Covid19 Is Already A Romance Subgenre

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Exploring examples of the latest bizarre offshoot of the romance genre.
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[@mermanhellville]

I like the title "Quarantined With the 10 Inch Soldier" because it implies like the whole soldier person is 10 inches tall

[@EclipseXIV]

Yes! That was my first thought too! And it took me a moment to realize what it actually meant. The fact that I‘d seen Ant Man in a video today didn‘t help. 😂

[@JamesLawner]

I was gonna comment something like, "That's a pretty small soldier to be quarantined with---Oh."

[@maxmustermann-zx9yq]

gonna get much more kinky then XD

[@toddashi]

@@EclipseXIV Haha, my first thought too.

[@princeapoopoo5787]

Meanwhile, I felt my ladybits shrivel up in self defence just by reading that.

[@Galvion1980]

That face when porn writers have a better concept of quarantine procedures than politicians...

[@michhudson6485]

damn, the standards for politicians are so low we're comparing them to porn authors

[@Ryukuro]

@@michhudson6485 comparing politicians to porn writers is an insult to porn writers

[@Galvion1980]

@@Ryukuro XD Good one!

[@aimeem]

@@Ryukuro Thank you!

[@jellyfish0311]

Porn writes are quite familiar with how human bodies engage with each other and all they can leave on one another. Some go for realism and others just break any semblance of common sense.

[@cursapear]

In line with the smut book not being very realistic, the government reacting quickly and in a more organised manner is just another part of the fantasy.

[@brano13177]

To be fair: it would depend on which government: some are indeed faster responding than others....

[@anarchomando7707]

@@brano13177 but good old America is an idiot Also there are a lot more people and a lot more land So it would depend Small countries can manage it

[@anarchomando7707]

Bigger ones are debatable

[@user-yu3ge4iv8r]

Depends on the government- South Korea and I think Japan have it handled or even already beat it, and if you remove Ontario and one city in Quebec basically nothing's happening in Canada.

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

@@user-yu3ge4iv8r theres some cases in british columbia as well, but other than that theyre all in ontario and quebec just because thats where toronto and ottawa are

[@sandskrit13]

"Are awkward moments a fetish now?" *side eyes public humiliation*

[@marioacosta-warren921]

Apparently "Raceplay" is a thing.

[@thewildcard600]

the return of the why boner.... with a vengeance!

[@SereneDancer]

I legit came down here to say this.

[@Crazael]

@@marioacosta-warren921 And, like being into BDSM not being the same as being an abuser, liking raceplay is not the same as being racist.

[@claytongriffith8323]

@@marioacosta-warren921 And all too often people aren't comfortable when people randomly throw in comments related to it without consent. Often saying they aren't even participating in it.

[@astraregulus2672]

I mean, this is weird as hell, but you gotta give the writers at least a bit of respect for writing these things so freaking fast

[@ChiSbaObePcheH11]

It took about two days for the first "oh no they have to quarantine together" oneshots to appear on AO3

[@trparnell87]

90% of all romance novels are mad libs so I can believe it.

[@nicestpancake]

@@ChiSbaObePcheH11 fanfic writes be _on that grind, tho._ Like, tbh I'm in awe.

[@davidalexander3320]

A lot of these writers have stories already written that they can just shoehorn some current event into

[@imnothere6696]

It's usually the first draft. No editing.

[@jaketepsa6523]

Next month "A love story between a racist cop and a blm activist"

[@ameekasoar]

No please God no

[@merrittanimation7721]

And it's a sadomasochist story at that.

[@justvibin1447]

You ever laugh out of sheer horror? I think I just did, because I could see someone writing that. Merciful God no.

[@celinak5062]

Sounds like the one with the jewish lady and nazi soldier

[@tanyanikolaevagizdova6571]

Well if the cop isn't racist....

[@ciara947]

I had to read "10 inch soldier" three times before I realised they weren't talking about the dude's height

[@vaclavjebavy5118]

I just imagined a little action figure running around being seductive.

[@kitty_es173]

and he said in a tiny high pitched voice “I wanna frick you! You are smexy” he jumped up and down like a gleeful ant.

[@AveryTalksAboutStuff]

Me too! I was like, "oh....oh NO" 😂

[@emtims1670]

Cackling!!!!

[@vaclavjebavy5118]

@@emtims1670 Imagine the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene but Juliet is behind a kitchen counter and Romeo is just fucking tiny

[@merrittanimation7721]

It could be worse. They could be erotica with the virus itself being the target of affection.

[@kkaassist]

please, i unfortunately saw stuff like that in the beginning of the pandemics, thanks to the precious weebs

[@merrittanimation7721]

@@kkaassist Please tell be they were at least gijinkas.

[@HeirofAzaran]

Keep looking. It's probably already out there.

[@aphato2770]

Corona-Chan I want you to enter my lungs

[@k1tkat-kate]

Thanks, I hate it

[@theteddy906]

“And they were quarantined together...” “Omg they were quarantined together.”

