a fervent defense of love triangles

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  • Опубліковано 29 лип 2021
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 412

  • @juliacudney
    @juliacudney  2 роки тому +770

    if i comment about my pronouncing cosette like cassette, i'm hoping nobody else will

    • @YolandaMovieCorner
      @YolandaMovieCorner 2 роки тому +4

      ua-cam.com/video/KctNKrDLA7o/v-deo.html

    • @trinaq
      @trinaq 2 роки тому +6

      No worries, that's how I used to pronounce her name all the time! 😂

    • @kawaiiblossom3117
      @kawaiiblossom3117 2 роки тому +2

      I would probably weren’t have known without you saying 😂

    • @juliannapaul6553
      @juliannapaul6553 2 роки тому +6

      as a proud mother of a cat named cosette, I appreciate ur mispronunciation bc my sweet cat would have gone crazy hearing her name so many times LOL

    • @chrissy9673
      @chrissy9673 2 роки тому +3

      It's not a bug it's a feature 🙌

  • @Twisted_A
    @Twisted_A 2 роки тому +932

    I feel like most “ love triangles” aren’t actually love triangles at all. They are more like a third wheel trope. They develop one relationship in depth. But not the other one. Like in the case of twilight. We all knew that Jacob was the throw away character that stuck out like a sore thumb in Bella and Edwards love story. Most of the second options in a love triangles are just throw away characters that don’t have nearly as much character development as the two main protagonists in love.I like love triangles as long as both relationships are well developed and I don’t know from the first five minutes of the movie who the main protagonist will end up with ( or very rarely).

    • @orimengu
      @orimengu 2 роки тому +39

      The perfect example of a real love triangle is Will-James-Tessa in the Shadowhunters books

    • @flowerously5504
      @flowerously5504 2 роки тому +2

      @@orimengu I came to say this omg, they have such interesting and developed relationships

    • @Parthivigupta
      @Parthivigupta 2 роки тому +19

      Jane the virgin has an intense love triangle with well developed characters. I also feel True Beauty webtoon has a great love triangle with well developed male leads in the triangle. Another example of a really well done triangle is in Never Have I Ever

    • @KC-ep6sg
      @KC-ep6sg 2 роки тому +12

      @@Parthivigupta truuue jane the virgin was a great love triangle, well developed from both sides- I argued pretty hard with my friend over rafael vs michael (team rafael btw, despite a few cute moments I hate michael with the fire of a thousand suns)

    • @k80_
      @k80_ 2 роки тому +20

      A wise tumblr user once said: love triangles can’t exist without at least one lgbt person, writers just don’t know how shapes work. Most love triangles are love corners, and the woman is usually the one backed into it

  • @trinaq
    @trinaq 2 роки тому +309

    I actually don't mind love triangles, if they're written in a believable way. If the romantic rival starts off as genuinely nice, only to randomly turn into a jerk to make way for the main couple to be together, that's when I start to lose interest.

    • @tariqthomas9090
      @tariqthomas9090 2 роки тому +8

      Agreed. I can think of multiple times when love triangles actually enhanced the story. Outlander and Jane The Virgin (at least until the final season) are the first ones that come to mind.

    • @Hungarycloud
      @Hungarycloud 2 роки тому +2

      Thank you, Sarah J Maas.

  • @jadesmith417
    @jadesmith417 2 роки тому +226

    “I love a video essay about media I’ve never touched” - If that isn’t me in a sentence!!
    As a romance reader, love triangles are unavoidable, but I’m still not crazy about them. The endgame couple is usually glaringly obvious, and I don’t like it when two members of the love triangle are related. I’ve noticed more people online are talking about “love angles” and “love squares” and “love corners” and other branch terms.
    I thought that “august” and “betty” were connected! In both songs the other girl tells the guy to get in her car, so I thought they were both James, they both talk about a summer love, and they both talk about being in bed together (although James is thinking of Betty). I didn’t know there was a third song that connected.

    • @TuesdaysArt
      @TuesdaysArt 2 роки тому +6

      Me, rewatching Jay Exci's 5 hour Doctor Who video for a second time despite never watching a single minute of Doctor Who

    • @edengallagher1044
      @edengallagher1044 2 роки тому +6

      cardigan is the third song, it's from Betty's perspective looking back years later

  • @witchplease9695
    @witchplease9695 2 роки тому +97

    The only love triangles I like are the ones where Person 1 likes Person 2 who likes Person 3 who likes Person 1. Everyone is unrequited and everyone is desired. Most love triangles are just a couple and the third wheel who likes one of them.

    • @Mariamox
      @Mariamox 2 роки тому +1

      Yeah, it's always mostly someone who had feelings for ones has feelings for another now.

    • @candyisreading8813
      @candyisreading8813 2 роки тому +2

      Ooh I've never read one like this - do you have any recommendations? 🥰

    • @violet7773
      @violet7773 2 роки тому +3

      @@candyisreading8813 Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (and the modern retelling She's the Man with Amanda Bynes)
      I don't know of any others though

  • @cora8298
    @cora8298 2 роки тому +310

    to paraphrase lady bird: THEYRE POPULAR FOR A REASON. THEYRE POPULAR BECAUSE THEYRE GOOD.

  • @leilaniz5909
    @leilaniz5909 2 роки тому +109

    Love triangles are supposed to be 2 stories in 1: one of romance and one of tragedy. Many romance authors do not know how to do the tragedy, especially when people like the character that falls into tragedy. Many people want to see all characters lives wrap up in a bow and be happy.

    • @crapshots
      @crapshots 2 роки тому

      that is a really great and concise way to put it!!!

