Line #67 Main/PlatonicWritingRomanticReading


1	%% Image Pickin' discussion deemed this trope unpictureable: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=4d91yeux72upyq006325s3ln
2	%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image.
3
4	->''"...you cleaned his tonsils with your tongue! That's not a very 'motherly' thing to do!!"''
5	-->-- '''Creator/AmandaWinnLee''' on Shinji and Misato's relationship in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''
6
7	Most people, after reading enough fiction, begin to have an idea of how relationships begin to fit together and can spot a budding romance a mile off. Sometimes, though, the writers break away from these expectations and do something different. Normally, the writers figure out what the relationship between two people should be in a series, then they take the stock derivatives and toss in cues to clue the viewer into how things are between those two people. However, sometimes writers put too much BelligerentSexualTension into SiblingRivalry, or make the PlatonicLifePartners [[UnresolvedSexualTension a little too close,]] or toss a few too many LoveTropes at a pair that were only meant to be HeterosexualLifePartners.
8
9	This trope isn't about writers [[DesignatedLoveInterest fumbling the treatment of some relationship they meant to put in canon]]. This is about a writer fumbling their treatment of something that wasn't supposed to be a romantic relationship at all, so fans look at it and go "huh, seems like there's something there." Regardless of how it happened, they managed to write a platonic relationship as a romantic one and now the writers are stuck dealing with the consequences. In minor cases, it will just be a popular FanPreferredCouple, but sometimes you'll have [[MisaimedFandom entire fanbases assuming]] [[ImpliedLoveInterest that's what the writer "really" intended.]]
10
11	In some cases, the following occurs:
12	* The WordOfGod comes out to explain how things ''[[ShipSinking really]]'' are.
13	* The relationship is reworked to either concede or prohibit the unintended consequences in an UltimateUniverse.
14	* The scenes and dialog in question are [[{{Bowdlerise}} overdubbed]], [[CanonDiscontinuity excised]], or {{retcon}}ned.
15
16	This is highly subjective, of course. What may seem like obvious {{subtext}} to you might not be the case to another (in particular, a lot of plain old SiblingRivalry commonly gets [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation interpreted]] as BelligerentSexualTension). See also: HoYay, NoYay, IncestSubtext, HideYourGays, and TheNotLoveInterest. For the opposite of this trope, see DesignatedLoveInterest. For when heroes and villains seem unusually like a romantic couple, see FoeRomanceSubtext. Not to be confused with JustFriends, where a pair of friends have this dynamic intentionally to create sexual tension or ShipTease.
17	----
18	!!Examples subpages:
19
20	[[index]]
21	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/AnimeAndManga
22	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/ComicBooks
23	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/AnimatedFilms
24	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/LiveActionFilms
25	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/{{Literature}}
26	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/LiveActionTV
27	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/VideoGames
28	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading/WesternAnimation
29	[[/index]]
30
31	!!Other examples:
32
33	[[foldercontrol]]
34
35	[[folder:Advertising]]
36	* This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOQk_pWmisA remake]] of an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmuNpadhxo0&t=9s '80s Folger's commercial]] has a reunion between a guy who came back from for Christmas and his younger sister. In the original spot, this is depicted as innocent BigBrotherWorship due to her young age, but the remake ages her up, which makes her actions seem rather...[[IncestSubtext flirtatious]]. It ended up inspiring some parody videos, and even fanfiction, to play up the incest angle even further.
37	* A series of Renault Clio ads in the UK featured a pair of French people, a beautiful young woman named Nicole and a handsome old man--the viewer assumes from their ridiculous {{U\|nresolvedSexualTension}}ST and the old stereotypes about French men that they're lovers, until TheReveal when the woman addresses him as "Papa". This doesn't dispel the sexual tension, though, and they just look like an incestuous pair. When Creator/PeterCapaldi was asked about his role in Series 8 of ''Series/DoctorWho'', he reportedly was adamant that his relationship with the companion Clara had no sexual tension or flirting at all, requesting "no Papa-Nicole moments".
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
41	* In the newspaper comic strip ComicStrip/BeetleBailey, the titular Private is supposed to have an antagonistic relationship with his superior officer Sargent Snorkel with Beetle getting on Sarge's nerves due to his constant slacking and disrespect and Beetle handling Sarge's frustration and aggression by being snarky and rebellious in turn. In practice, their behavior ends up coming off as BelligerentSexualTension due to their almost obsessive desire to get under each other's skin and [[VitriolicBestBuds surprisingly tight knit friendship underneath it all]] along with sharing a heaping pile of moments together that come off looking a LOT more [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther tender and loving]] [[NotWhatItLooksLike than the writers probably intended.]] It's to the point that the common joke/headcanon among fans (And fan haters) is that Beetle and Sarge are secretly lovers in a "Don't ask, don't tell" era military with their frustrations and violence [[SlapSlapKiss simply being the means through which they can safely express their love for each other.]]