[@Juiceharlot]

I heard their voices in my head 😂😂😂😂

[@tinvukovic9814]

I'm surprised the military allows 10-inch people to apply for service. Guess they're good for recon.

[@alsatusmd1A13]

As in he only applied his penis for service? Because that is what “10-inch person” is supposed to mean in this context.

[@MrRuano825]

I'd be down for the adventures of a soldier the size of one of those old GI Joe action figures.

[@Sunny-jv7yt]

Joseph Ruhf r/wooosh

[@MonochromeTrouble]

He gets in and out of a lot of tight spots, I'm sure.

[@anarchomando7707]

@@MrRuano825 how would he live

[@jon6168]

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that “quarantined with the 10 inch soldier” was, in fact, short?

[@sleepysera]

I giggled way too much when he said that.

[@moonpower8]

I didn't even notice it until you said something, OMG 😆😆

[@synobyte2123]

It makes more sense if you ignore the actual story and just imagine the soldier is ten inches tall.

[@LeftyConspirator]

"Are awkward moments a fetish now?" Isn't that how the British nation propagates?

[@sisuguillam5109]

That... and putting the kettle on.

[@miriams.4341]

You forgot the hot water bottles.

[@charleston1789]

And offering a custard cream to dip in your tea.

[@Udontkno7]

Charlie B cream? huh

[@taphel7125]

Charlie B God I could do with a custard cream right now

[@melanieklump1662]

"It was worth it." -Me every time I snuggle my cats.

[@sarkavajnerova2817]

Same. I have 3 cats. One is white and he sheds A LOT. Worth it every time.

[@LucyLioness100]

That was me with my beloved kitties, May they Rest In Peace

[@ashisnotok7106]

My only question is why does it say you commented this a day ago yet the video only came out an hour ago

[@lyssakate]

@@ashisnotok7106 patreon members get to see videos early

[@sadfrostnoises9191]

Know that feeling. But I'm anaphylactic

[@a.r.e.j.1693]

"Oops they're stuck together for a while" is an old fanfiction trope for shipping, so I'm not surprised people took the quarantine excuse to write a bunch of romance novels around it. It provides an easy set-up and like you said a trendy title!

[@alsatusmd1A13]

There’s actually a theory of how this could have become a romantic fiction trope: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_wheel_theory_of_love#Pragma

[@18Hongo]

One author wrote about a woman actually shagging the virus itself. As in, the virus manifested in human form, and she fucked it.

[@Evilgrebo]

"Locked in the Broom Cupboard with the 10 inch The Dom" coming soon

[@anarchomando7707]

How can they be a good Dom if they're locked in a broom closet?

[@blarg2429]

@@anarchomando7707 They have the key to it. It's a specially designed broom closet that can lock and unlock from inside.

[@alisaurus4224]

“Coming soon” heh heh heh

[@johannesseyfried7933]

@@alisaurus4224 But not too soon. ;)

[@v-mouse]

would totally read it :-)

[@testosteronic]

That title sounds like he's ten inches tall and she can carry him around in a backpack

[@cheshirekat3050]

Marvel actually came out with a character a few years back who was a six-inch solder. Code-named "Six-Pack". He was one of Professor X's secret mutant agents, and though he wore regular army camo (which I suppose that he got from G.I. Joe dolls), I don't think that he was ever actually in the military. The premise of his origin, being when he hit puberty, instead of getting the usual adolescent growth spurts, he started shrinking. Marvel Comics have come out with some just mind-boggling, stupidly thought-up mutants over the past decade or two.

[@dobbyblue2462]

That is probably a kink too

[@crepezzzzz]

@@dobbyblue2462 it is, macrophilia

[@yamiatemyugi]

It would likely be a *lot* better story and one story I would very much love to read.

[@ZekeAxel]

Also... I should write a book about an Amish and a Viking getting stuck in Covid-19 quarantine... and it's in the Omegaverse!

[@alisaurus4224]

Quarantine on a Longship: Churning Hearts

[@brycemcewen6146]

I would read the fuck out of that

[@taylerlow3828]

Plot twist, the Amish is the alpha

[@beth7935]

OMG, if you knew how much I'd love to read that! Okay, the Omegaverse aspect just for the humour, but a Viking & an Amish person in covid lockdown... Love Vikings, the Amish are interesting, & bloody hell- a bloodthirsty warrior who loves bling, & a pacifist who abhors showing off?! And how they exist in the same world could be totally crazy too. WRITE IT!!!

[@gianinamorales8597]

DO IT HONEY

[@christianjones1889]

How well do you guys think wholesome smut sells? I’m thinking, like, a pandemic love story where two married workaholics are able rekindle their passion for one another thanks to being in lock-down. But, you know, also featuring kinky stuff.

[@byMidnyt]

There's an audience for all of it. Reconnecting is a popular theme. If you can string sentences together coherently, someone out there will read it. The hardest part is getting it into the hands of readers.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Take my money! That is... if I had any... But I would totally buy that!

