Gossip Column: High School Love Advice

By Carter Morrison

March 2022

No, you’re not going to marry your high school sweetheart

As the new year begins to bloom, there are a variety of exciting romantic opportunities to be had. Here in the Dragon’s corner all matters casual, dramatic, and sickeningly sweet will be discussed. These are the month’s most prevailing advice for finding that special someone:

• Be yourself (With restraint)

Everyone likes someone who's honest and confident with who they are. But nobody wants to see your full unbridled chaos until they really get to know you. Keep it normal.

• You’re not going to marry

This is the title of this article because it's an important point. A lot of high school is spent thinking about the future, but when it comes to a relationship that’s not how it should be taken. Have fun, be respectful and kind, but live it up.

• Make sure to have fun

Tying into the last point, all parties having fun should be a prerequisite, of course there will be times when things have to be serious, but it’s best to take a lighthearted and casual approach to high school dating.

• Don’t burn any bridges man

Breaking up really sucks, there's no denying that. There’s a reason that every single song on the radio is about love. Love is a universal condition, one that unites humanity everywhere no matter who that love is for. So don’t burn your bridges man, it’ll make everything really weird and awkward.

• Be even

Relationships are a two way street, both people should feel that their opinion matters and is listened to. One person should not hold more power than the other.

• Don’t write a love advice column

I think this one is self explanatory.

And now, the story evaluation section

In this part of the column, I will be discussing various mistakes and issues commonplace in the decisions of fictional characters. Real feelings are nothing to laugh about, however these characters come from stories. So thankfully, laugh at them all you want.

The Old and Bad - Romeo and Juliet

Now this is a classic, everyone knows these two names, regardless if they know the story or not. What we have here is a perfect example of miscommunication, passion being allowed to run amuck without any form of control. So please, talk to each other. Don’t be Romeo and Juliet.

The New and Bad - Twilight

Bella and Edward’s relationship is tremendously terrible. For one, Bella has barely any voice at all, which I suppose could be blamed on bad writing, but as the story presents itself, she is a person without a perspective, and she has no control in the relationship. She goes along with Edward’s whims (who is several decades older by the way) without rhyme or reason. He also watches her sleep, threatens her, and drags her into dangerous situations, making this a definite no go.

The Good - Scott Pilgrim vs the World

This is a good example of turning things around, that even if both people have made mistakes and been bad to each other, things can, and usually will, get better. Scott in the beginning of the series is a freeloader and a liar, and when he meets Ramona, she isn’t much better. However, over the course of the books they push each other to their limits, and instead of breaking, mature and discover things about themselves they’d been blocking out. It's a relationship that helps them both grow immensely as people, with a charming story as well.

Finally,

Submit your own love advice, I want to hear what you’ve experienced for the next issue. After all, advice is better the more people that give it.

See ya 💋

Bibliography:

Lane, Anthony. “Romeo and Juliet's Socially Distant Balcony Scene.” The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2020, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/17/with-a-kiss-i-die.