  • @jane-mulcahy
    @jane-mulcahy 2 роки тому +405

    yes!! I think love triangles are at their best when all three parties care for each other (the Les Mis one is a great example), it makes them so much more engaging. honestly some of the best love triangles I've seen are in Bollywood movies!
    (also I lost it at sped-up Taylor Swift)

    • @mayas3422
      @mayas3422 2 роки тому +10

      bollywood love triangles are honestly so iconic

    • @wordswarsandsymphonies
      @wordswarsandsymphonies 2 роки тому +13

      Kuch Kuch Hota Hai anyone????

    • @jane-mulcahy
      @jane-mulcahy 2 роки тому +9

      @@wordswarsandsymphonies yessss I was thinking of that one and Kal Ho Naa Ho!

    • @moonshinefox
      @moonshinefox 2 роки тому +9

      yes!!!! gimme more love triangles in which the "2 options" care about each other! it doesn't even have to be romantic, but something like jem-tessa-will from cassandra clare's the infernal devices trilogy. jem and will care soooo much about each other, and the angst is great. or even damon-elena-stefan from tvd, while damon tries to pretend he only cares about elena, the brothers really care for each other too.

  • @jackcullen5085
    @jackcullen5085 2 роки тому +65

    "Childhood friends to enemies to coworkers to lovers" is literally catradora

    • @bri1024
      @bri1024 2 роки тому +8

      Catradora supremacy

  • @XDAliyaXD
    @XDAliyaXD 2 роки тому +279

    As a fan of k-dramas I believe that the second lead syndrome is a staple of a k-romcom and I love it!

    • @flowertales2
      @flowertales2 2 роки тому +1

      i was gonna say!!

    • @sarahbee4596
      @sarahbee4596 2 роки тому +20

      When you root for the main couple while also rooting for the 2nd lead...Im like :Come to me bb, I'll love you 🤣🤣

    • @natyinthehouse
      @natyinthehouse 2 роки тому +4

      @@sarahbee4596 Kim seonho…. Do I need to say more?

    • @rebekahWalton
      @rebekahWalton 2 роки тому

      Yeah, love triangles are necessary in Kdramas.

    • @the_lorax9079
      @the_lorax9079 2 роки тому +1

      @@natyinthehouse GIRRRRRLLLLL! Do not even bring that up, the poor guy! HIGHLY recommend his drama Catch the Ghost if you have not seen it, it is a personal favorite.

  • @victorianmelodrama
    @victorianmelodrama 2 роки тому +86

    I don't really like love triangles when the focus is on the person in the middle ("Who will she choose? This hot guy, or this other hot guy?").
    My favorite love triangles focus on the people in the periphery, either the two love interests competing with each other or focusing on the tragedy of the person who lost.
    For example, in The Favourite, the focus is on the two women vying for the queen's heart, and not to spoil things, but the person you were rooting for turns out to the the last person you would want to win. Another example is the Phantom of the Opera. Christine and Raoul are super boring but it's worth it to see the Phantom angst about losing his love to the man who is everything the Phantom isn't.

    • @avivastudios2311
      @avivastudios2311 3 місяці тому +1

      I'm thinking about writing that. Thanks. These comments make me feel a lot better about my idea.

  • @natyinthehouse
    @natyinthehouse 2 роки тому +78

    I know it is sort of a love square, but I really appreciate how Enchanted did it. Giselle fell in love at first sight with Prince Edward and decided to get married after a day, but then she goes into our world and falls in love with Patrick Dempsey gradually by getting to know him and Morgan. Then of course we need to acknowledge how Patrick Dempsey is engaged to Nancy, but they aren’t passionately in love. He falls in love with her and gradually changes for the better because of her. Then Edward magically appears and of course she has to go back to her world and get married. But then we get the King and Queens Ball and the dance (which will be the song played at my wedding) and Nancy and Edward realize that Giselle and Patrick Dempsey are in love with each other and are perfect for each other. Then the kiss solidifies that when Edward kisses Giselle and it doesn’t work. Then Nancy saying it’s okay because she knows…… and then the reverse of the damsel in distress with Giselle saving the day. Then the shoe fitting Nancy just makes it have a happy ever after for everybody. The entire love story gives enough conflict and reasoning on the part of everybody. Even Nancy who just decides to become a princess for the heck of it. And so Idina Menzel became two Disney princesses. And also two queens because the Queen died in New York.

    • @ximenaalarcon8550
      @ximenaalarcon8550 2 роки тому +5

      yess i love your analysis, this is in fact a GREAT example of a relly good love triangle/square

  • @mylife72410
    @mylife72410 2 роки тому +210

    as someone who has watched all the twilight movies twice since they came to Netflix, I appreciate this.

    • @trinaq
      @trinaq 2 роки тому +3

      Nice, that's what I call dedication, my friend!

  • @mayas3422
    @mayas3422 2 роки тому +184

    i will defend the hunger games love triangle until i DIE people who think it was overused are confusing the media hype and the movies with the books, the love triangle was thematically important and paralleled katniss's overall conflict in an incredibly artful way in this essay i will--
    banger video julia 10/10 will listen to again while playing minecraft

    • @crapshots
      @crapshots 2 роки тому +19

      100% yes!!! i love it when the love triangle symbolically represents the center's internal conflict / journey (and also sometimes that of the two romantic rivals). re: the hunger games love triangle, i actually liked both peeta and gale for katniss. while i usually side with the rejected character of a love triangle, this was one rare case where i agreed with katniss' final choice, precisely because of how her decision aligned with her morality.