[@kronemerj]

I mean it seems like a decent side income when you think about it. Considering most of these books read like a romance themed fill in the blanks where you just insert whatever current event or theme you want into it. As awful as most of these books are I do kinda respect the side hustle. I respect those who put more effort into the books more but what can you do.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

if i've learned anything from fanfiction, it's that people will eat that shit up (it's me, i'm people, that sounds amazing)

[@hiddenechoes]

So... I'm a tell a long story, you don't have to read it, I shan't be offended. I loved your comment because honestly I lived something that felt along those lines. My boyfriend and I, I'm in uni he's in his career, we're dating across country. I'd only been able to visit four times, mostly long weekends cause my school is year round 4 years condensed to 2. Then the pandemic hit, my school went online for minimum two months, he flew me out and the ONLY flight not cancelled leaving my city that day was my flight. The smaller connecting flight at next airport couldn't happen. He drove 7 hours to get me from there. I stayed as long as I knew my school wouldn't demand me back in classes Monday. A pandemic truly is a perfect time to dabble in bondage or whatever else catches your fancy. Gotta distract from the impending doom somehow. The beauty though was in the small moments, learning how you each like food prepared and surprising each other with it... Listening to each other's stories about what music inspired the passion for your hobbies, what games gave you a love of imagination... Sometimes just realizing you're both feeling the collective strain we're all feeling in this and just holding each other and be reassuring one another that we're not alone in this. And we went from... Kinda liking each other in undergrad, not seeing each other for 2 years, meeting up on a summer roadtrip camping adventure, seeing where it goes, starting a relationship, 3 visits for no longer than a week at a time to... Living together 24/7 for nearly 3 months. The entertaining part is we were already a fanfic trope. When I visited before we had anything going on we ended up in an actual "and the was only ONE bed" situation. At least this time we were the trope before the trope become that tropish 😄. I don't think our relationship would have lasted with the distance. Distance communication is really hard when you don't know how to read what the other is saying yet. Going through this together, being there for someone on a daily basis and keeping each other as sane as you can... You actually get to know each other and to appreciate everything weekend visits don't tell you about a person.

[@poeticsparrow]

"Government response is much more organized in smut then reality, this is the world we are living in right now."

[@cosmicriptid]

"Goverment response is much more organized in smut than reality"

[@aidoll3692]

Guess we want what we can't have..

[@jennifermc1221]

I am morbidly curious about these books because Amazon keeps recommending them to me. But I just can't bring myself to download them. After losing two family members to Covid-19 i just can't find anything sexy about the virus.

[@Dominic-Noble]

I'm so sorry for your loss :(

[@fosternova4434]

Hope you're doing okay dude

[@HeirofAzaran]

Wishing you the best Jenn

[@theotherknight8381]

My condolences.

[@GermanLeftist]

Damn, that's hard. I hope you and your family are doing okay given these circumstances.

[@CyberSpider35]

Next stop: romance novels about current American protests, I guess.

[@merrittanimation7721]

I do not doubt someone has already made one already. I can only imagine how creepy it would be.

[@Pajali]

True story: I saw a headline earlier about a couple getting engaged at a protest. Real life is ahead of the Amazon smut books... THIS time.

[@chicostephenson]

i 'm positive it'll happen.

[@edselcervantes6229]

"I said his name over and over while the policeman punched me to the ground. Our eyes meeting as if it was the first time and i lost myself in his blue eyes fill with anger and sadness"

[@Serenade2461]

A Romeo&Juliet style love between a police officer and an activist the government wants dead. Writes itself

[@1065chris]

I remember looking up Covid-19 sickfics on AO3 as a joke, yet to my non-surprise, it was loaded.

[@donotgotthis]

"As a joke." 😉😉🤐

[@Hana9916]

I recently read a fic about certain two members of My Chem getting stuck in quarantine together. Seriously, Covid is everywhere.

[@poor_dumb_snek]

Author: "And they were quarantined" Readers in 2020: "Oh my god they were quarantined"

[@Tustin2121]

There’s definitely an audience for it. Back in April I wrote a really short Harry Potter fic that was just the front page of the Daily Prophet as they report news about Covid and how wizards are dealing with it, and I’ve been getting a couple kudos notifications a week on average since.

[@Ryukuro]

@@Tustin2121 link?

