fan of FlutterCord.

It isn’t because of their differences in age or species, really. It’s because...

One reason would be that I find Discord to be way too eccentric for Fluttershy despite her liking Discord being chaotic. Other reasons would be that I personally can’t help but find it to be too obvious in so many ways, that the two don’t really match each other when it comes to love, and because I just can’t seem to find any great and interesting stories depicting a romance between the two. Every time I take a sneak peek at a story featuring the pairing, I can’t help but find the pairing and romance between the two characters to be handled rather blandly, and they would either be out of character or something else. No matter how hard I even try, I just can’t seem to see it working, especially with Fluttershy.

But my prime reason is because of this:

Celestia’s real reason behind why she assigned Fluttershy to reform Discord is so that Fluttershy could show him what it’s like to have a friend, and that’s what Fluttershy was wanting to do since “Keep Calm and Flutter On”, show him how valuable friendship and having a friend truly is. Fluttercord just...seems to take away the reasons behind it all.

But, that’s where I have a question for you all.

What is it about Discord and Fluttershy that many of you believe shows potential for them to be more than friends? What is it that you believe helps them to match?

For that matter, what is it that you all see that I can’t see? And why can’t I see?

I’ve been wanting to be open for it and to see how it would work so much, but yet...no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to see it working. I can’t seem to see anything stronger between Discord and Fluttershy than a deep friendship, and even when I see these “supposed” winks that makes fans of the pairing crazy, I still don’t see it.

For me, Discord has always been what I would classify as one of the series’s most complex characters. I have always had this point of view that, him being a chaotic individual and someone who still struggles to understand friendship a lot of times, he wouldn’t be doing anything for Fluttershy out of being in love with her. He wouldn’t be doing anything that a non-chaotic character like Fluttershy would do. Attending Fluttershy’s tea parties, for instance, was something that I often thought he did not because he liked tea or was in love with Fluttershy, but because he’s trying to be a good friend to her as much as possible.

What thoughts do you guys have about this? About what I think of FlutterCord and my questions?

Am I really so much of a bonehead with some kind of problem?

7179389

"Celestia’s real reason behind why she assigned Fluttershy to reform Discord is so that Fluttershy could show him what it’s like to have a friend, and that’s what Fluttershy was wanting to do since “Keep Calm and Flutter On”, show him how valuable friendship and having a friend truly is. Fluttercord just...seems to take away the reasons behind it all."

How does that take away anything? A romantic relationship is a friendship. When you get down to it: There's not much difference between being boyfriend and girlfriend, and being close friends.

7179393
What I believe the show was trying to teach was that there’s a difference between being in love and being someone’s friend.

7179389
Eh.
I've given a bunch of reasons for you already. If I said more, I'd just be repeating what I've said already.

7179389
I really don't have strong feelings on this, one way or the other. Sometimes, I like seeing them as a couple in stories. Other times, I enjoy seeing their friendship being explored.

Although...I very much would like to see a good story that explores their platonic friendship in a deep way. It would prove challenging and interesting. I think we have a LOT of Fluttercord romantic stories. I'm more interested in exploring the friendship between the two.

7179428
So am I. And that’s always how I’ve interpreted them, really. Deeply close friends through and through.

7179389
You make sense to me. I'm not saying FlutterCord couldn't happen, but you make a good point about why it wouldn't.

I dunno why so many downvotes are on your post; I guess some people just can't live and let live.

7179469
Thanks.

7179393
FACT. It just kinda depends on are you gonna kiss your best friend or nah?

7179402

"What I believe the show was trying to teach was that there’s a difference between being in love and being someone’s friend."

The show was trying to teach that? Well, what is the difference? Aside from sex (and by extension children): What's the difference between being married, and having your best friend as a roommate?

have you seen this set of videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbb3pETnt4wpr7MP3WRYcVqbnO6E8tKWL

7179548
Romantic feelings and bonds are the core part of a romantic relationship, not sexual feelings. Hell, not all romances are sexual to begin with, including those between adults. You could read about the psychology behind how spouses and spousal relationships impact a person to just taking a gander at romantic stories. Friendship is a good foundation for a romance, but the divide between friends and romantic partners is pretty substantial.