    • @kaykeunil
      @kaykeunil 2 роки тому +5

      I’ve literally never watched the hunger games on account of pop culture osmosis but even I know that the love triangle was super important to the story, and the media decided to play up and focus on the love triangle rather than what it actually stood for, just like in the books and movies. I like that while Katniss is conflicted, both love interests are viable options; the capital keeps focusing on her love life rather than the actual serious problems of the games and what she’s going through, and that’s important.

  • @SS-xr7jf
    @SS-xr7jf 2 роки тому +155

    Does Titanic really count as a love triangle though? I would think that you would need, like, 3 love interests. Because Rose’s fiancé is never really depicted as one, not in story or from the perspective of what the narrative is ultimately trying to say. He’s an antagonist, an obstacle, the representation of all the societal expectations that trap and contain Rose. He could have just as easily have been replaced with an overbearing father. Because the point was never ‘who will rose choose??’ It’s ‘will rose be strong enough to escape the gilded cage that is her class?’.

    • @bri1024
      @bri1024 2 роки тому +3

      This

    • @vic3041
      @vic3041 2 роки тому +4

      it technically is a love triangle, it's just not popularly treated as one. there's no meaningful romantic feelings between Rose's evil fiancé and her, but he is an obstacle to the endgame relationship, just like Gale from THG or Jacob from Twilight.

  • @pandas4evr123197
    @pandas4evr123197 2 роки тому +203

    I think Love Triangles CAN be great, I just think they are used a lot and often used poorly. I think a good love triangle is one without a clear winner. When the odds are stacked in favor of one or the other love interests, it just gets annoying. Like we all knew Peeta and Katniss were going to end up together, so all those Gale scenes in the books just felt like filler and made Gale as a character feel very one dimensional. An example of a good love triangle in my opinion is in Jane the Virgin where they fully flesh out Michael and Rafael and show both of them in real healthy relationships with the protagonist. The audience can actually see Jane choosing either of the two options without there being a clear cut winner. I guess what I'm saying is.... thought needs to be put into it, and a love triangle should never just be shoe- horned into a story because it'll always feel cheap.

    • @elodik6922
      @elodik6922 2 роки тому +3

      I haven't fully watched jane the virgin but kinda watched it when my sister was binging it on tv and i was pretty surprised at how it played out from what I saw I totally expected it to go the rafael route and just ignore michael

    • @emilykate0835
      @emilykate0835 2 роки тому +33

      I think the thing with THG is that while the movies focused a lot on the triangle, in the actual story it isn’t really a big thing and is used more as a personification of the themes Katniss is grappling between: peace or war

    • @reaganbartels9993
      @reaganbartels9993 2 роки тому +20

      I don't think a love triangle needs to be an even competition like JtV to be good. Most love triangles represent a thematic choice and even if you know who someone's going to pick, it can still be interesting to explore the conflict.
      Edit: That being said, I do think that a lot of stories have love triangles that simply exist to create conflict and drama and with no meaningful choice whatsoever * cough cough * Twilight

    • @tariqthomas9090
      @tariqthomas9090 2 роки тому +7

      What JTV also did well was make sure that the logistics of the love triangle made sense.
      No one involved comes out looking like a bad person, they are just trying their best in a really complicated situation. Also, when Jane chooses she sticks WITH the person she chooses.

    • @procopias7571
      @procopias7571 2 роки тому +2

      @@emilykate0835 exactly! Gale as a character in the books and his relationship to Katniss - romantic or otherwise - was very compelling to me because of the themes it presented. I knew she was probably going to choose Peeta but it was a very interesting dynamics to follow.
      Another done right is the Kagome/Inuyasha/Kikyou in the anime/manga inuyasha, you know who the main couple is but the triangle is much more thematic than about "who this boy going to pick"

  • @scrappusrattus6937
    @scrappusrattus6937 2 роки тому +24

    Maybe I'm drunk, but 'Emma - which you might know better as Clueless' had me SCREAMING

  • @kelliesmith5113
    @kelliesmith5113 2 роки тому +23

    in defense of swearing off certain tropes in fanfiction, i only avoid angst without a happy ending, which i think is valid lol

    • @TuesdaysArt
      @TuesdaysArt 2 роки тому +6

      Honestly, same. It's hurt/comfort or nothing when it comes to angst. Fiction is an escape from misery, it shouldn't be a source of misery.

    • @kelliesmith5113
      @kelliesmith5113 2 роки тому +3

      @@TuesdaysArt oh for sure, i read exactly one major angst (ended with major character death) cause it was highly recommended, and i have never been the same since

  • @hopefullywholesome1955
    @hopefullywholesome1955 2 роки тому +276

    To be fair, the usual love triangle isn’t really a triangle. It’s a love angle. There’s no bottom line. To make it a love triangle you’d have to make Peeta (for example) have some underlying love for Gale. Which, played right, would be very interesting

    • @tj3492
      @tj3492 2 роки тому +57

      I was literally just saying this , it can’t be a love triangle if it’s just two dudes Pining after 1 girl . I wanna see a real love triangle were person a likes person b who likes person c but person c likes person A . That would perfect drama

    • @nathaniello9733
      @nathaniello9733 2 роки тому +8

      Petaxgale I would watch and read this 😫

    • @nocturnalanimals5884
      @nocturnalanimals5884 2 роки тому +9

      tbh suzanne should’ve also made both katniss and gale in love with peeta. it makes the most sense

    • @erinmariecece
      @erinmariecece 2 роки тому +1

      I always thought this!! To be a complete love triangle all sides have to connect. The same thing works for love squares.