[@MLKurtz-mo9jd]

I'm not sure if it's been said already but here goes. I thought I'd add a little insight into the Amazon romance thing in case anyone was curious. I'm a ghostwriter and it's pretty astonishing just how much content is written by ghosts on Amazon. It's a crapshoot these days, but it can be a lucrative business if you do it right. Often they're advertisers who track trends on KDP and hire a stable of three to four ghostwriters to do the work. Correct me if I'm wrong on the math, but with the 150 book example, done in two years, it amounts to about six books a month, which is manageable if you have your group of ghostwriters doing one or two a month. I'm not saying someone couldn't write the series beforehand and rapid-release, which is a very common thing in indie publishing as well. I can consistently pump out around 120k words a month, which equates to two novel-length pieces or three novellas. There are honest and very hardworking indie authors (not trying to crap on my fellow ghostwriters because I think it's just as valid) who write their series in advance and then release them one at a time over the course of months. But if I see someone releasing around every two weeks, it raises flags for me and I'm almost certain they're working with a ghostwriter. A one a month schedule is still damn impressive for an indie author. It's also why quality issues and questionable titles crop up. Most ghosts are being hired from content mills and are paid peanuts for their work, thus have to do multiple contracts in a month to make ends meet. And sometimes you just have really crappy writers, because things aren't vetted well. You pretty much have to turn in a polished first draft and accept that's what's getting published. Lots of people don't even edit what their ghosts send in and just slap it on Amazon mistakes and all. I have Grammarly and ProWriting Aid to make absolutely certain it's as good as I can make it on short notice. Massive differences in style and quality within the same "author's" body of work is also a good indicator of a ghost or ghosts at work. The titles are almost always cobbled together from keywords that are trending. Trend chasing is a huge and often cringey part of the process. I've never had to write a quarantine romance novella but I've written in a ton of different genres as they cycle through popularity. I've done paranormal romance, omegaverse, contemporary romance, BDSM romance, billionaire romance, student/teacher romance, high fantasy, historical romance, sci-fi romance, cozy mystery, motorcycle club romance, nonfiction, and reverse harem so far. It's pretty much whatever people think will sell. Sorry for the essay-length comment, but I thought it might be interesting. :) As always, thank you for doing this Mr. Noble. This Beautiful Watcher appreciates all your hard work.

[@sarahabc4557]

Now I really wanna know who you ghost write for just to see if I read anything of yours.

[@MLKurtz-mo9jd]

@@sarahabc4557 Sorry, I can't! NDAs are serious business. But I have some indie stuff published under pen names that I did with small publishers I met along the way. They're all done under a time crunch (40k at least a month and a lot of that while I was pregnant, so there are errors, which I'm super embarrassed about) so they're not my best work. But if you are interested I can point you at those!

[@Claire18Hi]

Is there a chance I could pm you somehow to ask about ghostwriting? It would really help. Thank you 😊

[@MLKurtz-mo9jd]

@@Claire18Hi Sure!

[@kayhaven4710]

How the hell does one manage to get hired as a ghostwriter?

[@JenaRaschka]

Me, a fanfiction author who hasn’t written a story in a couple years: oh boy

[@JenaRaschka]

Also: I would have put the scenario in a hospital. For the first chunk, protagonist A would be a woefully single patient awaiting a hopefully negative result and protagonist B would be a nurse who just got out of a long term relationship and is left with an empty apartment. Any erotism would come from titillating flirting or internal fantasy. Second chunk would involve the nurse asking the now ex patient if they had a home to go to. Upon learning A’s only option is a toxic family, B offers their empty home since their off hours are lonely. Smut to follow using the age old prompt of roommates to lovers

[@unwingedwren9907]

@@JenaRaschka Dooooo ittttt. (And then post a link lol)

[@Tustin2121]

unwinged wren - seconded!

[@bluetea7653]

@@JenaRaschka I'd pay to read this tbh

[@theleagueofsupermushrooms5323]

and they were roommates

[@guillermostreiger2307]

Wow, having unprotected sex with someone youre literally quarantining. I cant see that ending badly.

[@GoatAndDog]

My thought seeing the title "Bugger" That's all.

[@Rognik]

No, sorry, they're all straight romances. :p

[@megapichu4372]

@@Rognik Why am I not surprised?

[@merrittanimation7721]

@@Rognik They don't even go through the back door? Pity.

[@jackieharkness7369]

I was literally halfway through writing a Covid-19 based short story (not romance though) when I got this notification...

[@p.a.4512]

well, now you know what not to do

[@ZekeAxel]

Well now you know that it needs to be 11 inches to be better.

[@johannageisel5390]

Yeah, I'd like to know too. What's the premise?

[@asheniza1168]

I made a short story with two best friends staying at home together during covid. Haha, haaa....

[@tinamoul]

"Quarantined with the 10 inch soldier" I genuinely thought that this was a joke title, not an actual title of an actual book that someone can buy with real money.

[@wesleypatterson2989]

"....Authors who only started writing two years ago but have somehow already have 150 published books" Erotica authors: "*laughs in themed novella packs*

[@__-sp1ly]

I am a writer currently working on honing their craft to the point that I feel it's good enough to publish... But I cannot lie, these videos make it so tempting to throw all of my studying and standards out the window to write half baked erotica instead. If only in the hopes to one day have one of these hilarious videos made off of my work😂😂😂

[@blauespony1013]

I know how you feel. Years of hard work, training to write well, carefully planing out story lines and characters ... and then something like Shades of Grey comes along. Or like ... that stuff.