Are you just aromantic?

7179611
I think I'm seeing the difference between our mindsets: You're focused on feelings, and I'm not. I'm focused on practicalities, on what the people in the relationship actuality do.

I'm not "aromantic". I've had romantic feelings for my friends before, often multiple friends at the same time. In piratical terms: That doesn't really make much difference to the friendship. So romantic feelings, in my book, are not what really separates being married from being close friends.

7179633
Well, it is still more than feelings, but feelings are the driving center of any kind of relationship because they communicate the nature of it. Spouses generally will go beyond the level of a best friend in shared goals, experiences, and understanding of one another. Those are some good starter examples. You could always ask members of the group who are married or have significant others what some of those core differences are. If you're interested in the more practical side, I would suggest reading about the psychology of and behind married couples.

7179637
Imagine having a very dear friend, someone you truly love. Someone you'd take a bullet for. It's easy to imagine that in a platonic or romantic context. Even if, or rather, especially if we're just talking about feelings: I think the difference between romantic love and platonic love is quite superficial. Feelings of love are feelings of love, when you get down to it.

But if we're talking about the piratical differences between being married and having a best friend: They're much the same, because marriage is having a best friend. But you don't have sex with your (platonic) best friend. You don't necessarily live with your best friend. And you don't exactly have a baby with your best friend, though you'd probably help him with his kids (and he'd help you with yours).

7179610
No.

7179825
You don’t really seem to get the point or understand the flaws in where your replies are coming from. It’s making you come across as ridiculously disingenuous, especially knowing past conversations I’ve had with you.

7179890
I can't say I appreciate your tone. But what flaws, exactly?

7179911
You pretend to engage in a discussion regularly and when information is posted as a response or correction to yours, you keep peddling increasingly flawed remarks about why the other person is supposedly wrong and neglecting what they said in reply to you. There's still a huge gap in practical differences between a spouse and a best friend. While many overlap with the romantic side of the bond, the other practical differences include societal benefits that separate marriages from informal partnerships too, which you could look up on a law site, I would imagine.

Also, marriage science is pretty wholesome to read about. Here's an article that lightly touches upon the matter. In it, the idea of how many people consider their spouse to also be their best friend is discussed and why these people tend to appear pretty happy. This one adds to that by discussing that people who tend to see spouses exclusively as best friends and buddies are ignoring a lot of more serious parts about their relationship. Aside from the nature of the relationships being a romantic and a platonic one, the differences are like those between just being at the level of boy/girlfriend.

It also doesn't help that the little hypothetical situation in your previous comment doesn't seem to realize

Imagine having a very dear friend, someone you truly love. Someone you'd take a bullet for.

Alright.

It's easy to imagine that in a platonic or romantic context.

That's because you're talking about someone that someone that the person is already close to and asking them to use their imagination. This also neglects to consider that many people do date from their pool of friends as a starting point.

Even if, or rather, especially if we're just talking about feelings: I think the difference between romantic love and platonic love is quite superficial. Feelings of love are feelings of love, when you get down to it.

And while you state this as opinion now, boy were your other comments more insistent. 'Feelings of love are feelings of love, when you get down to it' is also neglecting that there are 'loves' that aren't good to mix.

But if we're talking about the piratical differences between being married and having a best friend: They're much the same, because marriage is having a best friend.

Again, if you look up, you'll see that the general way that goes is having someone see their spouse as also being their best friend, not as their best friend.

But you don't have sex with your (platonic) best friend.

No, I don't, but some people do. Also, there are non-sexual marriages and they're not uncommon for asexual people.

You don't necessarily live with your best friend.

No, I don't.

And you don't exactly have a baby with your best friend, though you'd probably help him with his kids (and he'd help you with yours).

I actually am unable to have children, and even if I could or wanted to, I wouldn't need to be married for that.