    • @violet7773
      @violet7773 2 роки тому +8

      @@tj3492 late to the party but Shakespeare's Twelfth Night has exactly this. Unfortunately, instead of a queer character, one character is a woman pretending to be a man in order to have a job, but she falls for her boss who is in love with his neighbour who falls in love with our protagonist. Twelfth Night also inspired the film She's the Man with Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum, which is fun but pretty dated nowadays

  • @pedroxqui
    @pedroxqui 2 роки тому +21

    I think the 2 main problems with love triangles are that 1) 9 out of 10 is the lazy cliché triangle where a regular-looking-but-secretly-super-hot girl is deciding between the 2 interchangable and virtually the same ultra hot dude (just that one is a bad boy with abs and the other is a nerd with abs), so, there's nothing new nor interesting about it... and 2) it's used as a B plot filler that takes time away from the more interesting A plot (Like in "the host", if you read it because of the alien invasion story, it'll be super annoying then)

    • @T0xXx1k
      @T0xXx1k 2 роки тому +1

      If you didn't know the host was Myers original brain of breaking Dawn. They wanted 4 books so she wrote new moon, which threw the original ending out of whack so she rewrote it. But still really liking her original story she swapped the names and species of the 'threat' and that's how we got the host. 🙃
      ~🧡 🦇

    • @pedroxqui
      @pedroxqui 2 роки тому

      @@T0xXx1k oh my, I didn't know that!

    • @T0xXx1k
      @T0xXx1k 2 роки тому

      @@pedroxqui lol kind of explains alot doesn't it? I heard Stephanie talk about it in an interview back at the height of the first twilight craze and now with the 'renaissance' of twilight I have thoroughly enjoyed reminding ppl at every opportunity that this is how all of this happened to us. New moon, Jacob loves babies, the host, all of it and it's just so bizarre.
      ~🧡 🦇

  • @shawnallen3836
    @shawnallen3836 2 роки тому +65

    My thing with love triangles is that my favorite part of a romance storyline is the part we’re they are together in a happy relationship and I feel like love triangles are an obstacle that stands in my way. To add insult to injury often the writer is clear who the person will choose its like I could be enjoying A and B being cute together but we have to pretend C has a chance

    • @wordswarsandsymphonies
      @wordswarsandsymphonies 2 роки тому +6

      yessss i need more romance with established relationships. that's why i like series with good romance; they get together by the end of the 1st or 2nd book, get to be a happy couple that overcomes challenges together for awhile, and then near the finale of the series some tragic twist rips them apart and they have to fight harder than ever to reunite.

  • @ximenaalarcon8550
    @ximenaalarcon8550 2 роки тому +100

    I think a good love triangle is the one of Paxton-Devi-Ben in Never have i ever because i actually like both of them A LOT, i am a little bit more of team Ben but i wouldnt mind if she stays with Paxton because i also love him a lot. I really think that Devi has a god relacion ships with both of them and thats what makes the triangle god.

    • @bellamckenzie4433
      @bellamckenzie4433 Рік тому +2

      Omg yes I’m so glad you mentioned this show!! I know I’m late to the party, but Never Have I Ever actually fleshes out the love triangle so well. I’ve had moments where I was able to root for Devi and Ben, and Devi and Paxton, because their characters and relationships are properly fleshed out. It’s never felt like one guy had more of a chance than the other, and that’s the way love triangles should be. Even though I think Devi and Ben will end up together, I truly feel like the endgame could swing either way.

  • @anna-ie5lk
    @anna-ie5lk 2 роки тому +15

    The part about how fanfiction has made us think we know what’s coming in non fanfiction is so absolutely true. Just because fanfiction uses the same self-fulfilling tropes, it doesn’t mean authors writing original characters will copy paste these in their own work.

  • @abbywolffe4114
    @abbywolffe4114 2 роки тому +64

    In my opinion love triangles work better when the two people competing also have a relationship. Will/Jem/Tessa works because Will and Jem are parabatai. The vampire diaries kind of sucks, but Damon/Stefan/Elena is passable because Damon and Stefan are brothers. Ellie/Paul/Aster (like she mentioned) from The Half of It works because Ellie and Paul are friends. Otherwise the competitors have no other internal conflict concerning the romance.

    • @moonshinefox
      @moonshinefox 2 роки тому +5

      i agree! jem-will-tessa is a great example of a true triangle, because even if will and jem aren't in love with each other (i mean in my headcannon they are, but shh), they still care so much about each other, absolutely hate the idea of hurting each other, and tessa knows and truly loves them both is it's all beautiful angst and love. same with maon-elena-stefan, while damon and stefan fight a lot and try to pretend they don't care about each other, in the end they really do love each other and it causes great angst

    • @crstph
      @crstph 2 роки тому +2

      exactlyyyy you can complete the ~triangle~ if the two competitors have any sort of significant relationship, romantic or not, because then all permutations of the triangle have potential for interesting/dramatic one-on-one scenes. however if they dont have a relationship, or even if the relationship is purely hate-edward/bella/jacob-then its far less interesting, bc neither edward or jacob have any conflict about pursuing bella, so the “conflict” is just the audience screaming MAKE UP UR MIND!!

