Yes, I don't post in the DS AT too often. A few of the most prolific posters are a little much. And I'm sorry but I don't give a single
tit about trying to guess what musical theatre role Layton gets next - a topic that must make up nearly half the thread.
It makes me laugh that some of them are basically as obsessed and invested in their relationship as any hardcore shipper, just in a platonic way, but would surely insist their feelings are nothing like shipping. I remember one of them went off on someone on the main forum (who I got the impression didn't even know either of them had partners) for speculating about their relationship because of how emotional Nikita was after the Charleston. She made multiple posts in the AT bitching about how awful and disgusting and disrespectful it was to even suggest such a thing, meanwhile half her posts are waxing poetic about their souls being connected, them not being capable of reaching their full potential until they met each other, analyzing their body language, insisting any pro other than Nikita would have made a complete dog's breakfast of the partnership etc. My favourite post of hers had to be after the Tango, complaining that it wasn't sexy enough and that they must have been stifled by the producers. I mean, they started out almost kissing and ended up lying on top of each other on the floor... I'm not sure what more a staunch non-shipper could ask for, but sorry, I think you'd have to go to Ao3 to get it...
or my Word doc, oops 
More than once there've been cries of disappointment they didn't go to some awards show or event thing together right after the show and then the tour and fretting over when they'd be reunited. Even in the deepest depths of my shipper delusions I've never seriously expected or wanted them to be glued together 24/7 ffs.
I had to take a moment to stare off into space the other day when one of them posited the question 'how must they feel knowing such a special connection was witnessed by strangers on the TV?' I... I think they're probably fine about it. As much as I'd like to imagine there's an alternate universe out there where they fell in love and lived happily ever after... yeah I think in this one they're probably OK people know they're friends.
Yes, their friendship is special and I'm invested in it, and yes I hope for more Lakita content in the future, and I'm probably not going to give too much of a
tit about Nikita's next celeb... but I'm not about to hate whoever it is if Nikita's close with them and I'm realistic about the possibility that they'll rarely if ever post anything together again now that their Strictly journey is sadly over.
It does remind me of the Rio thread with all the constant reassuring each other that they're thinking of each other and we'll know more about their plans after Strictly soon... which will surely soon turn into 'they don't owe us anything on social media but I'm sure they're together all the time' posts as soon as they go 2 days without posting something together.
As for Nikita on CBB... I suppose I can't talk because I was horrified by him doing it too and had no intention of watching it but oops here I am. To be fair, it moving to a new network does seem to have made the show less sleazy/trashy. I think he probably wouldn't have done it otherwise, if only because he obviously wouldn't have been allowed to.
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Re the idea of Nikita wanting to raise awareness or whatever about Ukraine... I'm not entirely sure he's allowed to anyway. I get the impression Strictly doesn't allow the pros to post anything political. I know he posted a lot of stuff at the start, which was just after his contract ended, but unless I've missed or forgotten something, I'm almost certain he hasn't posted a single thing about it since before he started his second year. His sister still posts stuff about it occasionally, she did just a few days ago. Ukrainian pros from other versions still post about it too - Maks and Val, and Vadim from Let's Dance. It's very noticeable that Nikita is the only exception (other than Nadiya, who never posted anything about it in the first place) so I have to wonder if he perhaps was told it's against their policy on social media use. So I wouldn't be surprised if he never talks about it on CBB, though I think it's pretty
bleeping stupid if he is not allowed to. No other version keeps such a tight leash on their pros.
at the thought of him doing Big Brother, that was my genuine immediate reaction. Then I sat with it a while and thought about it, and I came to the conclusion... why shouldn't he do it? The pay for Strictly dancers is, quite frankly, not that great for the amount of work they put into it. If he can sit in a house for 3 weeks and make a significant chunk of change (apparently more than he makes on SCD for what is basically 6 months work) while also getting his face out there to a larger audience, then I can totally understand the appeal.
). Nikita isn't just a figure of lust to be perfect for you. He's a human being. And if seeing him acting like a human being is cringe and ruins him for you, there are plenty of Ken dolls in the shops who you can project fantasies on who will never do anything wrong.
