Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-43768196-20190917162806/@comment-44380643-20191111165709

'''SPOILER ALERT!! READERS ARE SUBJECT TO SPOILERS FROM ALL EIGHT BOOKS!!'''

Hey there fellow Keeper fans!!

'''First off, if you are easily offended, or not willing to hear me out, your journey ends here. But if you are neither of these things, or simply here to see me get torn to shreds by the angry mob of Fitzphie shippers that are currently reading this post, then welcome! And rest assured you'll have more than enough to think about after this extremely opinionated and biased post, but hey! Take a trip into my mind during the sleepless nights I use to develop these arguments, and rest assured, I know nothing more than any of you all in this, or any regard as it relates to Keeper. '''

'''First, the entire relationship between Sophie and Fitz is not only toxic but borderline abusive. When literally anything bad happens in the series, Fitz resorts to anger, and for the most part, screaming. '''

'''Would it absolutely kill Fitz to be a little more supportive during this emotionally traumatizing time for not only Sophie (his alleged girlfriend) but also for Keefe (his alleged best friend). With all this said, can we take into consideration Fitz's overall negative attitude towards the world in general, and the problems that they face daily. Maybe I'd understand Fitz if he could relate a little bit more to their dilemmas. Let's think about it: Fitz lives with both parents, both of which are not completely psycho, which single handedly trumps both Sophie, Keefe, Stina, Marella, Wylie, and countless others. I'll give you a minute to reread that. Done? Alright. You may be thinking about Alvar here, and I'll give you that one. The whole situation surrounding his older brother, is more than sketchy, but he has not only Biana, but an otherwise intact family to help him through this issue. Additionally, he has not only disowned Alvar, but there has been little to no action on that front lately. Needless to say, Biana (who is in the same position) has somehow managed to escape this "devastating" discovery without become bitter and cynical. Before Fitz screwed it up with Sophie over an issue that was not only trivial but completely unnecessary, he could have had a steady girlfriend as well. So before you go around all sad for the fandom's golden boy, I'll give you a minute to consider how good he has it compared to any number of his friends.Not to mention, do we have any other characters that are unavoidably connected to the Neverseen? Oh, yes, Keefe Sencen, who’s mother is the leader of the Neverseen, and he is able to deal with this tragedy with no yelling. Sure, sulking, but less taking out his anger on his beloved friends. '''

'''Secondly, in a land of perfect endings and an infinite lifespan, who gets married at 15? It is completely irrational to assume that girls will have some kind of FAIRY TALE ENDING with their first crush, and that is precisely the idea Shannon will be feeding to young girls all around the world, if she is to choose the Sofitz endgame trope. '''

'''From book one, SoFitz has been practically handed to us on a silver platter, dripping with the affections of twelve-year-old Sophie, who is transfixed with his teal eyes, and quite frankly, nothing else. Go ahead and flip through your copies of Keeper and find where Sophie admires anything more than his lovely eyes. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's always the eyes. For every time Sophie compliments about the real Fitz beyond his petty appearance, there's three dreamy comments describing the depth and hue of those God-forsaken eyes.'''

'''And let's not forget about the fact Fitz is completely and utterly possessive of Sophie. Let's get real here, within maybe two weeks (and no dates) of their so called "relationship," Fitz has jumped head first into calling Sophie his girlfriend, not to mention, they've never even kissed. Come on Shannon, we know you've got it in you. Additionally, as seen multiple times throughout Legacy, Sophie is uncomfortable when associating with those of the other gender, off the basis that she would have to explain herself to Fitz, as if it's completely unreasonable to have guy friends after you start dating. Not only this, but she's generally afraid to confide in Fitz because she's scared of how he'll react. Romantic? I think not. Your significant other should be someone who you rely on, not someone who makes you feel like you have to hide from them. While these worries torment her, she's forced to turn to our favorite trouble-making comedian. You know him, you love him, Keefe! And while she's worrying about whether it's socially acceptable to hug one of your guy friends after you're dating, Keefe is working towards the larger goal here, discovering Sophie’s parents, and ultimately her future happiness. '''

'''Not only this, but at the end of the day, Sophie and Fitz have no chemistry! Now whether you just groaned, yelled at me, or gave up, I'll urge you to keep reading. In your mind, I'm asking you to picture one quality SoFitz moment that makes you like the ship, or support their happy life crusade. I'll give you a minute to picture this in your mind. Got it? Okay. Now if your moment includes any of the following cliches, think of another. Teal eye descriptions? That's a no-go. Cheesy pickup lines? Nope. Anything that involves Fitz complaining? Think again. Cognate moment? No siree. Declarations of love at first sight? Hmmmm... Alright, let's see where that leaves us. Any final moments? Well, maybe a few, but enough to build a relationship that could last for possibly thousands of years, certainly not. '''

So far I’d say I’ve done a pretty decent job explaining why Sophie shouldn’t tie the knot with Fitz, but I still haven’t explained the thought behind my unmatched love for team Foster-Keefe, so I’ll cut to the chase.

'''Sophie chose Keefe. From the beginning, Sophie has been forced to interact with Fitz due to the fact that he was the first elf she met, so moving into a dating relationship with him seemed only natural. On the other hand, Sophie chose to get to know Keefe. Any interaction beyond their initial meeting, and maybe a few glances here and there are purely of Sophie’s own choosing, and the same vice versa. '''

'''Not only that, but additionally every moment between Sophie and Keefe has been completely natural and totally organic, as opposed to Fitz and Sophie, whose private interactions are forced and strained, which definitely isn’t something we should be looking for in a lasting relationship. '''

'''Going way back to my personal favorite book of this series, Neverseen, the first book of what I like to call the  second trilogy, let’s get down to the heart of the matter- quite literally. In Neverseen Keefe mentions the fact that Lord Cassius is a writer or in his words, a “tortureer of innocent readers.” Along these lines we hear about one of his books The Heart of the Matter, which explains a simply theory that I personally adore, and attribute to the whole situation surrounding the ships in general. This theory basically explains the difference between the feelings in your head and the ones in your heart. Its describes the fact that the feelings of the head can be deceiving and not always as genuine as the ones found in the heart. In Lodestar (further explained in Nightfall) Sophie enhances Keefe and he later clarified that the feelings he was able to access were of her heart beyond those of the head, and he profusely refuses to share with her what he finds there leading me to believe that she loves Fitz with her head and Keefe with her heart. '''

'''With all this said, I think it’s obvious who really deserves the affections of our lovable protagonist, Sophie Foster. While Fitz is there poisoning our girl, just remember there's always a funny and relatable Keefe there for her, ready to swoop in whenever she comes to her senses and realizes she’s been with the wrong guy all along. Oh come on, don’t look at me like that! You know I speak the truth, otherwise you wouldn't still be reading. So whether you’re a die hard SoFitz shipper, or you’re just here for a laugh, consider these things and keep in mind what’s really best for our moonlark. '''

May the odds be ever in your ships favor,

Claudia E.