(Links of Happiness) Romantic (Sub)Plots · 4:11am Jul 9th, 2018
So I've recently discovered an amazing channel called Overly Sarcastic Productions, where two hosts (Red, the gal, Blue, the guy) talk about fiction and history a whole bunch. Because life informs art, and vice versa. It's pretty great.
Today's video comes from the Red side of things, specifically her Trope Talk series, where she basically lays down select storytelling tropes in longform. It's a pretty good writers' toolbox!
I needed a cigarette after watching this, because it was the best I've ever had.
This is everything I've been trying to say about shipping and romance on my blogs for the last five or so years.
This is also why my friendships "feel too shippy" my shipping "feels too much like friendship."
It's why my ships feel "too passionate".
it's also why I think I eventually subconsciously picked up on all this and consequently learned to shiptease like a boss without even thinking about it
It's not me. It's not even you. Much. It's because popular media is bad at this.
And it's because, when you put characters, character chemistry and character bonds first, the barometer set by said popular media that's bad at this gets overloaded. Ugh, Red explains it way better than I ever could. But yeah, this is the secret to my shipfics, and to which ships I take seriously. I may not be the best at it, but these are the principles I strive for.
My porn is exempt from this, because I write that shit for me. :P
Enjoy!
~B
Well that's made my 'watch later' list, it sounds interesting. And yeah, that's a good explanation. It's kind of odd you culture is so bad at it really, when you can have a standard based on 'these characters talk about something other than a relationship' but here we are.
And really, if you aren't making it for yourself what's the point?
I think part of it is that romantic subplots are shoehorned into works - into whole genres - where they don’t otherwise have much purpose. This means they don’t get much focus, and so the shortcuts are used to set up as much of that given as little time and attention as possible. The whole thing is there just for the kiss as a payoff so that the climax of the film hits every positive emotional box.
It comes from a horrible marketing view that action films need romance subplots to attract female viewers. One day I’d like to make a romance film which has an explosively violent action subplot.
Careful with that channel.
One moment it’s a Trope Talk, next thing ya know you’re sitting through an hourlong snark fest that is Dante’s Divine Comedy. Which will lead to Blue’s analysis of Ancient Rome, another couple hours.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that Spock/Uhura pairing was dumb as shit.
Thanks for the vid, BTW.
Well well well.
I admit I've been a bit disappointed with many of the newer video essayists YouTube has been recommending me of late (as far too many of them, even ones I ultimately enjoy well enough, wind up being just Loud Opinions without a whole lot of real insight or greater point), but this all feels pretty On Point and manages to speak pretty directly to a lot of my own feelings about the problems (and pleasures! I think one of my favorite things is the full acknowledgement that you can still enjoy these things even if you recognize their shortcomings/the shortcuts they take) of how Pop Culture handles Relationships and Romantic Writing. Like, some of this video feels word for word like Thoughts I've personally had, and it's VERY rare I find that in the YouTube world (I especially appreciate that the Jack/Ashi thing gets singled out because hoo boy does that one Get My Dander Up on multiple levels). I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this channel from now on; thanks for the introduction! 8D