42	[[/folder]]
43
44
45	[[folder:Fan Works]]
46	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' had this between Carol and Harry, who were intended to be friends and PlatonicLifePartners. Despite that, there was some quite obvious [[UnresolvedSexualTension chemistry]] between the two from the start and WordOfGod -- after about forty chapters of vagueness -- wound up grudgingly admitting that the [[PortmanteauCoupleName ship name]] was cute, before apparently throwing up his arms, declaring that IJustWriteTheThing, and deciding to go with it. He's also added that by the sequel, both are more than JustFriends, with literally ''[[EveryoneCanSeeIt everyone]]'' being able to see it and their protestations ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis that they. Are. Not. Flirting]]'' being treated as a RunningGag. On a more serious note, both have tacitly admitted to being in love with each other, but with both of their issues (which are many, and varied), the two of them decided to keep things as they are for the time being, making it an AnchoredShip. For now. [[spoiler: As of chapter 46 of the sequel, they've had a RelationshipUpgrade.]]
47	%%* ''Fanfic/{{Deserving}}'' manages to do this with ''[[{{Squick}} two toddlers.]]''
48	* In the ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/53331484/chapters/134973007 Fallen]]'', the relationship between Lute and Velvette stated to be more along the lines of VitriolicBestBuds. However, due to Velvette being much softer towards Lute, up to saving her life several times, as well as WordOfGod mentioning they thought Lute had internalized homophobia, many assumed that Lute was struggling with dealing with unwanted feelings for the female Overlord.
49	* ''Hogwarts Exposed'':
50	** Caitlin and Emily are basically sisters through adoption. They are constantly enjoying each other's company, sleeping in the same bed, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick engaging in oral sex with each other]]. WordOfGod is that the oral sex is meant to be seen as a sign of the strength of their bond as sisters. A sporker of the series honestly couldn't tell if it was a joke or not when the girls declared themselves to be dating.
51	** The CardCarryingVillain school bully Dick Bancroft's interest in Jamie (who we're told he hates, and even tried to kill once) can easily be interpreted as romantic infatuation. Again, this hasn't been lost on sporkers.
52	* ''Fanfic/PrincessTrixieSparkle'': Luna and Shadow are supposed to be LikeBrotherAndSister, but many fans see them as a ChildhoodFriendRomance instead. It doesn't help that Shadow's FriendshipSong ballad, "My Dear Luna", parodies a love song.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Music]]
56	* "Let's Love" by Music/{{Echosmith}}, was originally written as a duet despite the fact that the two singers are siblings. When the label decided to make it a single, they understandably wanted it rerecorded as a solo.
57	* "White Wedding" by Music/BillyIdol, at face value, sounds a lot like incest. However, WordOfGod says that "little sister" was just supposed to be slang for "girlfriend" and is not ''actually'' about siblings.
58	* "Drops of Jupiter" by Music/{{Train}} is usually interpreted as a GriefSong addressed to a deceased girlfriend or wife by people who don't know the background behind it, since the lyrics make it seem like a LoveNostalgiaSong. It was actually written as a tribute to the lead singer's mother, who had died a few years prior to the song's release.
59	* "Space Between" from Descendants is supposed to be a song about friendship but the lyrics and subsequent scene in the movie where Mal and Evie are looking longingly at each other makes it seem more like a mutual breakup.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
63	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
64	** In the ''Scars of Mirrodin'' Block, Venser is supposed to have a relationship with Karn akin to that of a long lost pupil meeting the remains of his mentor... a relationship that was never developed beforehand (in fact, downright OutOfCharacter, considering both of them had more chemistry with Jhoira, Karn as a friend and Venser as a perv, and Karn actually disliked Venser), and this was never developed in the novel anyway.
65	** In an earlier Mirrodin Block, the main characters Glissa -- an elf -- and Slobad -- a goblin -- were supposed to be good friends or adopted family at best. However, between the frequent kisses she gives him, the fact that she doesn't mind undressing in front of him, and the blatant confession that he is important to her implies something else. The epilogue in the 'Fifth Dawn' only made it worse. Considering it was caused by bad writing, the writers were asking for the fumble.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Theatre]]
69	* In ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks and Annie are obviously meant to be seen as learning to love each other as a parent and child. But the fact that Warbucks effectively "proposes" adoption to Annie by giving her jewelry (a new locket), that they share a DanceOfRomance-like waltz during Warbucks's ParentalLoveSong "Something Was Missing," and that they go on to sing a duet titled "I Don't Need Anything But You," where they describe the pending adoption as "tying a knot" (a typical slang term for marriage), gives some viewers slightly "creepy" vibes. Some critics will claim the show hasn't aged well for this very reason.