[@justvibin1447]

Personally this stuff gives me hope as a writer. If all this can get published, and even become popular in the case of Fifty Shades, maybe there's a place for my own romance novels.

[@nininoona]

I'm right there with you.

[@rebeccawhittington8979]

Agree with all of you.

[@lordfawful1229]

That's what pen names are for

[@desmondgentle1474]

"Quarantined with my Professor" undoubtedly started off on Wattpad

[@lillianb8762]

Thank you for reading these so I don't have to. My curiosity is now satisfied. I will, however, watch all the kitty bloopers repeatedly, because kitty bloopers.

[@HeirofAzaran]

I'd love to see a yearly compilation of them

[@xzonia1]

@@HeirofAzaran

[@ExtraterrestrialRabbit]

I mean I saw a bunch of quarantine fics on my Kindle but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to read them

[@Dominic-Noble]

In the two i read covid19 could be swapped out with literally any other reason to stay inside with someone so its not TOO jarring

[@maryhughes1087]

@@Dominic-Noble You aren't too far off. Prior to this, the two most common contrivances for "2 people stuck in the same place until they fall in love/ have sex" were: 1) having a car break down during a blizzard and the driver stumbling upon an isolated cabin usually owned by a cantankerous woodsman (who may or may not be a secret billionaire). They are stuck in the cabin together until the roads clear. Or 2) a bodyguard going into hiding with a young woman fleeing a stalker/ the mob. As an avid reader of romance novels, I have read dozens of each scenario.

[@jrpggolf]

“Quarantined with the 10 Inch Soldier” is that like “Toy Story” but she... oh, oh my.

[@whitneygarcia6709]

If awkward moments are a fetish, then I may have a chance

[@cleothehermetichermeticist8391]

Honestly same.

[@hiddenechoes]

This comment is beautiful 🤩

[@elsie8757]

[sees Dominic bury his face in his cat's adorable floof at the very end] [cries in allergic]

[@ShermTank7272]

And here I was thinking that "covid-chan" was the limit to the virus's influence on our stories on the internet.

[@whiteraven181]

I'm sorry covid-what? I think I misread

[@songu262]

@@whiteraven181 no... you didn't

[@wildpiercy1141]

"Quarantined With the 10 Inch Soldier" Me: Wait they're publishing micro stuff now? Me: ... Me: OH.

[@cheshirekat3050]

When you think about it, the premise of a novel revolving around a quarantine during the Covid-19 epidemic, isn't that far off from the basic premise of many apocalyptic/zombie stories.

[@yugoxgc]

Clearly Romance novels are like porn on the Internet. If something exists there's a romance novel about it

[@johannageisel5390]

Yes. Sadly, there is no guarantee that it's a GOOD romance novel. :/ I'm often disappointed when I'm trying to find one working for my personal kinks/tastes.

[@stephaniewozny3852]

I know it is. I've seen the Ao3 tags.

[@Macapta]

I think I spent the whole video trying to look at the back of his hair to see if its tied up. Like I was actually moving around like an idiot.

[@HeirofAzaran]

LOL

[@p.a.4512]

so? is it?

[@agirlinsearchof9057]

peleg ariely I vaguely recall him saying it is in one of his videos.

[@patty4349]

I went to college in the US in the mid 80s. My professors created and graded the finals in the classes they taught. I suppose they could ask a different professor to do it if needed, but in the history department most of the professors had areas of expertise that had minimal overlap.... I would not want the Japanese Studies teacher grading my final on Medieval Scottish History!

[@sleepysera]

Idk about the US but in my country the exams are all sent in to a central grading committee (who are ofc always experts of the specific class you are taking the exam for) so that the grading is done unbiased.

[@lordofuzkulak8308]

Patty Foy Might be a US thing; in the UK they’re sent to independent graders for marking as far as I’m aware for reasons of impartiality.

[@shiarrhian]

Yep, professors still grade their own classes' finals in the U.S., can confirm.

[@williamhartman5424]

Almost all my finals were graded entirely by my professor, besides a few which had the TA's grade them.

[@allanolley4874]

In most US and Canadian institutions course materials including exams are set by the professor and marked more or less by them. However, in larger course at universities in Canada and I think the US Teaching Assistants (TAs) might well be the one doing most or all of the marking for a course.

[@ashoat2388]

That’s funny - I imagine my libido looks like Martin Freeman.

[@Giondi]

"Government response is much more organized in smut than reality, this is the world we are living in right now." To be fair, she didn't have to find funding and organize the operation on extremely short notice, she just had to write that it happened.

[@viralshadow]

Are awkward moments a fetish now? Watching and reading YA content seems to give that impression.

[@phoenixsword2452]

I just had flashes of Bella Swan in my mind...

[@absolutew33b]

*Public humiliation has entered the chat*

[@kronemerj]

I mean that would explain kayne west's social media...

[@cfgregory]

For the record, you Holding your cats is always my favorite part of your videos.

[@silverwind3766]

I'd be surprised if it isn't a horror genre too, dystopia at least.

