I think it's more like an informal Blood Brothers than a PRF. In my opinion, a good distinction between a best friend and HLP is that if there's any kind of Masquerade, the HLP would be exposed to it pretty close to when the Protagonist learns about it.
Although I'm not really sure why the page specifies that one of them can be gay. I figure it's better to classify this trope as a pair of close friends with mutually Incompatible Orientation.
I think that "Heterosexual Life Partners" is the wrong title for this trope, as I think it implies that it is a romantic relationship between people of opposite sexes. A more accurate name would be "Non-sexual Life Partners".
Hide / Show RepliesYeah, I think it would be better to just merge this page with Platonic Life-Partners. After all, much of the time one or more of the "Heterosexual Life Partners" are not heterosexual, but simply have a platonic rather than romantic bond with their closest same-gender friend, just like how members of Platonic Life-Partners can be attracted to other people of the opposite sex. The point is just that they're close enough to be like a romantic couple, but they're not. That doesn't necessarily have to be something that's separated out by gender.
As for the concerns in the discussion below, combining the pages could just separate it out into "Opposite-Gender Examples" and "Same-Gender Examples." And there could be a paragraph on the different histories the two have, which is all that would really be needed (since that's mostly due to histories of sexism and homophobia, and other than that the tropes aren't that different).
Edited by 68.48.207.181I was about to suggest that the name simply be changed to platonic life partners, since it's truer, but I take it back if there is a whole different trope by that name. May I ask what the difference between "platonic life partners" and "heterosexual life partners" is? We shold probably sort it out into two different things. I do like the term "heterosexual life partners" just due to it being old and having a good ring, but definitely "platonic life partners" is a lot more accurate.
People often use "heterosexual life partners" to describe opposite gender friendships- and originally it wasn't split between genders. It was just describing a really strong platonic life partnership. I do not think we need to separate it out by gender, except to add on, as stated, the history behind opposite gender life partnership & other histories, because heterosexual life partners often included opposite sex platonic life partners as well. But otherwise I don't think examples should be really separated out. Unless the trope "Platonic Life Partner" is referring to something different from heterosexual life partners, in which case, is there a way to make the name somewhat less obfuscating? >_<
Otherwise, we could just keep it because it's been so long that people on tvtropes know what it means, even if the name is misleading. "Heterosexual Life Partners" emphasizes "not homosexual" versus "Platonic Life Partners" which emphasizes the life partnership and friendship, and I like it somewhat better than "Non-sexual life partners", because that's emphasizing "not sexual" versus the friendship, but both "platonic life partners" and "non-sexual life partners" work.
Just a friendly reminder: Rename discussions properly go into the Trope Repair Shop.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanNot sure if in a position to speak about this, but would appreciate if someone else made a topic about it. I don't enjoy the heteronormativity of the current title either.
Same - there isn't really a difference between same- and opposite- gender pairs, nor are there really differences based on orientation - we should know by now that you can't say a person who's attracted to wo/men at all is automatically attracted to all wo/men. But that assumption is the basis for the split between the gender configurations. (Also the way "but one of them might not be heterosexual" links to "incompatible orientations", implying they can't have same-sex interest and also have platonic same-sex friends).
Besides that, this is also people-sit-on-chairs - the sayings "bros before hos" and "chicks before dicks", crude as they are, are common enough to show that this is not only common among people in heterosexual relationships, it's expected. Which... maybe I'm the only one, but I always wonder why someone would say that and then waste their time on the "ho" or the "dick" instead of just spending more time with the people they actually like. But maybe that's just me.
I made this Idolized Julius Kingsley icon back when Akito first came out, and now that the crossover is actually happening, I don't care.Known for a fact, heterosexual mean opposite sex, so This trope name must become a redirect page to a trope called Same-sexual partners.
Edited by KiacopiaExactly, this trope shpuld actually be called Homosexual Life Partners.
Why can't we just merge this with Platonic Life Partners? It's so much more inclusive.
Hide / Show RepliesBecause they're two very distinct tropes with very different histories. Examples of close same-gender platonic relationships go back to antiquity. Historically, since people liked to believe that everyone was straight, they tended not to raise eyebrows, but they do seem remarkable from a modern perspective where we tend to assume that all close relationships must be romantic/sexual in nature.
Platonic Life-Partners is a much less common trope that really only seems to have gotten popular within the last few decades. Historically, there seems to have been a lot of resistance to the idea of a man and a woman being close friends without being romantically involved, and it's only recently that the idea of being close but not sexual with someone of the opposite gender has started to catch on.
Besides, the page for Heterosexual Life-Partners is huge. If we were to merge it with Platonic Life-Partners, examples of the latter would be massively outnumbered. It makes for easier navigating to let them have a special page all to themselves.