  • @LeilaleilaZ
    @LeilaleilaZ 2 роки тому +18

    what do you MEAN you haven't encountered polyamorous love triangles, have you not read The Infernal Devices?! YOU'RE MISSING OUT!! arguably the best love triangle out there

  • @tikaedits
    @tikaedits 2 роки тому +51

    as a fan of titanic... it's not really a love triangle. cal is a straight up villain, not a romantic interest.
    (btw how can "team jacob" exist lmaooo)

    • @bri1024
      @bri1024 2 роки тому +6

      Completely agree. Imo love triangles have to involve some kind of internal conflict in the protagonist, bc “how ever will I choose between these two love interests?”
      With Rose, there didn’t seem to be a lot of internal conflict when it came to the question of Jack or Cal. At first she was a bit hesitant, but given that the whole story took place over the course of a few days, it’s clear that her hesitation didn’t last long, and she immediately went to be with Jack. Therefore, I don’t consider Titanic to be a love triangle story.
      Sorry for the rant lol

    • @leonardoives674
      @leonardoives674 2 роки тому +5

      To be fair how did team Edward exist either? All I know from my Gf is apparently I'm supposed to support team Alice

    • @lithiumkid
      @lithiumkid 2 роки тому

      i don't get how team Edward existed. he was a stalker & a creep, & the moment he and Bella started actually talking everything he said was off-putting & a glaring red flag, even to me as a teenager. the age gap [to me] is messed up, & he admits to sneaking into her dad's house & popping into her bedroom to watch her sleep for months before they ever spoke.

  • @murron1125
    @murron1125 2 роки тому +58

    In 2 of the books I read recently, Legendborn and the inheritance games, they both had love triangles. I liked them both because in both instances, the 2 options seemed viable and I didn’t know which the writer would go with. For legendborn, my moneys on sel but only because of his popularity outside the book, and for the inheritance games I genuinely have no idea. Love triangles aren’t my favourite but they are spicy and who likes bland food?

  • @kiteride8674
    @kiteride8674 2 роки тому +18

    I think love triangles were definitely overdone for a while and half-assed. A good love triangle explores both "what ifs" deeply and leaves a character torn to an extent. Also all three characters need to be well developed. I am also very here for more triangles involving at least one gay or bi party. Could make for things getting very messy.

  • @tegan6554
    @tegan6554 2 роки тому +9

    "Never have i ever" on netflix has a well done love triangle that develops both potential relationships really well, and even though im firmly team ben, ive seen a bunch of people be conflicted on which love interest they like better. Mindy Kaling (the creator) is so great at creating relationships that are easy to root for and see the appeal of.

  • @ariellelyons
    @ariellelyons 2 роки тому +64

    i think i have a personal bias against love triangles because i’ve been involved in two of them and lost out both times, but both guys sucked looking back so i guess i actually won

  • @karinaazul98
    @karinaazul98 2 роки тому +17

    you mentioned the half of it and since i hadn't seen it and didn't want to be spoiled, I paused you, went to watch it (cried, twice) and now im back. that was all.

  • @julil3021
    @julil3021 2 роки тому +6

    Hunger games was katniss not giving a shit and 2 guys fighting over her while she tried to save the world

    • @leonardoives674
      @leonardoives674 2 роки тому

      I felt this way the entire film and book series. To be honest I wouldve prefer if she didnt end up with either though.

  • @sofcarolq
    @sofcarolq 2 роки тому +15

    I'm so glad this channel is a Team Edward/Peeta safe space

  • @taeilhyuckbae
    @taeilhyuckbae 2 роки тому +11

    the story of will, tessa and jem is one of the most iconic love stories in ya

  • @mollywilson8442
    @mollywilson8442 2 роки тому +7

    Let us not forget one of the original love squares - Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream!

  • @emmypax5084
    @emmypax5084 2 роки тому +25

    I think if there's any use to the word cliche, it's when you're talking about "lazy storytelling" but including most tropes isn't a sign of laziness, it's a sign of wanting to tell a certain type of story. The exception is when the trope is something that's been discredited for good reason, like pertinent value's dissonance. Like, I think it's fair to call the "magical Native American" trope a cliche, because it's lazy and potentially harmful if that's your story's entire representation of First Nations characters. But plot tropes, I very much agree with you. They're tools. Sometimes it's a little predictable what those tools build, but that doesn't mean using that tool was wrong.
    Anyhow, you said that all very well. Great video!

  • @robindaly9040
    @robindaly9040 2 роки тому +17

    once again you are So Right about Everything. personally i love a love triangle as a sample of a character choosing a different life that the two love interests represent. ik twilight is a bad example but its literally bella choosing being a vampire (edward) over choosing a normal human life (jacob). that's what its all about babey!

  • @daisysaunders4883
    @daisysaunders4883 2 роки тому +2

    As a writer, I could think of nothing worse than writing a love triangle plot - imagine receiving hate from fans (e.g. Stephanie Meyer) because you simply paired up your character with someone not to their liking yiikkess

  • @stellasings5440
    @stellasings5440 2 роки тому +9

    a good example of a “mathematician’s love triangle” is twelfth night! olivia likes viola who likes orsino who likes olivia

  • @vlad5042
    @vlad5042 Рік тому +2

    thank you, god. im so sick of "love triangles suck" being treated like a truism with no justification other than "theyre boring, theyre annoying" sometimes not even that, just saying "they suck" and assuming everybody agrees. when, like... its one of the most popular tropes in writing, like for centuries, it obviously has some dramatic appeal.

  • @primadonna9087
    @primadonna9087 2 роки тому +2

    My favorite love triangle is Dawson/Joey/Pacey. I think it works so well because since Pacey and Dawson were friends prior it has added tension but not only that they had an unique dynamic Dawson projected his insecurity in his masculinity onto Pacey and sometimes made Pacey feel like second fiddle and stupid and Pace envied Dawson's life as he had parents that loved him and treated him well and had prospects in life. And then you add Joey who at least in my opinion craves change but fears it deeply having to choose not between two people but also meaning so much more that just who do i like.

