#the bear is a romantic comedy

[whenmemorydies]

Recognition and desire

Ages ago I wrote something similar to the below on a reblog but I thought it would be worth sharing again, particularly with the fantastic discussions about sexuality and desire happening in The Bear fandom atm.

I often come back to @outmakingmoonshine's reblog meta about the dialogue in 1x01 which lays out the blueprint for The Bear being a romance from the jump (and honestly, is a bit of a bible for me at this point), in particular this observation of theirs:

I just think if this show was never meant to be about romance, why so much subtextual dialogue about romance from the very first episode? Why tell us it wouldn't be "mushy and gluey/gooey" like other TV romances...which is exactly what were getting with SydCarmy. This isn't the "over sauced, under seasoned mess" we usually get in TV ships. This love story has substance, less bread, less sauce and more beef just like Carmy wanted! Another piece of dialogue in 1x01 that I left out that I think also ties into Carmy not caring about the cutesy aspects of love/romance so much but caring more about the connection he has with someone aka the substance/meat of what love is about. Connection with someone else. That's why he looked so desolate, disconnected and dissatisfied after the sex scene with Claire but his body language after the food "dirty talk" in the table scene was a satisfied man who felt a deep connection with another person.

I wonder, along with the blatant misogynoir, how much people not recognising that Carmy and Sydney can be more than platonic partners in business is also tied up with people not being able to actually recognise how attractive mutual respect, care and shared passion actually are? Like how unbelievably erotic it is to meet someone with whom you share those things with, and who respects and cares for you so much that they’d challenge you to excel in that shared passion, and not feel threatened by your excellence? This is particularly the case for Black and racialised women and femme folks who are always being made to make ourselves smaller than we are so that others - especially white men - don’t feel like they’re losing any ground.

We don't often get that kind of desire depicted on screen. More often than not, we get fed empty calories based on sheer physical attraction and chemistry...which might be delicious, but don't keep you full and might actually be bad for your (mental) health lol?

Have we have been force-fed particular romantic relationships in TV and film for so long where power between people is not equal, where characters are written like walking stereotypes, where so much is written and produced for consumption by certain sections of the community (read: white, cishet, neurotypical, wedded to toxic masculinity) that folks are so deeply conditioned that they cannot even imagine how beautiful seeing this kind of romantic relationship on screen could be?

If Storer and Calo's intention is to give us a full-bodied romance that will fill us up - which I firmly believe is the case - then S4 (and possibly S5 if we get it?) is going to be fantastic for us Sydcarmies.

However, subtext will only get us so far. We need Sydcarmy made explicit in the show. Particularly now, when the current American administration is attempting to render particular people, including Black women, women of colour and femme folks not just smaller, but completely invisible. If this show is really the critique of late-stage capitalism and the commentary on our need for community that I think it is, then we need its story-telling and art to continue that messaging and raise its stakes. They told us they know who their demographic is and we know its not any of the incel, QAnon, 4chan, Snyder Cut motherfuckers that Richie told to get out of the line in 1x01 (if ever there was invitation for those dickheads to gtfo of the fandom, it was this right in the first episode of the show lmao). So I'm waiting, seated here for when Storer and Calo, speak directly to the rest of us and deliver Sydcarmy in all its glorious, messy, and erotic deliciousness!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

A Romantic Comedy (based on the trailer)

When I saw Carmy walking in the trailer, it reminded me of this scene with Richie in 1x06 post date.

This looks like a date gone wrong or a date that never happened for Carmy. Funny enough, the voiceover for this clip is Syd asking Why are you doing this and Carmy telling her they're going to get a star. (I also think this whole thing about the partnership agreement happens the first episode of the season.)

There are so many clips in that trailer that scream romantic comedy, even the sequence of the trailer.

Claire talk ahead

Then after he says with claire it was a waste of time we go to this partnership agreement:

And a talk with Pete that either has to do with a living arrangement or a partnership with Carmy.

BTW- A "good thing" is always used in The Bear. Steven said it to Carmy when he freaked out about Richie andMikeyy trying to hook him up.

