>>Common pattern in so-called 'romance,' both on and offscreen.<<
I had enough of that growing up that I deliberately did things to discourage people from pestering me. Sometimes it was casual, other times it was targeted cruelty as savage as Wednesday's. Usually it worked, too.
>> Most people want friends or partners who enhance their life, <<
True. So then you have to ask, what does someone want from a relationship, what are they willing to give in exchange, and then what do they actually get? If they don't want the same things, they're not going to make each other happy. If it's not a balanced exchange, that's unlikely to work either.
>> and someone like Wednesday (who hates social stuff) wouldn't feel obligated to put up with she considers a substandard relationship dynamic. <<
So first, she needs someone who will respect her space, and second, some sort of common ground on which to set mutually gratifying activities. Wednesday and Enid don't seem to have common interests. Xavier shares her love of archery but is painfully intimidated by her superior skill. Bianca actually has two -- singing and fencing. That could be interesting to develop. Wednesday has a ton of interests, any of which could be used to connect with a new character: mechanics, foreign languages, taxidermy, etc. That's really untapped potential in the first season.
>> Add in that she seems to have fairly uncommon interests even for her subculture, and it isn't terribly surprising that she hasn't found many people she considers worth her time.<<
Exactly. *ponder* I'd expect Wednesday to share my preference for adult experts. You can learn a lot that way, if they're willing to talk to you.
>>The whole Season 1 finale /may/ incentivize at least a few people (most notably Xavier) to be more patient with Wednesday's quirks.<<
I think it really depends on them realizing how much of that comes from Wednesday being unfamiliar with social interactions and lacking some senses that most people have. They're interpreting a lot as deliberate that isn't -- though it doesn't help that some is deliberate. They need to think about what they want, and what Wednesday is willing to give. And she needs to think about whether she wants relationships, because if she does, that will require learning new skills; whereas if she doesn't, she's going to need a much bigger hammer to beat that into people's heads.
Yes ...
I had enough of that growing up that I deliberately did things to discourage people from pestering me. Sometimes it was casual, other times it was targeted cruelty as savage as Wednesday's. Usually it worked, too.
>> Most people want friends or partners who enhance their life, <<
True. So then you have to ask, what does someone want from a relationship, what are they willing to give in exchange, and then what do they actually get? If they don't want the same things, they're not going to make each other happy. If it's not a balanced exchange, that's unlikely to work either.
>> and someone like Wednesday (who hates social stuff) wouldn't feel obligated to put up with she considers a substandard relationship dynamic. <<
So first, she needs someone who will respect her space, and second, some sort of common ground on which to set mutually gratifying activities. Wednesday and Enid don't seem to have common interests. Xavier shares her love of archery but is painfully intimidated by her superior skill. Bianca actually has two -- singing and fencing. That could be interesting to develop. Wednesday has a ton of interests, any of which could be used to connect with a new character: mechanics, foreign languages, taxidermy, etc. That's really untapped potential in the first season.
>> Add in that she seems to have fairly uncommon interests even for her subculture, and it isn't terribly surprising that she hasn't found many people she considers worth her time.<<
Exactly. *ponder* I'd expect Wednesday to share my preference for adult experts. You can learn a lot that way, if they're willing to talk to you.
>>The whole Season 1 finale /may/ incentivize at least a few people (most notably Xavier) to be more patient with Wednesday's quirks.<<
I think it really depends on them realizing how much of that comes from Wednesday being unfamiliar with social interactions and lacking some senses that most people have. They're interpreting a lot as deliberate that isn't -- though it doesn't help that some is deliberate. They need to think about what they want, and what Wednesday is willing to give. And she needs to think about whether she wants relationships, because if she does, that will require learning new skills; whereas if she doesn't, she's going to need a much bigger hammer to beat that into people's heads.