  • @conniethecoolcat6962
    @conniethecoolcat6962 2 роки тому +13

    I love the hair and the whiteboard , both were essential to my understanding of this topic

  • @user-mz2ne4yh2t
    @user-mz2ne4yh2t 2 роки тому +5

    You: love triangles
    Me, an intellectual: Rachel, Finn, Quinn and Puck's love square then Rachel, Finn, Quinn, Puck, Santana, Sam's love hexagon

  • @sydneydunaway5618
    @sydneydunaway5618 2 роки тому +27

    Emma 2020 was so good and every time someone mentions it even in passing I get a major blast of serotonin.
    Well said, Julia. Loved the white board bit.
    Whenever people dunk on the existence of certain storytelling patterns that have always been around, I find it rather reductive. Like the chosen one trope you mentioned especially grinds my gears. Can this be used to facilitate a simple power fantasy? Sure. But it can also be a great way to explore differences in class or culture by elevating a character out of one situation into another that's deeply alienating to them and their specific upbringing. And that makes for good stories!!

  • @gabrielleduplessis7388
    @gabrielleduplessis7388 Рік тому +1

    I hate love triangles when the person chooses the toxic person over the healthier and nicer one. Healthy relationships do not have to be boring.

  • @VanessaJup
    @VanessaJup 2 роки тому +8

    I recently watched the forth season of Elite and halfway through I noticed the entire plot was basically just 5 love triangles. And I was loving every second of it! ✨
    (Also, Elite does Love Triangle To Throuple at least once, which I love. 💜)

  • @AKookieForYou
    @AKookieForYou 2 роки тому +63

    I've never outright hated love triangles, but I am extremely picky with how they're portrayed, and that mostly comes from the plethora of them that I've been subjected to lol. Also, I feel extremely called out. I love TVD, especially Damon and Elena together, and I was definitely one of those people who shipped Bella with Jacob lolol.

  • @emmypax5084
    @emmypax5084 2 роки тому +26

    I just straight up love it when romance is complicated and messy and dramatic in a story and wouldn't you know it, Love Triangles are a great way to facilitate that. I'm sorry, but conventional three-act structure story telling doesn't work without conflict. Gotta get it from somewhere.

  • @azrielwest2810
    @azrielwest2810 2 роки тому +26

    I have two reasons to not like 'love triangles'. First, it's almost never a love triangle, it's a love V. Unless the two love interests also want each other,which could make for interesting drama and story points and I for one welcome that,( And I mean actually stated and represented in the text and not just fan cannon or subtext, come on, Edward and Jacob totally had chemistry) it's just a love V. I agree with you, it could be awesome to see something polyamory or some bisexual representation.
    The second reason is that the love interests are very rarely equally filled out personality wise and rarely have a strong reason for the main character to want both and be conflicted about who to choose. It can also make the main character seem hatefully self centered. No one deserves to be lead on.

  • @itsnotrightbutitsokay1154
    @itsnotrightbutitsokay1154 2 роки тому +10

    Love triangles I think is one of the tropes that is most dependent on good writing. The best version of a love triangle that I’ve seen is with Jane the Virgin because Jane could have ended up with anyone of them and she still would have been happy. I’ve personally never liked the love triangle with Stefan, Elena and Damon bc it was obvious who she was going to end up with and it kind of ruined the relationship between the brothers which I believe was actually more important than the romance (also I believe Damon should have ended up with Bonnie - yes I am still bitter)

    • @athenajaxon2397
      @athenajaxon2397 2 роки тому +3

      Legit same and I'm extra salty because it happens in the book and the actors wanted it but the showrunners were too racist to do it

    • @no1inparticular487
      @no1inparticular487 2 роки тому

      yeah jane the virgin was super good love triangling cuz i flipped back and forth between who i shipped because all relationships were so well developed

  • @erinmariecece
    @erinmariecece 2 роки тому +2

    Not only do I LOVE love triangles in almost all forms, I stand by that when a love triangle is good - it’s great, and when a love triangle is bad - it’s funny. It often offers conflict for the main couple and splits the fans in a natural way. So long as we are talking about the worst YA novel romance troupe - INSTA LOVE is right there, as well as all the toxic and creepy troupes that exist in YA/NA romance eroticas.
    Side note: I also love love triangles because, as a reader, I like knowing who the main character will end up with, because then I feel smart.

  • @TheSweaterToMyWeather
    @TheSweaterToMyWeather 2 роки тому +5

    Love triangles that end in a polyam relationship
    ✨Gods work✨

  • @carolinewheeler77
    @carolinewheeler77 2 роки тому +80

    I just want love triangles to be gayer. Which could mean it’s all one gender, ooooor the triangle is actually closed and the two same gender lovers in the triangle also crush after each other. For example in an ideal world Betty and Veronica would also be a thing in Archie. That would make me dislike a lot of them less, since they’re mostly too aggressively straight for my tastes.

    • @kaykeunil
      @kaykeunil 2 роки тому +4

      H my god please I always liked the comics better when it was a Betty and Veronica focused comic strip and not one involving the triangle. Similarly I liked the Archie and Jughead ones bc they were so funny.

  • @allisonspears5895
    @allisonspears5895 2 роки тому +7

    How many romance tropes can you have in a story with as few characters/couples as possible? (For example, a love triangle where one pairing is the friends-to-lovers trope and the other pairing is the enemies-to-lovers trope)

  • @XxDyneXxFreeEnergyx
    @XxDyneXxFreeEnergyx 2 роки тому +1

    For me The last great hurrah for Disney channel was suite Life on deck in 2008 and it's a fitting end too like the signs are there that this was the end.
    1:Set on a boat
    2:Sails off into the sunset
    3: it's telling the audience we've set sail from what you once knew and is going some place new.