70	* In ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'', Albus and Scorpius develop a forbidden relationship with one another that involves them risking their lives for one another, defying other people's attempts to keep them apart, and is even paralleled at one point with Snape and Lily's relationship. Said relationship is ''supposed'' to be strictly friendship, with Scorpius asking out his actual crush Rose at the end, but some readers interpreted it [[HoYay quite differently]]. Notably, as same-sex couples have become more common and accepted in mainstream media, a revised version of the script used for later performances actually ''does'' very strongly imply romantic feelings between the two. It removes the HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday conversation between them near the end, does away entirely with Scorpius's crush on Rose, and has Albus tell Harry in one scene that Scorpius is the most important person in his life, and maybe always will be.
71	* ''Theatre/SundayInTheParkWithGeorge'' has perhaps one of the oddest examples out there, introducing a fumble between a man and an apparition of his deceased great-grandmother [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane that may or may not actually be there]]. The man in question, George, is the [[IdenticalGrandson identical great-grandson]] of painter Creator/GeorgesSeurat, and she seems to think he's him, but Sondheim probably should've thought before giving lines like "[[TriumphantReprise We have always belonged together]]" to relatives.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Webcomics]]
75	* Stunt and Bumper from ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'' gave off extreme vibes of HoYay from the start. Except they were only meant to be HeterosexualLifePartners. In the end, the creator just went with it and gave them several moments of ShipTease.
76	* In ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'', the Nightmare Knight is supposed to have a parental relationship with all of the Disaster Masters. However, that was not made very clear outside of WordOfGod, making many people assume that Rosemaster's deep devotion and love for him were romantic rather than daughterly.
77	* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': The on-panel dynamics between the main characters are meant to be entirely platonic. However, two of the closer pairs of friends are gradually gaining a LikeAnOldMarriedCouple dynamic and are frequently seen doing things alone together. When the story reaches a point where the main group would have every reason to split up, the two pairs of very good friends plan to stay together either by choice or because someone else wants them to.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Web Original]]
81	* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick'':
82	** During her ''Film/TheBabySittersClub'' review, she comments that [[{{Tomboy}} Kristy]] and [[AsianAirhead Claudia]] share looks that [[LongingLook seem to go on just a bit too long.]] She also notes that the subplot about Kristy's VisitByDivorcedDad comes off like an awkward meeting with an "ex who lost a lot of weight". [[{{Squick}} (Also, burnt pancakes shaped like sperm.)]]
83	--->'''Chick!Kristy:''' I'm just having an affair with my dad, you guys!
84	** In her crossover review of ''WesternAnimation/TheChipmunkAdventure'' with WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic, he incorrectly refers to the villains as lovers, only for the Chick to comment that they're brother and sister. This just {{Squick}}s him out.
85	** In her review of ''Film/{{Matilda}}'' guest star Creator/MaraWilson mentions how fans of the movie wrote a lot of slash fic between her character and the teacher (bear in mind, Matilda was six years old and the teacher adopts her at the end). A kind-of romantic clip of the two plays, and the Chick admits that she kind of sees it, to Mara's disgust.
86	--->'''The Chick:''' It's not ''not'' there!
87	* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'': In ''The Top 11 Dumbest Moments in The Lord of the Rings films'', The critic mentions that the relationship between Frodo and Sam seems more like a gay romance than a friendship.
88	* [[MindGameShip Flippy and Flaky]] from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' are victims of this trope, according to most fans. In spite of the fact that the creator has set two prominent [[OfficialCouple official couples]] (Cuddles/Giggles and Handy/Petunia), [[FanPreferredCouple a lot of fans still want to see Flippy/Flaky happening]]. There are many reasons this happened, but the most important ones are the fact that Flaky is the only one who has appeared to get closer to Flippy, becoming a potential good friend of him, which apparently determined him to stop killing her. She even made him return to his normal self once, although Flaky has developed a phobia for him and she has started running away from him in the latest episode. There is also the fact that Flaky has no gender according to WordOfGod, in an interview that also reveals that Flaky is asexual.
89	* A weirdly circular example in ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel''. The friendship between Charlie and Vaggie was written so tenderly that many storyboard artists working on the show took them to be a couple; Vivienne decided to roll with that and they are canonically a couple now. But in the final product, their relationship is so subtle that many first-time viewers take Vaggie to simply be Charlie's friend, plus it doesn't help that Charlie is the only person Vaggie responds positively to and [[SatelliteCharacter her goals entirely revolve around Charlie's.]]
90	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Qrow and Clover were initially supposed to be antagonistic towards each other and only become friends over the course of Volume 7. However, fans mistakenly thought the pair was being set up for a romance due to several unplanned events that forced writer Eddy Rivas to acknowledge with hindsight that it could have been better handled: the voice actors so underplayed the early antagonism that fans didn't detect it; certain animators improvised body-language to be more flirtatious than intended; and the official RWBY social media account played with ShipTease. This led to a backlash from the LGBTQ community, who felt like they'd been queerbaited [[spoiler:when Clover's death ended the opportunity for some rare male representation in a female-dominated show]].
91	[[/folder]]

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