[@SaraH-jn5db]

"Ones professor doesn't grade ones finals" they do Dominic

[@chelg6744]

Do they in the US? In the UK I'm pretty sure the tests are sent off to be marked by people the test-ees never met to avoid bribery issues.

[@fwuuton]

Before 2020: they were roomates!! 2020: *they were QUARANTINED*

[@tigamaki1345]

7:10 - While this is valid, "Breeding" is v much a fetish that exists. There is a subset of people who get turned on by the idea of being impregnated / being pregnant. And it's surprisingly common, so I'm not super shocked it ends up in a lot of fic

[@AkosKovacs.Author.Musician]

Can't wait for the inevitable Riot Romance sub-genre.

[@sleepysera]

Oh that has existed for a while already. Not about this specific protest rn, but you'd be surprised to see how many cop x young activist romance stories are out there 🙄

[@kronemerj]

God that is both sad and not surprising

[@wingedyera]

There is something incredibly satisfying in watching you interact with your cats. Quality content

[@paradoxerror3969]

At one point I was going to try and be a novelist and took several writing courses. Apparently romance novels can have a very strong formula, which after you plug in your particular style and idea, makes it fairly easy to chart out the whole book. This makes it fairly easy for someone to just churn out the novels using that as crutch. After your 5th however it becomes very clear what your doing to even the unobservant.

[@Dan-zc3ou]

Two people confined alone in a house? smut all the way! i've read already hundreds of fanfics about quarantine life

[@sharonspears-mandeville2369]

That's disturbing..y'know,like- _If they really didn't know each other that well..then,yeah._

[@anarchomando7707]

@@sharonspears-mandeville2369 but what if they already did What if they were nymphos?

[@GummyDinosaursify]

" _Are awkward moments a fetish now?_ " Everything's a Fetish if you try hard enough

[@euansmith3699]

"As not bad as it possibly could be. Dominic Noble" That's got to go on the dust jacket.

[@amycross5341]

Lmao great comment

[@Kaydiasez]

As a resent adopter of my own lil cat overlord, i approve this message.

[@lexg5317]

Thank goodness for the comments mentioning the kitty bloopers at the end, otherwise I wouldn’t have known they were there! I love cat guest appearances!

[@leafruns7672]

This is just a modern take on the "Cabin" scenario that I know nothing about.

[@arg3824]

"Are awkward moments a fetish now?" Says the Brit.

[@TechiAuto]

The fanfiction scene also follows these types of trend. Especially one-shots and short stories. I'm avoiding anything written less than a year ago because being in the headspace of a character living in quarantine triggers my anxiety. For those who are curious, yes the fanfics written do have better quarantine procedures than the government. At leas the one I read did. And there was a vaccine that made the virus go away.

[@ElizaArika]

Me, currently writing a quarantine AU fanfic: Oh shit I've been found out

[@hiddenechoes]

Do it 😉

[@Viriditas87]

If this isn't proof that we are living in the dumbest timeline then I don't know what is. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Brandyalla]

Abed never thought of THIS lol

[@p.a.4512]

I really tried to come up with a sarcastic answer that something can be more idiotic, but legit didn't find any. I tried to say that the most stupid thing would be to just ignore the pandemic and come out behaving like normal, but hell even that isn't as stupid as what's going on in the US

[@Plentiy]

I Dont find it that weird tbh. It's like he said the authors simply use quarantine as an easy excuse for why their characters are locked up together.

[@Plentiy]

I Dont find it that weird tbh. It's like he said the authors simply use quarantine as an easy excuse for why their characters are locked up together.

[@rachelppython]

If this is not a reference to Ryan George's Dumbest Timeline video, and heck, even if it is, you and everyone else should go watch it!

[@giapwnezikh.omeleta]

I know that probably my comment will be lost among all the other ones but yet I wanna say that your videos mean a lot to me. I watch them every week for the last couple of years and they have kept me company in very dreadful times. But I know that even though I might have a bad day,cry my eyes out and be really depressed that a video will cheer me up. Like listening to a friend that I haven't met yet. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. Anyway sorry for my bad English, greetings from Greece.

[@alexandreturcotte6411]

Texas: [Beeing an alpha male] Omegaverse: It's free real estate!

[@johannageisel5390]

Ok, I'm late to the channel: What is the Omegaverse?

[@alexandreturcotte6411]

@@johannageisel5390 an universe where there are men who can get pregnant!

[@alexandreturcotte6411]

There's a link (even if the video can be found easily): kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJazmX6paLCmipY

[@Jones209]

In order to cleanse our minds of... this... may I suggest the, uh, 'fascinating' and very not realistic romance novels by one Chuck Tingle?

[@tesso.6193]

that guy is a legend. I saw his reddit AMA then saw his novel about having sex with the personifiation of his reddit AMA. Brilliant lol.

[@alisaurus4224]

“Not realistic”? For shame! Who among us hasn’t been pounded in the butt by our own butt?

