The Ups and Downs of a May-December gay romance

[blackruzsa]

Presented by Blue Delliquanti's O Human Star.

Now in the last post about this webcomic, I left off with Al getting distracted from his work by his attraction to Brendan, his young assistant. And then this happens: 




























This comic has yet to disappoint me, but I know for a fact that it will break my heart.

Already has, a bit.

Go read it, go.
 

Comments

[brooms]

"the beard was the best part"

... he didn't go down on you, then, did he?

the ballerina robot lured me in and now i need some emergency insulin. i think i'm too old to appreciate this.

on the other hand, it did make me nostalgic for when i was, like, 17 and eating shit like this up over @ yaoi_daily.

omg yaoi_daily :[

[blackruzsa]

What D:

[brooms]

inner thigh & crotch area skin is really soft and beards are scratchy. it can be uncomfortable.

[blackruzsa]

Maybe they were talking kissing... personally I'd hate it but some people enjoy that.

OR maybe that his beard is longer makes it slightly less scratchy? idk

[brooms]

... your reply made me realize that your What D: was probably about something else in my comment! maybe my whole comment!

i was rambling. it was my rambly way of saying this webcomic reads a bit too precious and trite for me now (the dialogue is killing me, in a bad way, omw), but it's something i know i would have enjoyed at some other point in my life.

[blackruzsa]

Gwah
well I can imagine the difference, but I'm taking what happiness I can get because we all know Al's gonna die, and horribly.

I mean, it was the opening of the entire webcomic.

[leoboiko]

Personal opinion: Very good feeling when kissing, not bothered at all in the er softer skin. And I'm not even a bear fetishist; I know some people who would melt for a hairy senior like that.

[brooms]

i have girl bits, maybe that's my problem. oh well.

[indy2012]

"... he didn't go down on you, then, did he?"

Discomfort has never been my experience here, but different strokes for different folks.

This comic reminds me a little of me and my partner now. I love an honest portrayal of a gay May-December romance that isn't fetishsized or disrespected in some other way. These are just two men in love.

[blackruzsa]

Right? I mean, I can enjoy yaoi every now and then but it's nice to see a more sensitive and realistic portrayal of a gay relationship.

[brooms]

i... have read yaoi exactly like this web comic. exactly.

there was usually some fetish elements involved in that one of the may dude could be, like, the december dude's former college student or whatever, but other than that... same thing.

virtually nothing new for me here.

[blackruzsa]

Same. I have. But the yaoi/romance pool is, by my experience, 90% fetishizing and 10% healthy relationship (not good relationship, or loving relationship, but HEALTHY as in two consenting adults with equal decision making power who are not codependent or unable to live without each other--and as romantic as that sounds, it's not typically healthy)

Not to say that fetishizing and a healthy relationship can't go hand in hand in a single story but I've since realized how much abuse and non-consensual elements is present in a lot of my old favorites, so...

[blackruzsa]

In fact I find it rare to see a healthy relationship in yaoi that's also sensitively and realistically portrayed. Like, if it's healthy, then it happened by some fairy tale circumstances that made everything go well after a single bad event.

When it happens, I mark it for rereading and remember the title and enjoy it.

[q99]

Aww :)

[dahlia_moon]

wow.

wow.

ummmm

that was really, really hot.

(since when did O Human Star become a sexy comic? it was verging on heartbreak of monumental proportions when I last stopped reading around page 35 of chapter two.)

[blackruzsa]

Well technically it did say it'd have mature content sometime :)) In any case, good romances often have a spattering of love scenery, hahah.

[blackruzsa]

And it still may come to heartbreak ):

[shadowpsykie]

well you already know he dies, and he is having trouble adjusting now... but that's why i love it... it's... despite what a comentor said above... real. real relationships have ups, and downs, and are not perfect, they have pleasure and pain, and sadness and joy. love and hate. it's what makes it real. and worth it.

[terrykun]

Number Robot is watching you fornicate, flesh creatures...

[blackruzsa]

HA!

[dejadrew]

Hee. Brendan is so so very smug. I mean, I gather he earned it, still.

I love how his reaction to "I'm breaking up with you" is not tears or wibbling but basically "Uh huh. Riiiiiiiight. Suuuuuuuuuure you are." (￣︶￣)

[blackruzsa]

I love how ready he was for it, and not in a "no way are you gonna break up with me" sort of way but in a "I know it's scary but be sure you really don't want it, because I think you really do"

[superfangirl1]

Really, really hot and awesome.

[salinea]

Sweet!!!

[quatoria]

Aw, you cut out my favorite page. The bit where, after Brendan gives that whole big speech, Al just looks at him and says "So are you just going to stand there?" It was so great! I squeaked.

[blackruzsa]

Whaaaat
OH MY
It was there before. Let me fix that, urg.

Spoilers for context of this section, I guess

[kiev4am]

Yay, it's O Human Star :) I love this comic. And I personally don't find it trite or overly sappy-yaoi at all; after all, the slashy romantic wish-fulfilment aspect to this section is heavily overshadowed by our foreknowledge that death, resurrection, middle age and so-far-unexplained bitterness lies in their future. It's poignant and tender and all that, but there's a sting in it because we already know it's not going to be that easy. I really enjoy that tension.

I also enjoy the fact that their age gap isn't used to characterise them in the traditional way, so it's the older guy who's hesitant and inexperienced, but I also appreciate the author not typecasting either of them along any particular relationship axis - each of them gets moments where they're out of their depth and/or blindsided by the other so the balance keeps shifting between them. I find that pretty realistic.

Re: Spoilers for context of this section, I guess

[blackruzsa]

Thanks for that, that's a real good description of O Human Star :)

Re: Spoilers for context of this section, I guess

[kiev4am]

Thank YOU for introducing me to OHS in the first place :)

Re: Spoilers for context of this section, I guess

[blackruzsa]

I am soooo glad I did :D