How you think and how you come across can create mixed signals at first, but curiosity wins out.
A square means one person’s Mercury and the other person’s Ascendant are about 90 degrees apart. The app counts it as challenging. What the labels mean.
Mixed signals, early on
With this square, one person’s way of thinking and talking doesn’t quite match the other’s way of coming across. The Mercury person may misjudge the Ascendant person’s mood from their face and respond to something that isn’t there. The Ascendant person may hear a dry remark or a probing question as criticism of how they’re presenting themselves, when it was just interest.
In the early days, this can make you both a little self-conscious. You rehearse the message before sending it, and you ask a friend what they meant by that full stop.
What curiosity does
The reason people stick with this one is that it’s interesting. Each of you has to pay attention, because you can’t run on assumptions. Many pairs with this one come to know exactly how the other’s face works: that the frown means they’re concentrating, and that the bright voice means they’re tired.
That knowledge has to be earned, and that’s where the effort goes. Once it’s there, you may understand each other’s signals better than people who clicked straight away.
Saying what you mean
Text is the least helpful place for this aspect, with so little tone to go on. Keep anything delicate for a call or for in person. If you’re the Mercury person, say what you’re thinking before you ask a string of questions, so the questions have a context. If you’re the Ascendant person, tell them when your expression doesn’t match what’s going on inside: “I look annoyed, but I’m actually just thinking.” It’s a small sentence, and it heads off a surprising number of arguments.