It is only natural that the fictional characters that we see on the page and on our screens influence the way that we view the world and those around us.

Fictional relationships in particular can transcend the imagined world and become ideals for our own platonic or romantic relationships. For that reason, we have to be mindful of the relationships we try to emulate to ensure that we are choosing the healthy ones to admire.

Here are 15 relationships that we should steer clear from when we become involved with someone:

1. Ted Mosby/Robin Scherbatsky (“How I Met Your Mother”)

Everyone talks about how Ted is just a “hopeless romantic” looking for the woman to be the mother of his children and his future wife, yet we rarely discuss his obsessively persistent nature in regards to Robin. It gets to the point where he compromises his happiness to pursue her even when she blatantly tells him that she does not love him. Another glaring issue in their relationship comes from their “40 Rule”, which says that if they are 40-years-old and still are unmarried, they will get together, which keeps the door open even when they are both aware — though on different levels — that it will not work.

2. Ross Geller/Rachel Green (“FRIENDS”)

Ross and Rachel are the “relationship goals” everyone claims to want, but they are easily the most problematic couple on the show. Ross is particularly abusive, deceiving Rachel into thinking that he got their Vegas marriage annulled, telling her that she only got a job offer because someone wants to sleep with her, making a list of her “pros and cons” before they started dating and judging the way that she dresses, particularly when she is pregnant with their child. Rachel is not guiltless either; she used sex as a weapon without regard for his varying feelings of love for her and would purposefully try to make him jealous by actively pursuing other men that he did not like. #ToxicGoals

3. Brian Kinney/Michael Novotny (“Queer As Folk”)

Brian and Michael never got together and Michael just never could accept that. Beyond the refusal to admit that a relationship was not going to happen between them, Michael constantly compared himself to Justin Taylor (Brian’s on-again-off-again partner) and would tear him down out of jealousy. Heaven forbid Brian not be willing to do something with Michael that he did with Justin — it made for a long five seasons of whining. Brian is, though, in large part to blame because not one does he straight-up say to Michael that they will never be together.

4. Severus Snape/Lily Evans ("Harry Potter")

People truly need to reevaluate their goals when it comes to relationships and expect more for themselves because despite insulting who she was fundamentally, Snape is considered “redeemed” for trying to save Lily’s life from Lord Voldemort. However, it seems to be conveniently forgotten that he tries to save her at the expense of her husband and son’s lives, believing that counts as love.

5. Jane Eyre/Mr. Rochester ("Jane Eyre")

Where to begin with this couple … perhaps with the fact that he manipulated her into thinking that he was marrying another woman so that he could know how she felt about him? If that’s not enough, he also lied about having a wife and held said wife captive in an attic because she was unstable. One of the most troubling features of their relationship, though, is that in order for her to be considered his equal, she needs to inherit a large sum of money and he has to suffer from a disability, resulting in her needing to care for him.

6. Jaime Lannister/Cersei Lannister (“Game of Thrones”)

Even though it was not included in the books, there is a rape scene between the pair on the show after their eldest son’s murder. Jaime returns and witnesses Cersei’s grief, and refuses to get off of her even when she begs him. Oh, and there’s also the incest aspect.

7. Callie Jacob/Brandon Foster (“The Fosters”)

Callie and Brandon are the couple that nearly everyone wanted together since the show’s inception, but saw that it would not work well since they were foster siblings. Callie repeatedly led Brandon, a straight-shooter and well-behaved son, into trouble and dangerous situations, which he willingly involved himself in, in the “name of love.” They have jerked each other around for the better part of the series and only seem to go to each other when they are self-destructing, inevitably creating more chaos when it ends again.

8. Paige McCullers/Emily Fields (“Pretty Little Liars”)

Nothing says “be mine” like starting a relationship by attempting to drown the person that you like. Despite that “little blip”, Emily does eventually pursue a relationship with her assailant, though it is destined to fail by Paige’s constant jealousy of Emily’s friendship with Alison DiLaurentis.

9. Jay Gatsby/Daisy Buchanan ("The Great Gatsby")

Gatsby and Daisy are destined to fail from the beginning, even though they do not officially enter a relationship in the novel. Their love is entirely one-sided on his part and he thought that he could achieve happiness by running away with her even though she’s married and with a child.

10. Sandy Olsson/Danny Zuko ("Grease")

If you feel that you have to change yourself to fit someone else’s “ideal partner”, then that is the first — and should be the final — red flag that the relationship is unhealthy. Also, lying to your friends about who you like — like Danny does — is not healthy either, especially when it comes from a place of shame.

11. Romeo Montague/Juliet Capulet (“Romeo and Juliet”)

I don’t care what century you’re living in — no one should think that they are in love and run off to get married just days after meeting someone. If that isn’t ridiculous in its own right, the double suicide of the characters who cannot “live without each other” raises a concerning “all or nothing” ideal in young adults. My personal thoughts? It should never be that deep.

12. Anastasia Steele/Christian Grey ("50 Shades of Grey")

If you are afraid of your partner or of being in a particular relationship, it is unequivocally in your best interest to get out of said relationship. The relationship in “50 Shades” is undoubtedly abusive, not to mention a promoter of unsafe BDSM practice.

13. Chandler Bing/Monica Geller (“FRIENDS”)

Many of us, myself included, love Chandler and Monica’s relationship as the series progresses. He’s supportive or her, constantly reminds her that she deserves love and will stand by her under all circumstances. However, their relationship isn’t entirely healthy despite their cute ending. When they first meet in a flashback, Chandler fat-shames her behind her back to her brother, Ross, and later in the actual series, he is constantly trying to tell her who she can and cannot see out of jealousy and fear that she will leave him. Monica is not blameless either because there are countless times in the series when her friends insinuate or blatantly state that she could do better than Chandler and she never denies that, which results in a clear imbalance in their relationship.

14. Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger ("Harry Potter")

Another couple that many of us rooted for before we knew what “shipping” was, Ron and Hermione have a complicated history that lends itself to falling into the “problematic” category. From the beginning of the series, they are incessantly belittling each other’s intelligence — Ron saying that Hermione cares too much about school and Hermione treating Ron like he’s an incapable fool. Ron also dates other girls in the fourth and sixth books to spite Hermione and try to make her jealous, her returning the favor in the sixth book by taking the one guy to a party that she thinks Ron will go crazy about. The “he’s/she’s mean to you because he/she likes you” trope is far overdone.

15. Piper Chapman/Alex Vause (“Orange Is the New Black”)

Throughout the series, we see both of these characters constantly screw each other over. Alex gives up Piper and gets the latter sent to jail, then lies about giving her up, and Piper runs out on Alex after the latter’s mother dies and is also responsible at one point for landing Alex in jail. Despite these massive betrayals, they still keep coming back for more suffering at the other’s hands, begging the question: are the ratings really worth promoting that type of relationship?