[@aceofspades9503]

"Quarantined With the 10 Inch Soldier: Interracial Romance" Well....I guess the title is VERY up front about everything you are getting when you read it. A whole new level of Truth in Advertising.

[@ChrisSagem]

Called it!!! I knew something like this would inevitably happen as I’ve been predicting this Covid 19 pandemic would become a setting for future media!

[@l.francesca4780]

I've spent so long in quarantine I'd forgotten how cute cats are. Bless The Dom and his cats for reminding me.

[@ParadoxNerdHLM]

"Are awkward moments a fetish now?" It's like I was made for this

[@TotallyNotRedneckYall]

"Are awkward moments a fetish now?" Finally my time to shine!

[@strdseraph2765]

I would love to see you do one of these videos on a reverse harem romance, and on that note I read The Kings of Quarentine which is a RH quarentine romance set in a boarding school. I loved it.

[@dionadair8195]

"Lowkey apocalyptic pandemic" Way to keep things calm. Jk, that was funny.

[@BlazePiffington]

The only quarantine/disease story for me is love in the time of cholera We need love in the time of covid

[@merrittanimation7721]

100 Years of Quarantine

[@kirstenpaff8946]

It's been years since I read Love in the Time of Cholera, but wasn't that the one where the guy got explosive bowel issues whenever he was around his love interest?

[@miraxterrik]

@@kirstenpaff8946 that was your takeaway from that book? XD

[@Siriastimeflies]

My main takeaway from this book was the grooming (more disgusting to me than cholera) so I hope we can get something better.

[@Ggiulia98]

Love in the time of Corona

[@Bookdragon11]

“If youtube videos were books.” My gward, that actually makes sense 😄.

[@bryangustafson2748]

Actually authors like to make puns on the virus. Corvid-19 is a viral twitter 🐦. I'm not going to share where i found it. I have taste.

[@keelanbarron928]

I don't. Tell me.

[@Brandyalla]

Corvids are crows, ravens, and jays, so....it's about bird flu? Birds get Covid? I want to know what that means

[@bryangustafson2748]

It's just a bird joke. It isn't meanful. They're just making fun of the fact that they sound the same. It's the writing equivalent of censoring a racial slur and expecting people to find it funny. It's cringe humor. I assumed that the audience would understand since he already explained cringe comedy in the hitchhiker's movie review.

[@bryangustafson2748]

And it's Qovid in the book, so the phrasing jokes don't even fit because all the slurs are just people putting them in without even acknowledging the racial insensitivity that makes up most of the book.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

With the cover of "Quarantine With My Professor", is he...is he doing an arm curl with a book?! Flexing with literature?! 😂😂😂 I laugh but in Tekken 7, I dressed the character Hwoarang with a short beard, black reading glasses, tan slacks and a dress shirt worn under a dark blue sweater. He looks like the epitome of the sexy college professor, all while doing Taekwondo, XD!

[@dobbyblue2462]

13:11 look at that little void, what a good void

[@pythonjava6228]

Let's take a moment to applaud his ever wonderful thumbnails

[@The_Practical_Daydreamer]

At least keeping people indoor with their loved ones means there will be a lot of babies, so this genre has that based in reality.

[@rebeccacasey6027]

“I like it a lot that’s why I can tell when it’s not good” 😆

[@bellringer53]

I love how as long as it isnt harmful, dom doesnt judge authors and readers/viewers for their wierd stuff!

[@Minilena]

Age difference does get significantly less weird once you're in your 20s, is my experience as someone who is currently 26 and for the last couple of years have had partners who have been 7-14 years older than me. The teacher/student dynamic however... No, just no, never okay irl as long as there are grades to be set. But I can see why it's popular in fiction, with the power dynamic and all~ Thanks for all your work, Dom!

[@Carewolf]

University often isn't graded solely by the teacher, but graded based on written exams by a teacher and censor, and the teacher can opt out of even partially grading papers they feel they have a conflict of interest with (parent/child conflicts of interests being the most common reason by far.. too many children studying the same as their professor parent). And we have to assume university level, as pre-university any teacher/student relationship would be statuary rape..so... Though I have to admit everytime I hear of a professor marrying one of their Ph.D. students, I cringe.. At least Ph.D students are usually around 30 where I live, but it is still weird.

[@allanolley4874]

My sense is that in most institutions it is sexual harassment and conflict of interest for someone who is marking/evaluating a student to also date that student at the time. However you can be a student at a university and date faculty whose courses etc. you don't take and at most institutions those people can date without running afoul of any regulations, whether it is still objectionable, I think it depends on other factors. I think sometimes it is clearly not (the student and teacher are at the same university but never really academically interact) but lots of cases skate the edge also (technically they were not dating while the prof was marking the student, but there attraction etc. started at the time or some other complication). I personally knew two cases of students dating faculty in my academic career and one fell into my not at all creepy and the other into the skating the edge zones.