There's still time surrounding Claire while calm represents Sydney. Also, Claire is getting these weird close-up shots that I only see with his family.

Time again with claire- waste of time- going slow- go faster motherfucker etc.

Another hint at a Romantic comedy-

The romantic co-lead meets with a different partner while the romantic interest waits for her lead - they don't seem to be together...

Plot: The guy commits to work full time after breaking up with romantic interest. But by committing to work instead of finding misery he finds joy in everything, including his business partner.

The Bear

[rottenstrawberrigirl]

HELP I WAS NOT MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THIS CHAPTER NOT AT ALL

[dailybehbeh]

Behbeh

[iloveayo]

Evan Peters has been killing it with those dark roles lately, and he's totally down for a romcom switch-up. Ayo Edebiri's feeling the same vibe. But seriously, picture this: Evan as Augustus Everett and Ayo as January Andrews from Beach Read? It's like a dream casting waiting to happen!

[king-k-ripple]

Sablé: *brings home Hippogriff* “Yui, look it! I brought home a dog! I found it hanging out with some pink guy. It’s kind of ugly-looking but I like it. Can we keep it?”

Yuigahama: “You found a dog? Oh my god look it is a new dog!”

Yukinoshita: “That’s not a dog man.”

Sablé: “Oh he’s cuddly.”

Hippogriff: *tries nibbling Yuigahama’s hand*

Yuigahama: “He’s really aggressive I don’t think he’s a dog. I think we should bring him back to that pink guy. Okay get down. Time to get down. Oh Jesus.”

[pantsaretherealheroes]

you know i mostly enjoyed it but i object to hit man being called a romantic comedy

[germ-t-ripper]

Germ T Ripper’s quick donut critique #123 w/ Ryan Romantic

[indiamoore]

Valentine's Day 2024

[zephyrchama]

Leviathan took a deep breath. He had always wanted to try this. It was silly, and a stupid idea, and if anybody outside of his close circle found out about it he'd probably perish on the spot from embarrassment. But it looked so fun. What otaku wouldn't want to try this at least once in their life?

He had been ready and in position for an hour. In fact, Leviathan didn't sleep at all last night. He pulled an all-nighter watching season five of Welcome to Human School! and decided to recreate this classic cliche in a rare act of spontaneity after seeing it play out on TV for the ten thousandth time.

The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him, exacerbated by nerves and an early morning chill that caused his shoulders to shake, but he would not give up. He had to know what it was like. Leviathan leaned his head against the House of Lamentation's stone exterior. He refreshed his Devilgram feed for the tenth time and fiddled with the lowest button on his shirt while standing in wait. It was important that his appearance looked slovenly, like this was spontaneous and he had to rush to get dressed. The details had to be perfect.

Noise began to stir around the corner. Leviathan rushed to shove his phone into a pocket and stuffed his mouth with slightly stale buttered bread. It was go time.

Several dozen feet away, you emerged from the house. You paused in the doorway, checking to ensure last night's homework was in your bag and not still on the desk in your room. You had to be at school quite early and wouldn't have time before class to come back if you forgot something. Luckily, all was fine. The heavy door swung shut behind you. As you began to walk down the cobbled steps, something caught your eye. Something big and fast in a RAD uniform, speeding at you and screaming.

Leviathan was not actually screaming. He was just shouting, "I'm late! I'm late!" over and over through a wad of carbs. You didn't have much time to process that fact before he slammed into you like an amateur sumo wrestler.

You shrieked. Leviathan shrieked. The two of you tumbled down the stone steps in a mass of confusion until you landed on top of the nerdy demon like another cliche anime trope. However, Leviathan had no time to celebrate this weeby double whammy. He grabbed your head in a panic and coughed out a gross mouthful of bread to ask, "A-are you okay!?"

Your sturdy uniform and the purple haired demon had luckily protected you from the worst. Leviathan released your face and hovered his hands by your sides as you felt around for bruises, trying to get your bearings. He let out a pained groan when you accidentally elbowed him in the stomach while trying to stand up.