  • @TheMcSkilletz
    @TheMcSkilletz 2 роки тому +3

    I've always thought that a well done & well written love triangle is actually one of the best tropes in media tbh.

  • @LunaWitcher
    @LunaWitcher 2 роки тому +3

    People have to understand that character C hearing character B admitting/realizing their feelings for character A, while at the same time character C realizes they "lost" because characters A and B are clearly made for each other WILL NEVER NOT BREAK MY HEART.

  • @katemunson1198
    @katemunson1198 2 роки тому +5

    ngl I think S3 of Vampir Diaries shows a GOOD love triangle

    • @aloneinmidnight
      @aloneinmidnight 2 роки тому +1

      exactly! it's the first time damon is an actual potential option for elena because stefan left and became evil, so now elena is forced to look at damon differently ... completely agree

  • @madrigalv5302
    @madrigalv5302 2 роки тому +2

    the best love triangle will always and forever be the one in the clockwork angel (and the rest of the books). the love those 3 feel for each other is so deep and hearthbreaking and i love every second of it

  • @bsommervold
    @bsommervold 2 роки тому +5

    As far as the movies go, my issue is that she uses Jacob to make herself feel better when she can no longer see Edward or when she wants to make Edward jealous. I don’t have a problem with the trope but how twilight handles it.

  • @ryanjstannard
    @ryanjstannard 2 роки тому +2

    I honestly don’t mind love triangles, just as long as they’re actually even. None of that main love interest and secondary love interest crap.

  • @asadpillay7380
    @asadpillay7380 2 роки тому +18

    I've said no to love "triangles" and yes to love triangles, that's right person can't choose between two people, that's a throuple now! it seems dumb but I enjoy it!

  • @amelieclifton8918
    @amelieclifton8918 2 роки тому +2

    I’m just a sucker for jealousy, so I love a good love triangle because there is always someone who’s jealous whichever way the triangle’s portrayed

  • @elodik6922
    @elodik6922 2 роки тому +17

    My love triangle take is that most of the time I end up shipping the love rivals together instead cuz protag: bland rivalry: hot and interesting

  • @andrewjames5910
    @andrewjames5910 2 роки тому +10

    I like love triangles but often we only get a half-baked love V. It's only fun when there's tension between all three.

    • @murron1125
      @murron1125 2 роки тому +3

      If you think about it, if Jacob was in love with Bella because she has 50% of renesmee inside her, then he should also be in love with Edward too

    • @andrewjames5910
      @andrewjames5910 2 роки тому

      @@murron1125 I read on Tumblr that the reason Jacob was weird at the wedding was that he was attracted to Edward's sperm.

  • @bebly9797
    @bebly9797 2 роки тому +2

    What about Dawson's creek?
    It's really a powerful triangle because there are strong feelings in every direction: love with the girl and friendship between guys.

  • @siouxsbanshee
    @siouxsbanshee 2 роки тому

    you’re so right omg!! this is everything i’ve been trying to say for the longest time but didn’t know how! loved the video

  • @Rookiewompus
    @Rookiewompus 2 роки тому

    JULIA I live for your videos and this one was so wonderful, as usual 💖💖💖 you're always right

  • @hatter2539
    @hatter2539 2 роки тому +1

    I think the problem has to do with how people write love interests and not with any particular trope. Many people will start with their character as a love interest and only develop them along the romance storyline with nothing else about them to really hook a reader if they don't by the romance. Now you have two of these characters, competing for page-time. That kind of set-up will always make someone feel like a waste of time.

  • @libbilamb3165
    @libbilamb3165 2 роки тому

    I love how you put so many of my thoughts and feelings into words in this video

  • @seokjiniFanboy
    @seokjiniFanboy 2 роки тому +1

    Julia just talking about random things idk about is my favorite kind of videos

  • @carolineschapals
    @carolineschapals 2 роки тому

    julia you could talk about anything and i would watch because your voice is just great i love listening to what you have to say. also yes to the tshirt

  • @the_fynethyme
    @the_fynethyme 2 роки тому +1

    I thoroughly enjoyed this video! It was so clear and well thought out. Did such a good job of convincing me of something I was pretty apathetic about until now!

  • @writerspen010
    @writerspen010 2 роки тому

    Tropes are absolutely a staple of any genre; you can't have a genre formula or genres at all if you didn't have identifiers of what kind of story it is.

  • @poeticheroine
    @poeticheroine 2 роки тому

    goddammit julia, i just love every video of yours! i feel like our brains are in sync sometimes and your delivery/approach is just the best.

  • @gab2386
    @gab2386 2 роки тому +5

    I hate love triangles bc i end up getting attached to one of the ends of the triangle and resenting the person who is in the middle, torn up between the other two. That really decreases my interest in the romance. The selection for instance made me fall in love with maxon and hate everything about aspen and america, which in turn meant america just annoys the hell out of me. My favorite scene is actually the one maxon dumps her and she’s devastated lol. Is it irrational? Probably. But it’s the way my brain works. That’s why i try to avoid love triangles like the plague.

  • @Juliana-du3kk
    @Juliana-du3kk 2 роки тому +1

    The love triangle in Reply 1988 was intense. Both guys were REALLY well developed, and both liked the protagonist a lot.
    The protagonist was also childhood friends with both of them, so she knew both of them intimately.

  • @munyaf
    @munyaf 2 роки тому

    hit the nail on the head with the last point

  • @eleftheriak.8889
    @eleftheriak.8889 2 роки тому +1

    Haven't watched the video yet, but you've got my attention. If for no other reason than the fact that you put in the effort to try and defend triangles in the first place

  • @jannapatty2958
    @jannapatty2958 2 роки тому +5

    I’m glad you’re getting more sponsors now

  • @mariapilarnovoa8605
    @mariapilarnovoa8605 2 роки тому +3

    All my life I hated love triangles and then these year I watched two series with love triangles and I really enjoy them. And I think that's because: 1) the two options were viable and likable, 2) the two options aren't brothers or friends!! and 3) none of the people in the triangle are TOXIC.