[@beequeen2556]

o hey! caleb joseph made a video abt this too! i think the book he reviewed was abt getting quarantined with a hunky lumberjack lmao.

[@evelynnkreunen8361]

YES i loved that review!

[@kiamatyful]

When he says "low-key" the subtitles translate it to Loki.

[@eldergeek6077]

This is similar to the "2 people contract a mystery virus and have to be isolated together for X number of days."

[@hiddenechoes]

I could legit write my own, but it wouldn't be this 😂 Got stranded at my long distance BF's during spring break. Been with him almost 3 months. Before we only saw each other a week or long weekend at a time. 😄😂

[@HeirofAzaran]

How's it going?

[@hiddenechoes]

@@HeirofAzaran I'll be the first to admit there have been ups and downs. But for the most part it's been really amazing. Since we have only spent a week together at a time in the last 2 years I was scared we might kill each other. Instead we've mutually helped one another's pandemic stress and the cabin fever feelings. We've found ways to responsibly go on adventures (camping and such), we regularly cook meals for each other, clean together. I'm a massage therapy student with my classes online right now so having a body to practice the skills I'm supposed to be acquiring has been a life saver to me distance learning. And for the more intimate details of our quarantine my novella will be linked below xD

[@alexn5743]

@@hiddenechoes at the risk of being that guy... Oh mai!

[@alisaurus4224]

I know a couple who moved in together because they didn’t want to he separated during lockdown. They did it intentionally, but definitely wouldn’t have moved in so soon without the pandemic.

[@hiddenechoes]

@@HeirofAzaran Long winded update: I'm back in school on my side of the country and... If it hadn't been for our quaruntine together we'd honestly never have gotten to know each other well enough to really invest in keeping this odd relationship going. We've started saving for trips together once the vaccine is out and actively discuss moving nearer to once another one I'm out of my program. Virtual movie nights are NOT the same as being together 24/7, but it's what we have for now. Bondage and other in person activities will have to wait for another time. I think we would have ended in flames with how hard distance can be, but we haven't seen each other since June and we're going strong. It went from a fling to a maybe to a pandemic to "oh we're separated... I guess I love you and you not being here sucks," "wait, what?" And now we've got a lot of plans and are eager for a vaccine so we can meet up again. I never knew this would be a fanfic trope when I flew out to see him in March... But it's only appropriate for our relationship to take off due to a fanfic trope as it started with another. (Yes, our fling non relationship that led to this relationship began with the age old, "but there was only one bed!")

[@wikeida]

Dom... I think your efforts to stop finger wagging has made your fabulously biting sarcasm even more scathing and Satisfying... Bravo! Great video as always.

[@StardustWhip]

I remember seeing a few fan works about Covid-19, but that was stuff like less than 700 words of Phineas and Ferb trying to find a cure, a 5-page comic about Spider-Man getting an elderly lady's groceries for her... Never occurred to me that there could be Covid-19 romance stories. (Sorry if I posted a comment like this already. I thought I did, but I wasn't sure and I couldn't find anything scrolling through the comment section here, so...)

[@melkapitan8531]

Another great video! In the US, professors DO grade their students' final exams. There's no exit exam for a bachelor's degree.

[@geekfreak2000]

YOU HAVE TWO KITTIES!?!?!?!? DO A VIDEO ON THEM!!!!! My black kitty's name is Salem❤❤❤

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Everything is a romance sub-genre.

[@BigBenFranklin]

No mention of the illustrious Chuck Tingle and his masterpiece "Not Pounded By Anything While I Practice Responsible Social Distancing?" Or "The Physical Manifestation Of Washing My Hands Gets Me Off?"

[@maryavatar]

I used to be part on an online writers group. One of the members is now a fairly successful novelist, and this seemed to inspire a few of the less talented members to self publish on Amazon. One has self published around 20 novellas under three names and has made enough to buy a small cup of coffee. But another one has self published hundreds of novellas - one every month or two, and they sell like crazy. She just bought each of her kids a house. And yes, she writes smut.

[@elizabethdevido2081]

I’m weirdly impressed by COVID romance novels. As someone who’s been trying to write a single novel for years, the fact that these people wrote a full book, some even MULTIPLE books, in a month or two is kind of pushing my jealousy buttons, even with the books’ shortness and low quality. Like...nice job.

[@quantumlandbooks4005]

Intentionally misspelling COVID-19 is because wrong information from erotica on Amazon has been identified as a public health hazard, so Amazon tried to remove all books mentioning the disease by name. (Sometimes, I hate studying epidemiology. This actually wasted some of the time in our lectures.)

[@icequeen9]

'Disaster / emergency situation leads to our two our leads being stuck in a small space with one another and nobody else' is a pretty standard concept, it's just that instead of a natural disaster or some fictional threat it's a real life threat that is constantly on everyone's minds all the time. Anyway, I'm not surprised.

[@thisithis]

As soon as I saw the title and Don say what the title for "Quarantined With the 10 Inch Soldier: Interracial Romance" I was floored with laughter.