The surroundings were calm. No sign of danger. You scrambled to pick up your bag and exclaimed, "What was that!?"

"I... I'm late for school." That was Leviathan's explanation. He couldn't confess any further. This was not the romantic comedy scenario he envisioned. His mouth was dry. Class didn't even start for another two hours. He realized now what a dumb plan this truly was. As he lay on the hard ground, he sort of wished it would open up and swallow him whole, but your outstretched hand of kindness was a nice consolation.

[animentality]

Wtf is it about Jennifer's body and venom that mentioned don't understand?

Jennifer's Body was a teen horror movie that flopped because the executives thought they needed to capitalize on Megan Fox's popularity as a sex icon following the success of the Transformers movies, so they marketed it primarily to teenage boys/ young men, by hyping up both her sex appeal and the lesbian kiss scene with Amanda Seyfried.

But it flopped, because it's more of a satire horror comedy than a pure horror, plus it ended up being more feminist/ pro LGBT in hindsight, since it's more of a revenge fantasy than anything else, and a crushing indictment of predatory male behavior. Rather than just being, "lesbian sex is hot, hahaha," it actually comes across as more, "this character is bisexual... she refuses to kill her best friend, even after she comes back as an undead demon."

And people have (correctly) read into this as actually pretty damn romantic.

Megan Fox's character has the opportunity to kill her best friend like three different times, but refuses. And the only reason she dies, is because she can't bear the thought of their friendship being broken...

And then... Amanda's character...she doesn't even hold it against her. She goes on a killing spree in her name...

Like. Come on. That's queer subtext, and honestly, just queer text, since Megan even says, "I go both ways."

So. ultimately. It was not really FOR cishet teen boys. It marketed to them, but failed to get their attention. And it did poorly, but then got a cult following in the following years, by the correct audience of women and gays.

Venom, on the other hand, was a teen anti-hero movie, focused on a character who was supposed to be in a rated r movie, but the execs chickened out at the last second. It was SUPPOSED to be dark and edgy and maybe a little horror-esque... but then it was written poorly, was edited very messily, had a very strange tone, and ended up making the symbiote more of an audacious, goofy, chaotic character than outright evil.

It was CAMPY.

Like Jennifer's Body, it was SUPPOSED to be aimed at teenage boys and men...who HATED it. Thought it was garbage.

But it ended up marketing to...the monster fucker crowd.

Because of the sizzling sexual tension between the two reclaimed LGBT leads.

So that's why we compare them.

They're both edgier movies that could've been rated r, but got pulled back to pg13 for marketing reasons. They were both supposed to be Cool Products for Boys, but ended up marketing more to women and gays in the end.

Jennifer's Body was "horror" and Venom was "action," but they both ended up being more purely comedic than anything, even if it was a little unintentional (more on Venom's part, than Jennifer's Body).

And that's all.

They've got very similar vibes, you know?

Camp LGBT, with horror elements.

Think Elvira, Rocky Horror Picture Show. You know.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

In 1x01, it seems like Richie was set on embarrassing Carmy in front of Sydney. He makes fun of Carmy for making a Panettone and when she doesnt fall for the ridicule, and when Carmy bites back about Mikey leaving the restaurant to him, Richie goes on this mission to make fun of Carmy in front of this new girl.

He's also the first to call out their closeness by calling Carmy her best friend in 1x02

He had to have noticed Carmy being a deer in the headlights when Sydney came back in 1x08 because he's the one that breaks the tension between them.

This is enough said. He's aware that mom and dad are fighting, and he calls it out. This is before he knew Claire and Carmy were hanging out.

Maybe the idea of Syd and Carmy liking each other died down when he saw the distance between them in 2x03-2x05.

Claire is with Carmy in 2x05, It's interesting to Richie only because he knows Claire and Tiffany are close. It's a way to get intel on Frank and Nat notices Richie's underlining motives.

