I honestly despise when people say "You know what? Screw the female lead, the two dudes should just get with each other!"- as the solution to a love triangle like that is not the progressive W you think it is
I'm not super into polycule shipping tbh but I'll take that any day over leaving behind the FL for some slop yaoi
She is what interests me in either of you
Like why are you even here if not for her story bro
Also revealing I usually dgaf about side couples in romances LMAO
It’s because the two guys involved have a more interesting dynamic. Through their infighting and jealousy, we tend to find more entertainment watching them interact and butt heads than we do in their interactions with the girl they’re fighting over. It’s more overt and obvious than the subtle hints and slow building romantic relationships either of them are building with her. There’s more attention given to each guy’s attempts at trying to “win” her and prove that they’re “better” for her than them actually just supporting her and showing how they would be equal partners in a long term relationship. This puts the focus on the guys and THEIR efforts a feelings over her and gives the often incorrect narrative that they’re trying more than she is and thus “deserve” more—whether the more in question is her as a trophy or just more than she can give.
This leads to a triple reasoning of 1) more dynamic, 2) more “deserving”, and 3) forbidden homosexual relationship to have the two guys leave the boring unworthy hetero female lead for each other just to subvert expectations.
That’s not to say that the resulting relationship between them would actually be healthy. Or last. Or even feasible. But people tend to choose to see sexual tension in anything—even or perhaps ESPECIALLY guys who clearly hate each other and would have a toxic or even abusive relationship if they DID get together.