  • @gelsm3968
    @gelsm3968 2 роки тому +2

    Oh my frickin god Julia!!!! I wasn’t gonna comment, (even tho ur vids are always awesome) but when you said you’re a Kyle fan?!? SO AM I AND I’VE NEVER MET A SINGLE PERSON WITH THE SAME STANCE LIKE OMG. PS the Selection series is such a nostalgic reminder of middle school I kind of feel like rereading it now. Love ur content, stay safe❤️❤️

  • @mariefernschild6122
    @mariefernschild6122 2 роки тому

    your hair is veeerry pretty!!

  • @tophtopherson8920
    @tophtopherson8920 2 роки тому

    Bro!! I love so many of your videos and many about media i have also not touched- I feel so seen

  • @sophie7780
    @sophie7780 2 роки тому +13

    the way i drop EVERYTHING when i see miss julia posted a video

  • @randomfandom5891
    @randomfandom5891 2 роки тому

    Any video that can discuss my favorite Jane Austen books and the folklore teenage love triangle is a thumbs up for me

  • @titikshachakraborty9094
    @titikshachakraborty9094 2 роки тому +1

    I love the kind of love triangles that end up with the characters involved in it getting together with one another and it's super sweet and the only time I've seen it done well outside of some really well written fics, is in Sense8 ❤

  • @vera6174
    @vera6174 2 роки тому

    I just wanted to let you know that I watched your retrospective on Teen Wolf, a piece of media I’ve never touched, and emerged a Stydia shipper. I’ve been reading fan fiction for them ever since & I just wanted to thank you for your service & superior taste ♥️

  • @Persepholeigh
    @Persepholeigh 2 роки тому

    Best love triangle I've ever read is in School for Good and Evil. It's integral to the plot and the relationships between all the characters. It's flawless.

  • @marybibik
    @marybibik 2 роки тому

    This was good content, I really enjoyed your take on love triangles!

  • @neivilde.1242
    @neivilde.1242 2 роки тому +4

    everything can be good or bad depending on how it's done and depending on what you like. for example, i'm not a fan of love triangles in the classic sense of the word, and we should solve everything with poly relationships, but also i've read/seen a bunch of stuff with that trope that i liked because of how it was done and how it messed with my expectations. when it comes to tv and movies, i've seen so much that everything has become predictable to me, so i can't inherently hate or love anything because it's all the same, my enjoyment comes from whenever they subvert my expectations (which doesn't happen a lot lmao)

  • @rachele___
    @rachele___ 2 роки тому

    This is the stuff I talk on and on about in real life, comparing ALL the love triangles in ALL of the media I consume. Those years when love triangles were everywhere and everyone was trying to kill each other over ship wars were truly *chef’s kiss*. I feel me and Julia would be great friends and would have amazing conversations, this is the stuff I really care to talk about 💆🏻‍♀️

  • @ghostpatrol8702
    @ghostpatrol8702 2 роки тому +1

    This was a great vid! Adding onto your talk about "cliches" being more like "staples" in fiction- There's this channel called Overly Sarcastic Productions where one of the channel members, Red, does a series called Trope Talk, where she dissects common tropes in TV and literature, finds their roots, discusses their pros and cons, and gives advice on how to use them properly. She very much goes about it with that idea of cliches being useful tools rather than things to be avoided, and it's a very well-made and educational series if you're interested!

  • @gnat685
    @gnat685 2 роки тому +1

    the thing that's always bothered me about love triangles is that they're rarely ever triangles, its just two bisecting lines cause it's only ever the het options. I think I'd like them a lot more if they genuinely explored ALL the relationships and pairings that are possible.

  • @pinkopat
    @pinkopat 2 роки тому +4

    I adore all love geometry, give me drama!! Make me wish these characters were poly! Let's get divided into factions!

  • @Starburst514
    @Starburst514 2 роки тому +2

    Another way proper love triangles are great for drama is when all points care about each other outside of the romance element too. Like the romance is there but if there is a good basis platonic love or "I care about this person as a person" that ups the stakes CAUSE then you have "I want to be with this person but I know it will hurt my friend" or "are you willing to sacrifice a friendship for love?"

  • @anony-missy
    @anony-missy 2 роки тому +3

    Very good points. To pick up on the point on cliches not being bad, I absolutely agree. I think the problem with cliches is that they can become so ubiquitous that the execution of them is able to be so tired and lazy. Since everyone already understands what is going to happen the author thinks they don’t have to put effort into writing it in a plausible way. The audience is already primed to accept what happens. Like if a “leading man” and a “leading woman” interact they are obviously going to date even if there are no other romantic hints. Even though audiences are primed to accept that in the moment, imo eventually a resentment of the laziness builds up. Unfortunately, this often gets blamed on the cliche nature of the trope as opposed to the lazy execution.

  • @tylerriggs380
    @tylerriggs380 2 роки тому +13

    I was literally just binging all ur videos when u posted this. I feel more than blessed

  • @emmakate4313
    @emmakate4313 2 роки тому +1

    I realized about 5 seconds ago that one of my all-time favorite book series uses a love triangle & it was so well-done I didn’t even know it 👀 or maybe I’m just done

  • @ashleystorrer6899
    @ashleystorrer6899 2 роки тому +1

    I like love triangles and the angst they bring