When they start dating, Richie is almost proud to see it, because Carmy is doing something Mikey would have wanted (sidebar did Mikey want carmy and claire exactly, or did he just want Carmy to enjoy life outside the kitchen?)

Either way, Richie tends to catch on to things quickly, except for the thing between Sydney and Carmy. He's blinded by grief and can't see Carmy as a person with his own wants and needs. He could only see him as Mikey's little brother.

What's missing between Richie and Carmy is a heart-to-heart. In 2x09, after Richie says, "Yeah, I like Claire, Cousin," Carmy takes a moment. I also see the look on Richie's face that's very serious. Carmy wants to say something to Richie about his dwindling feelings for Claire (and maybe talk out his growing feelings for Sydney) but he holds back because Richie and Carmy aren't as close as Mikey and Richie.

It's heartbreaking that Carmy says Richie's name in 2x10- he wants to say something about not being really liking Claire as much as everyone wants him too, but Richie jumps at his throat.

When Richie and Carmy have a heart-to-heart-, it's going to hit Richie that Carmy has feelings for Sydney. His dislike for them early in season 1 and season 2- his grievances for Sydney closed his eyes to the truth. That is until 2x08, when he acknowledges that Sydney is a part of the family.

I know this meta was mentioned before, but I see more of Richie witnessing Sydney and Carmys' dynamic.

[maeedrg]

ᯓ★

WHAT ARE WE ?

MASTERLIST a gojo x reader series

summary : in wich Gojo Satoru is your best friend for years. Everything changes when he asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend for only one night. But quickly, you realize that you went in for a ride of surprises : now, all jujutsu society knows about The Strongest dating someone. And that means you have to continue to pretend, for days, weeks, who knows how much more. When will it end ? The elders are determined to make Satoru finally marry you and have heirs, and things seriously get complicated in between you and your best friend, now supposed boyfriend.

genre : fake dating trope, friends to lovers, forced proximity, fluff, romantic comedy, smut, angst.

warnings : misogyny, sexual tension, smut, mentions of arranged marriage and unwanted future pregnancy, swearing, alcohol consumption, death mention, manga spoiler, etc.

number of parts : 4 (completed)

જ⁀➴ ⠀ׂ autor’s note : this is my first serie on tumblr, I’ll be posting it too on my ao3 (it’s the same username). If I feel like you guys like it, I’ll maybe extend it to more parts ! Enjoy.

part 1 : what are we ? (8k.) Satoru asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend for the gathering of high ranked jujutsu sorcerers of tonight. He knows they will try to arrange him into an unwanted marriage, he needs your help. The tension gets high, and having to deal with the elders, Naoya Zenin, your feelings, and your own chaotic cocky best friend becomes hard. This is where everything begins.

part 2 : what are we ? (7.6k) Now everyone thinks you are dating the great Gojo Satoru. You are sent on a mission with him in the mountains, and realize that it’s actually a sweet honey trap made by the elders to hope you will come back with a ring on your finger, or a possible heir. What is wrong with them ?! And what is wrong with this sexual tension ? He is your best friend, for fuck’s sake !

part 3 : what are we ? (7.8k) After months, you and Satoru are still stuck in this dance of playing to pretend. But you both never mentioned back what happened to the jacuzzi. The tension became unbearable, but everything goes down the hill when the higher ups attempt to get rid of you as you were considered useless now. At the same time, they take matters in their hand to find a new suitor for him. Gojo can’t bear the thought of losing you, and he makes a decision for your safety. One that was apparently for the best.

part 4 (final part) : what are we ? (6.4k) You finally reunite with the man that you love, but among the chaos, being now a real couple is hard. The upcoming battle of Gojo against Sukuna means potential death, and the more the due date approaches, the more anxious you become. Yet, you try to make the most of it. And Satoru plans on making you a final surprise before he has to leave for his battle.