Again, you're suggesting that marriage is who someone has sexual relations with and who is the other parent to their child and that the spouses are best friends. It isn't a definition that holds up very well.

7180701
I'm not following. Can you dumb this down for me? Can you tell me, in simple terms, what the flaws with my reasoning are? Maybe a short bullet-list.

You said "Spouses generally will go beyond the level of a best friend in shared goals, experiences, and understanding of one another.". I don't dispute that, if that's what you're thinking. If I live with my best friend, have sex with her, and have a child with her: We're probably going to be closer, and have more shared goals and all, then we would otherwise.

You also said "This also neglects to consider that many people do date from their pool of friends as a starting point.". I don't see how I'm neglecting that. I'm wondering if we're talking about two different things.

7180706
You chalk a spouse up to just being someone's best friend. That's the long and short of it.

Part of the point of 7179389 's thread is that despite Fluttershy and Discord being obviously good friends, he doesn't see them as working together romantically for some valid reasons. You come in with your "nonsense, all romance is just being someone's best friend" response.

7180711
I don't think I chalk a spouse up to just being someone's best friend. Living tighter, having sex, having a child: That does make a difference, I don't deny that! But take away those three things, and I think it'd be pretty hard to distinguish being married from being best friends.

And just because two people work well as best friends, does not mean they'll work well as husband and wife! I don't deny that. I think the biggest reason is this: Even best friends can really have trouble getting along as roommates (and being married implies being roommates). Some people aren't compatible as roommates, there's no shame in that.

7180701
I read those articles. They were interesting. I'll reply to what I think are the most important parts of the articles:

“In most cases our friends do not live with us, are not financially, legally, relationally entwined with us. Our friends are attached to us because they want to, when they want to,” marriage and family therapist Carrie Krawiec told Fatherly. “They have volition and empowerment to leave or at least take space from us when necessary. Our partners are connected to our homes, family, schedules, life.”

In short: Your spouse lives with you, your friends usually don't. That means your friends get space away from you, that your spouse doesn't. I agree, so be mindful of that. Make an extra effort to not drive your spouse (or roommate) crazy.

Edit: And I can see Fluttershy really needing some space from Discord. So a marriage between them might not work out.

"Husbands who expect their wives to be their best friends may develop impractical expectations of how they should support them and their decisions. If a man were to quit his job to pursue a passion for carpentry, a friend could easily be his cheerleader. But his wife? She’s going to have questions."

There, I largely disagree. Yes, if my wife were to quit her job to pursue a passion for carpentry: I'd probably have questions. Because that would effect me, and my finances. If my friend did: That wouldn't effect me so much, so I wouldn't care so much. I'd be more likely to be a cheerleader.

And frankly, that'd be selfish of me. Part of the reason we have friends, is so we have people to tell us when we're being an idiot. A good friend won't always be your cheerleader. I shouldn't be my friend's cheerleader when he's being an idiot, just because it won't effect me.

#1: "“My husband is my best friend. I’d rather spend my time with him than with anyone else.”
#2: “My wife is wonderful, and I can talk to her about things I can’t talk to my guy friends about. She’s my best friend.”
#3: “I can talk to my women friends about things my husband would never understand.”
#4: “My wife is great, but she doesn’t share a lot of my interests. My best buddy and I do ‘guy’ things together.”
#5: “One of the advantages of being gay is that my wife is also my best friend. We have great sex, and we can talk about anything and everything.”
#6: “I wouldn’t bring sex into my friendships; and friendship would destroy the passion and romance in my marriage.”"

#3, #4, and #5 are very childish attitudes, when taken too far. I get that some women can relate to women, in ways that they can't relate to a man (any vice versa). That's okay to an extent. But when you get down to it: People are people. Gender isn't that big of a deal. If you truly can't have a close friend of the opposite gender, there's probably something wrong with you.

#6, I don't get. How can you have any deep meaningful romance, without a deep meaningful friendship? That seems almost impossible to me.

I'm just going to jump into this old af thread to say I agree with OP. I don't like Fluttercord as a romance. I like them just fine as friends though.