So Viking Romance Is A Thing

A not terrible but weirdly formulaic thing.
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[@HerrDeutschBlood]

Long ago, the four mailing nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Postman Nation attacked.

[@TheKawaiiSlartibartfast]

Yes! We need postman nation shifter romance novels.

[@nomdeplume2213]

And their Fireman Territory allies refused to come to their aide, thus why the Union Workers War broke out 😂

[@shizotypical]

So basically playing Death Stranding and fighting MULEs

[@quilespiritu]

Only the Jack-of-all-trades, master of all four professions, could stop them

[@DoctorInk20]

Their mighty chief was *Pat the Punctual*

[@neobrala5237]

Dom Noble: "They slept on the back of a horse. ... the horse name is Sleipnir." Odin: "They did WHAT on my horse?!"

[@damemithut4491]

Loki from the back: "They did WHAT TO MY SON????"

[@ardinhelme687]

I love how he just tagged on "the horse's name is Sleipnir" to that statement.

[@sadrabbit53]

@Hey, You! Thanks, mythology! Never stop being weird regardless of culture

[@chadfalardeau9162]

😮

[@dylantennant6594]

Considering Sleipnir means gallows I hope they did do any autoerotic hanging on that thing.

[@mr.incorporeal7642]

To add to the fun facts: The Norse were famous during their day for how frequently they bathed; about once a week. Which, granted, might still seem gross to you and I but was pretty absurdly frequent for Europe at the time. Your average Norse person bathed more frequently than nobles in most other European countries then, to the point where it actually earned them no small amount of ridicule. In line with that, they were also well known for how meticulously they kept their long hair and beards clean and well-groomed. A decent comb made of bone or wood was often one of the most prized items in a Norseman's personal effects while out on viking. They also decorated their hair & beards with ribbons, which probably looked lovely while they were stabbing people in the guts. Oh! Also! Old Norse marriage traditions were surprisingly egalitarian, with the woman being well within her rights to divorce her husband at any time. On top of that it was typically the man who was shamed by his peers for being a shitty husband.

[@desi1790]

wow

[@werelemur1138]

And then along came Christianity and "civilized" them. (Because going to war is only cool if you're doing it "for Jesus".)

[@charischannah]

And there are extant writings from the time with the Englishmen complaining about how evil the Northmen are for bathing, because it means they're stealing all the Englishwomen.

[@mr.incorporeal7642]

@@charischannah Yes! That piece of writing is hilarious. Like some medieval version of an incel rant.

[@mychannel-rt2gn]

But didn’t norsemen use the communal cleaning bowl, at least that’s what I heard

[@smjaiteh]

Reaction to Viking romance fiction: *“This EXISTS?”* Reaction to Viking porn: “I’m completely unsurprised this exists.”

[@Call-me-Al]

Drawing an image or several of shitty porn requires less effort than writing a whole book of shitty literature porn, so the effort cost is much lower and easily makes the former abundant

[@bishop2286]

Rule 34 my friend, rule 34

[@RadioactiveMoth]

@@Call-me-Al Why's it gotta be shitty?

[@Desimere]

Well, it's the same thing, kind of. Have you read any modern fantasy romance books? When you read them, you will notice that in more than 90% of the cases, the objective of the book is basically the same as the objective of porn. The added storyline is just foreplay. I suppose women just need more foreplay on average.

[@Creek_With_Care]

@@Desimere I mean you're kinda right. I've tried watching porn many times but I can't get into it. I just think about how there's a whole camera crew there and other random shit like that. It's just hard to fully get into it. Reading smutt is better for me and a lot of other women because there's a whole story, you get to know the characters, there's emotion, and the sexual longing is drawn out more. It makes the actual sex scenes way better because there's a bunch of back story and other shit that goes into it.

[@JamesTullos]

Son, you have no idea the niche genres that exist out there. You've got: -Erotic fantasy -Christian fiction (comes in romance and action/adventure flavors) -Werewolf romance -Dinosaur romance -Alternate history designed to push a bizarre political ideology -"Sexual Assault" YA novels -Social media crime thrillers -Memory loss romance -"All the adults are dead/zombies" YA novels And many, many more.

[@saschamayer4050]

Dinosaur romance. 🦕💘🦖

[@reveranttangent1771]

All the adults are dead or zombies? Wow

[@Serechor]

@@reveranttangent1771 Yep. There's a large amount of them if you know what you're looking for. Like Gone or The Enemy... I will admit, I liked The Enemy.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

Don't forget Bigfoot and Yeti romance novels.

[@reveranttangent1771]

@@Serechor because starving, in an apocalyptic setting is soo romantic🙄

[@simonesalvatore9345]

So is “I read [insert obscure and somewhat questionable genre]” going to be a regular thing? If so, sign me up.

[@alyssaagnew4147]

Yeah, his insights on such things tend to be pretty entertaining and informative.

[@ambers628]

Right?!