݁ ⊹ ୨୧ ˖ ࣪ . for more . ⋆ 🩹 ⇅ ˖

MASTERLIST of my other fics

[heartlilith]

WHAT THE VENUS SIGNS REMIND ME OF

🩷Oddly specific things I think about when I hear ______ venus

Aries Venus: Summer, rubies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, rollercoasters, fast cars, the color red, vampire fangs, Saturday nights, liquor stores and gas stations, fireworks, sour candy, cool bic lighters, “you’re mine”, Mario Kart, boys who wear nail polish, fuck it energy, oversized sweatshirts, middle finger emoji, cherries

Taurus Venus: Satin pillowcases, white candles, pearls, mirrors, hand holding, walking someone home at night, vinyls, red lipstick, full lips, fancy dinner dates, the wine and dine, old romantic movies, wallets and purses, hotels, French manicures, old money, “I won’t get on my knees for no man”

Gemini Venus: Driving around at night listening to music, reading to someone, comedy shows, mimosas, Samantha from Sex and the City, libraries, nerd kink, hot teachers/student kink, emerald green, laughter, swing sets, looking out of the window and just watching, untied shoelaces, dogs and puppies, dad jokes

Cancer Venus: Soft feather pillows, a bowl of warm soup, a bubble bath, tears and running mascara, babies and how babies laugh, poetry, “I’ll be whatever you want me to be”, hot tubs, hot coffee, teddy bears, heartbeats, soft hands & skin, lotion, bagels and cream cheese, doodling in your journal

Leo Venus: Lip gloss, mojitos, getting drunk at brunch, diamond tennis bracelets, drunk texts you regret sending later, the block button, lonely nights, shooting stars, blowing bubbles, piggy back rides, art museums, glittery eyeshadow, jumparoos, birthday parties

Virgo Venus: Taking a shower, Dove soap, smooth skin, symmetry, butterflies, the smell of books, getting a facial or going to the spa, chicken caesar salads, the good tasting water, chunky headphones, acoustic guitar, running errands, getting your eyebrows done, neat handwriting, neutral colors, sushi

Libra Venus: Blush, dimples, Y2K fashion, Hello Kitty, makeup skills, those little hand mirrors, princes and princesses, cupcakes, pedicures, Margaritas, taking pictures, art, castles, Disney movies, daisies, spin the bottle, cartwheels, soft hair, bubblegum, skincare, watermelon and pineapple

Scorpio Venus: Psychology, neck tattoos, “until death do us part”, Kings & Queens, snakes, sacred sex, chess, secrets, hickeys, the feeling after you stay up all night, the feeling of being at a concert, roses, knives, tequila shots, legs intertwined, dirty martinis, sparklers, Avril Lavigne, fantasy books, true crime and dark history

Sagittarius Venus: Clouds, rock climbing, rappers, Hip Hop and R&B, going on vacation, açaí bowls and fresh fruit, sun kissed/radiant skin, the color yellow, retreats, history, yoga and Pilates, spicy food, “it is what it is”, curly hair, the smell of weed, casinos, the last day of school, Las Vegas

Capricorn Venus: Leather, red wine, the cow pattern, cowgirl boots, the color brown, espresso, dark chocolate, briefcase of money like in the movies, the movie Scarface, whiskey on the rocks, bosses, owls, turtle necks, caramel, wearing suits, lingerie, business, New York City

Aquarius Venus: Lightbulbs, telescopes and microscopes, LED lights, hamsters, college parties, glitter, peace signs, 70s concerts, food trucks, skipping school, “fuck it”, diving in the pool, the beach at night, disco balls, getting detentions in school

Pisces Venus: Mermaids, kittens, cartoons and Disney princesses, champagne, Webkinz, little kid stories like Goldilocks, 3 Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, clear glittery lip gloss, holographic, snowmen and icicles, swimming in the pool, flower gardens, glow sticks , picnics, bumblebees, sand castles, elementary art class, 3D movies

Book a Reading 🩷

Masterlist 🩷

[sminny-wew]

I had a long discussion with friends earlier about the gender bias in how YA books are marketed and it somehow evolved into me saying "We need more fiction that questions the concept of attraction itself"

We got into how easily romance can be latched onto other genres (romantic comedy, romantic drama, fantasy romance, historical romance, etc.) and I started asking myself what an arocom (aromantic comedy) would look like. I decided, based on an old Tumblr post I can't find that joked about some comedy movie being aro representation b/c it had no romance, that it can't just be "a comedy with no romance at all", because then that's just a regular old comedy. By that logic, SpongeBob would be an arocom, which doesn't make sense b/c it largely focuses on non-romantic plots (SpongeBob working at his job, failing to get his license, the general shenanigans he and his friends get into) and only addresses romance sparingly, depending on the plot of an episode.

