Heterosexual Life Partners Discussion - Television Tropes & Idioms

BT The P: I don't think we should change the name, but what Jay actually says is "This is my hetero life-mate, Silent Bob."

Seth: I did a google search for "jay bob this is my hetero" and thats the quote that came up on top. >> The results are about half partner/half mate i haven't seen the film in a long time feel free to change it.

Morgan Wick: I wonder if he says both in different movies.

Tabby: The funny thing is that this isn't the first time this week that I've heard someone bringing up Darkwing and Launchpad in this context.

Seth: There is something suspect about an old rich guy who lives with a younger costumed man. The whole thing was a send up of the batman and robin innuendo if you ask me.

Tabby: Hunh. That's actually a really good theory.

Ununnilium: What about C 3 P 0 and R2-D2? They feel like they count.

Seth: Yeah but you know R2 was straight as an arrow - It was all 3PO, R2 is just super tolerant :D ~Shudders at the thought that someone, somewhere has written a slash fic with R2-D2 and C3-PO~

YYZ: Rule Thirty Four again...

Ununnilium: Took out:

(Well they do share their bed)

...because no, no they didn't. They had separate beds in the same room.

Licky Lindsay: I wonder if the reason this trope is popular, is because a lot of people watching would secretly (maybe not so secretly) prefer a Heterosexual Life Partner to the romantic relationship they are actually in. On the screen it looks like it would be all the companionship without the (sometimes unwanted) drama. Also wondering if a male/female couple could count for this trope if one or both of them is gay.

—- Shojo Kakumei Gosalyn: I suppose Michael Knight and KITT are counting too. Well, strictly speaking, KITT can't be "heterosexual" or "homosexual"... but if some wind spirit qualifies as "heterosexual life partner", so does AI. (Lindsay, I'd like to know it too. But I think if they both are gay, they can't be "heterosexual" life partners...)

Fly: Would they be platonic life partners then?

Qit el-Remel: Haven't Carl and Lenny been revealed to be half-brothers?

Daibhid C: Maybe it's just my determination to add a Discworld example to everything, but Fred and Nobby?

Jordan: I think Fred and Nobby definitely count since Fred spends very little time with his wife and Nobby is "unappealing" to the opposite sex to put it mildly.

h_v: He's also unappealing to the same sex. Any sex for that matter. I think it's safe to say that Nobby and sex have as little to do with one another as possible.

Twin Bird: Er...are you sure Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was supposed to be heterosexual?

Prfnoff: Actually, now I think that Tennessee Williams intended it to be ambiguous. Judged according to Critical Theory, there can be no ambiguity, because Everyone Is Gay In Purgatory.

KJMackley: The Justice League and Smallville examples don't really count. The difference between this and Odd Couple is that with the life partners the two are inseperable, with separation anxiety if they ever are. Green Lantern and Flash definitely fit more as an odd couple because not every episode has them together, though they do have a sort of love/hate friendship. And with Smallville, Clark and Lex hardly spend any time in the same scene starting about season 4, three seasons ago. People may ascribe gay behavior to them but that is something else.

I moved them word for word to Odd Couple, where they fit better.

Trogga: Bert and Ernie are brothers? Really?

ZeldaTheSwordsman: I think they're college students renting an apartment together. Which happens in real life.

movie007: Should we try to include more female examples, or would this be more of a Double Standard trope? For some reason, in Real Life, close female friends can have a fair amount of intimacy between them - without frequently being accused of being lesbians. Unfortunately, close male friends tend to not be allowed the same amount of intimacy. "Legolas and Gimli are having buttsex." I don't object to the contention, but I hope y'all don't mind if I rephrase this to keep things more refined and tasteful. —Jack

Laota: I think that's because most men tend to be extremely casual, and even cold, in their friendships, lest things become awkward, complicated, or obligating. So that's really only two kinds of relationship we're culturally accustomed to seeing a man in: Callous and Romantic/Sexual. So if a man has any kind of relationship other than callous, there's really no other popular frame of reference for what's behind it.

Miss Hap: I removed the Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters example, because in interviews

, Adam has said that not only do he and Jamie not spend time together outside of the show, they don't even particularly like each other. They just happen to work together really well. Small thing, I know, but, well, it's removed now.

Psyclone: Removed:

Invoked and lampshaded in one comic, where several members of the village explain to Asterix that

Getafix: When two unmarried men of a certain age live together, well, people start thinking things...

Asterix: What things?

[long pause, cut to the grave expressions of Getafix, Vitalstatistix, and Cacofonix.]

Asterix: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS?

As I recall, that scene happened in Asterix And Son. However, the first line was spoken by Ipedimenta and what she actually said was "When a baby is dumped outside a bachelor warrior's hut, people are bound to think things." In other words, this is something totally unrelated.

KJMackley: I did a small overhaul of the page, people are using the page for Ho Yay speculation or just simple Odd Couple pairings.

SavanLowell: I wonder where one would mention that another word for this is "bromance." The word originated in the '90s, and gained prominence in 2008, especially when mentioned in a Daily Show promo, and when a new show on MTV with that title was announced. This troper first saw the word this summer and really likes it.

Edit: Oh wait, never mind, it's one of the alternate titles. I just didn't check.

Invader Sin: Removed "justification" about Merry and Pippin; it's illogical, and justification isn't required.

Marlin Clock: Am I the only one that thinks that brothers don't really apply to this trope by their relation?

Revolos55: I'm tempted to agree with you, but there are a lot of shows where the brothers don't hang out all the time, unlike in Numbers or Supernatural. Plus, with Incest Is Relative and Ho Yay, this page is a decent alternative. *shrug*

KJMackley: I think the operative words here is "always together." The key is that there is no official relationship between them beyond friends. Brothers, cousins, childhood acquaintences... it doesn't matter so long as it fits the "always together" relationship.

This Troper has seen this in real life, except that the male was homosexual and the female was bisexual. Does that come under this trope?

Nate The Great: I this line:

David and Jonathan from The Bible. When Jonathan dies, David laments that he loved him more than any woman. Ho Yay ensures.

Nate The Great: Is that supposed to be "Ho Yay endures" or "Ho Yay ensues?" Both have arguments for and against.

Seikai: Um, about the current trope picture... wouldn't it fit Mistaken For Gay more than this? I dunno, I might be alone on this, but I actually thought the Bert and Ernie picture and comment kinda fit a bit more, and was funnier. But that's just my two cents.

SpectralTime: Yeah, got to agree with you there.

Main Tropes Index

Troperville

Editing Help

Tools

Toys