Much has been said about the galexlily of it all, but I feel like we need to start pondering carmen more. More specifically the carmen-alex part of the polycule (which you have gloriously added on to with your fic, i won’t overlook) do we have any canonical interaction between them? I feel like i can picture a george-lily dynamic, but it’s harder with the other two.
such a good question and one i'm always so excited to talk about. everyone talks about the plane photos like lily was the one moving all of the chess pieces but carmen was right there laughing along!
but carmen-alex is fascinating to me because if i'm being really honest, i don't think alex likes carmen that much. for one, as far as i'm aware, he's never followed her back on instagram, which is weird considering he does follow people like george's sister (and george for his part seems to follow everyone in alex's circle).
this year lily has been around a lot, but in the past couple of years, there would have been a lot of races where it was george, alex and carmen hanging out. the first one that springs to mind is monaco last year, where EYE believe that she was the one who took the dinner date photograph. but it's interesting that you don't see evidence her hanging around alex in the way you see george hanging around lily
in my sick rpf mind, if alex doesn't like carmen, i think that a lot of it would come down to the timing of george and carmen getting together. after alex and lily started dating in november 2019, i think george was like, okay well alex is taken, so i have to settle down now too. he actually went on a date to a movie premiere during the LA trip lest we forget, and then he met carmen over the winter break when he stood in for a friend on a blind date.
the blind date detail is so fascinating to me, because who in their right mind hears that a friend can't make a blind date, and then decides to stand in himself. a desperate man, that's who! a man who's decided he needs a girlfriend now or else! and i think alex realises that george got with carmen initally out of desperation, and that's why he's never warmed up to her
on the last team torque, alex did mention that he and lily are going to spend some time on a friend's boat over the summer break, and while i don't think it's george's boat because he would've just said if it was, i am kind of fascinated to think about what it would be like if alex and carmen were on a yacht together
it's something i've been thinking about for a while because of the iconic interview last year where it was revealed that george didn't invite alex onto his boat, and then ran into him at his flat afterwards (i'm sure we all remember). and EYE think there's a world where george didn't invite alex because he knows that alex doesn't like carmen and the vibes are off. like maybe the dynamic works when it's all four of them because lily balances it out, but the alex-carmen piece just doesn't work
i've been talking a lot but it's sooo fascinating to me from an alex character point of view, and that's part of why i wanted to write my fic. why does george/alex/lily work but george/alex/carmen doesn't?
my ultimate thesis is that i think alex is someone that needs to be needed, and therefore needs to feel like he's at the centre of a dynamic. george/alex/lily works because they both love him and he'd always be in the middle. whereas with george/alex/carmen, i don't really think carmen would ever need anything from alex, and therefore alex would feel like he doesn't fit. and that MAYBE, if we want to be crazy, he feels like carmen is a substitute for something he should be giving george himself
thank you for coming to my ted talk, and please don't use this post as an excuse to be mean to carmen because i personally love her even if alex doesn't, thanks