It sucks to admit but at least from my perspective, in order for a piece of media to qualify as "aromantic/asexual media" in the heavily sex- and romance-catered media landscape, it kinda needs to address sex and romance in the first place. As wonderful as it would be to escape for a few hours to a book or show or game where romance isn't addressed at all and think of that as aro rep, you can't really call attention to a character's lack of romantic or sexual attraction without acknowledging, even indirectly, that those exact things exist within the text.

I'm not saying sex and romance are inherently bad either. There are aces who engage in sexual activities, aros who date, folks on both spectrums who engage in kink because kink is not inherently sexual and just approach relationships in so many incredibly nuanced ways. It's not just about aspecs also having parents and siblings and pets either, we have friends and coworkers and neighbors. We have interests and skills and hobbies. But it's not just the cishets who place sex and romance on such a high pedestal as "fundamental aspects of what makes people human", I see it within the LGBT community too. There are more than a few openly queer folks out there who don't know or have forgotten that because asexuality and aromanticism are a lack or absence of attraction (and thus a lack/absence of conformist heterosexuality), that we are, to varying degrees, queer as well. And thus media with aroace subtext (or just text for that matter) tends to get excluded from discussions of queer subtext.

I feel like I got a little off-topic and rambly but Idk I just think we need more aspec fiction where people are free to explore all spectrums of attraction as much as they want, ask questions about what defines a relationship, and just generally bear in mind relationship anarchy when they create. I'd like to see it in mainstream media but I'd also like to see it in fanfic too

(Btw everything I just said also extends to people who are poly)

[dear-lucrow]

I never did this before so bear with me, but since it is now official:

Love For Hire is finished!

I had so much fun with this fic and everybody reading and commenting was so lovely. This fandom is just the best! 💀❤️

If you don't know it yet, "Love For Hire" is what I lovingly called "the modern fake dating AU nobody asked for"!

Here some stats:

Rating: M

Pairing: payneland, background palasaki

Spice factor: A bit spice, fade to black

Tropes: fake dating, idiots in love, punk Charles, ballet dancer Edwin, Crystal not being paid enough to deal with those two clowns

Inspiration: stupid and fun 90'/00s romantic comedies

Triggers: implied/referenced child abuse, bullying, panic attacks and anxiety. Nothing explicit is shown and the individual chapters have trigger warnings in the beginning notes as necessary.

Length: 118k (10 chapters + epilogue)

Fun fact: 258 uses of the word "fuck" and variants thereof

Summary:

“A deal. You pretend to be my boyfriend for a few weeks, show up at my house, escort me to social functions and such. Your overall person, manner and opinions should be enough to truly scandalise my parents. You will only need to be yourself, only less... charming.”

Charles gave him a bright grin. “You think I’m charming?”

Edwin ignored him. “And I will act all smitten with you. When they offer you the money to break up with me – and rest assured, throwing money at problems is their only way of handling anything – you will take it. I shall be horribly heartbroken to make them feel guilty and any subsequent romantic partner who is a bit more... mellow than you will be quite welcome.”

Charles stared at him, unsure of how he could’ve ever thought of Edwin Payne as innocent. “Damn... you are a conniving little bastard, aren’t you?”

---------------

Charles Rowland's first impression of Edwin Payne can be summerized as privileged, rich and aloof – also incredibly pretty, but that’s besides the point. However, when Edwin presents him with a scheme to piss off his conservative parents and get some money out of them in the process, Charles can’t resist the siren call of causing mayham for some Tories.