'Crisis or no, nothing should interfere with tea!'This trope assumes that both members are heterosexual; this isn't always the case. This trope merely enforces heteronormativity. In the asexual community, we use the phrase "queerplatonic life partners." Just putting it out there. :P
"Queerplatonic" as in "same-sex" plus "platonic"? Might be worth considering, though it's rather a mouthful and probably not readily recognisable outside the asexual community.
When asexuals use it, does it mean a platonic relationship, or a non-sexual romantic relationship? Because if you want to apply the term to non-asexual people, it makes a difference.
'Crisis or no, nothing should interfere with tea!'nope, the "queer" refers to the queering of relationships, in other words, relationship that are not seen as typical (queer is actually used to refer to someone who is not straight, i think). a queerplatonic relationship is often see as more than a friendship, but not romantic or sexual, and does not only apply to asexuals. so i think you might have a problem with it referring to both same-sex and opposite sex pairs.
these might help in explaining it, http://www.asexuality.org/wiki/index.php?title=Queerplatonic http://jhameia.tumblr.com/post/2868886233/word-of-the-day-queerplatonic http://fyeahqueerplatoniczucchinis.tumblr.com/faq
Surprised there isn't a Music subpage for this (I'm not sure how to start subpages myself, else I would)—as there are many bands that have two core members, or two co-songwriters who write most of the songs. Examples would include:
Steely Dan: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (core members and co-songwriters).
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (co-songwriters).
Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (co-songwriters).
The Eagles: Don Henley and Glenn Frey (co-songwriters).
The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul Mc Cartney (co-songwriters)—of course that partnership didn't last.
And of course Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates, etc....
Edited by WeAreAllKosh Hide / Show RepliesWhile the examples listed would technically be categorized under Music, seeing as they involve Real Life individuals (as opposed to fictional characters), they aren't to be listed on this particular trope.
Archived TRS threads for this page:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1347400150033500100&page=1
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1326228873042894600&page=1
"Learning without thinking is labor lost. Thinking without learning is dangerous."This title is very confusing. I had to read the Platonic Life Partners page before I truely understood this one. It needs a new name, badly.
Edited by ButterKit Hide / Show RepliesJust because you didn't get is no reason to sady 'badly'. You need to demonstrate misuse in a TRS thread to prove that a LOT of people don't get it.
It really is extremely convoluted. "Heterosexual"? From the get-go it means that both participants are heterosexual (yes, there is a "clarification", but that is only after an erroneous assumption is made) and then from a gender perspective it also makes it sound as if the characters are always one man and one woman.
It's a very mediocre title.
Edited by mattematteI think the title is just fine. It doesn't literally mean only heterosexuals of the same sex, and can apply to other sexual orientations, just like how you guys are saying that "Bromance" can apply to girls. Both terms don't SOUND inclusive at face-value, but are used as such. Plus the term "Heterosexual Life Partners" has been used even before this site took notice of it.
Also: "Note that despite the trope name, the characters in question are not necessarily both heterosexual." So they kind of explain it right there.
Edited by Shaddypink Hide / Show RepliesIt is erasure at its finest and totally inaccurate. These types of titles should be precise and leave as little room for "by-the-ways" as possible.
"Bromance", even if in itself not perfectly accurate, is still much more recognizable and encompassing.
Agreed (with a note that it can also apply to females).
'Crisis or no, nothing should interfere with tea!'Signed. The "heterosexual" (or any -sexual) part is unneeded, limiting and misleading.
Since Real Life examples were deleted, shouldn't "Pro wrestling" be removed too?
Hide / Show RepliesBearing in mind that you've left yourself open for a "wrestling isn't real" snark, you do make a fairly good point.
Edited by QubeThe "heterosexual" part is unnecessary, very limiting AND erasing life partners that are bisexual, pansexual, asexual etc. Heck, two people can be gay and actually be platonic best friends with each other. Or one of them can be gay and not see the other romantically.
It screams a very insecure 'no homo!' to me. Bromance would be better.
Edited by moi Hide / Show RepliesI agree, with the above point about a note that it can also be between two girls.
Just putting it out there, maybe it should be called "platonic life partners" since it can be with opposite sexes as well.
Hide / Show Replies"platonic life partners" is it's own trope, actually.
Edited by ButterKitOk, how did the two guys from Secondhand Lions not make this list? That was the first pair that came to my mind.
Shouldn't this be called "Heterosexual Same-Sex Life Partners"?
Hide / Show RepliesIf we wanted Exactly What It Says on the Tin, we wouldn't need the heterosexual part.
I'm a Troper!!!Does the heterosexual part means the partners are of heterosexuality?
Hide / Show RepliesDoes the heterosexual part means the partners are of heterosexuality.
I think this trope should be axed and its contents moved to Best Friends. It's just a male version of Psuedo-Romantic Friendship (which itself should only have Eastern media examples due to being an Eastern media trope) and having this trope and a Best Friends trope is just redundant.
You Are Not Alone...Until I Find You. Hide / Show Replies