[@rociotrupo9952]

Same here

[@k1tkat-kate]

hope so!

[@Valdagast]

Did you know there's such a thing as dinosaur porn?

[@MsSheeep]

Fun fact: in Germany we like to call these kinds of novels „neck biters“ because their covers often feature a man standing behind a woman caressing her neck and that makes it look like he’s biting here. I guess you get the picture.

[@anna-flora999]

Huh, wusste ich nicht

[@keeprockin69]

Hab ich noch nie gehört, interessant :D

[@Maurrokh]

In welcher Region sagt man das? :D

[@lizarddagger3826]

Bruder, bei uns sagt das niemand. 😂

[@thefischdeo]

Ist das wieder so 'ne Weihnachtsgurkensache? :'D

[@daniellemhall1358]

Me: loves reading trashy romance novels Also me: loves watching videos where people make fun of trashy romance novels

[@misery8264]

It's always fun to explain a trashy romance plot to people who don't read these books. Just watch as their facial expression looks decreasingly confused :D

[@jarmakey1]

I had historical romance addiction for a short time. Man I read so much crap, enjoyed every minute of it.

[@VenusAD]

Oh man, same. I adore my trash. I even watch it in drama form lol

[@ArdillaKunterbunt]

@Danielle M Hall My name is also Danielle and I love my trash, too 😂😂😂😂

[@daniellemhall1358]

@@ArdillaKunterbunt hey fellow Danielle! What is life without weird stuff to love?

[@shebjess]

You named your cat "Sir Terry Pratchett" and yet are surprised when he's being adorably mischievous? He's living up to his namesake!

[@RobinWood1292]

It's an awesome cat name! (also, all cats are adorably mischievous ;)

[@sadrabbit53]

@@RobinWood1292 Our cat was an angel to everyone but my dad. My dad was tired of him, painting him out to be some sort of scheming devil, but we never believed him because he was nice to everyone else lmao That changed at some point: Our cat understood some English. If we told him "Shh!", said "Come here," or called his name when he meowed, he would stop meowing and come see us, since what he usually wanted was some attention. This wasn't the case with dad. He'd say "Shh!" and our cat would come to him, like normal, but sit about two yards away, make direct eye contact, then meow again. (Our dad really hates the sound of cat meows; they're like the effect the sound of others chewing has on some people.)

[@TeroTheShortOne]

@@sadrabbit53 Interesting! I've never heard of misophonia being triggered by cat meows.

[@salenebrom6476]

Geese Juggler hahaha

[@princeapoopoo5787]

My cat is named Crowley and he is an absolute nightmare sometimes. I feel like Sir Terry would be proud of that.

[@inugamidalton8270]

Oh, Dominic, Dominic, you haven’t even gotten to the romance novel sub genres that have strong and handsome men who shape-shift into panthers, bears, and or bunnies. And then there’s Chuck Tingle, but he’s a whole video unto himself.

[@MissSicklemoon13]

please, for the love all the old gods read a Chuck Tingle book or 2

[@petalite3354]

And that's not to mention some of the sub sub genres of shifter romance: fated mates, Alpha and Omega, mpreg... Also, thank you for telling me about Chuck Tingle. The summaries alone are gold.

[@inugamidalton8270]

Petalite Welcome to the club, Buckaroo. Love is real.

[@scouttyra]

Or listen to ''Pounded in the butt by my own podcast'' (haven't listened to it, but it is the same author

[@KryssLaBryn]

Not to mention all the non-shifter monster porn. :D

[@d.lan3y]

As someone who rides horses: how does that work, functionally? Why would you? How was it comfortable? Why didn't the horse spook? Or buck? Who held the reins? Why bother at that point when you could just tie up the horse and do it in the grass? Was the horse walking? How did they keep him walking straight with all the weight shifting? In conclusion, this makes zero sense.

[@cferracini]

Honestly... I'm surprised they didn't fall and got hurt that way, but even assuming you can stay put... I'm impressed they managed to not break his "goods". I mean... people go to the emergency rooms doing way less dangerous sex. And this comment is coming from someone who does not ride horses, never did it alone and probably never will.

[@rkah6187]

Well, if it was called Sleipnir, it must not have been an ordinary horse. Though I wonder where Odin was through all of this.

[@skylx0812]

Aren't horses spooked by the smell of blood? I'm sure it would break the mood if the aromas you and your partner generate make your horse run off in a panic with the two of you locked together like hounds.

[@nessyness5447]

@@rkah6187 or loki, " the heck are you doing banging on top of my son????!"

[@maryamkidwai2543]

@@skylx0812 wait then how were they used in war?

[@Nenona1200]

"we're still mostly pagan around here, having magic powers is awesome." "wish I'd known that sooner" 😂

[@clouddd8053]

😂

[@lizzythequeer3065]

Love it

[@gwest3644]

It probably helped that she was a woman, since magic was actually seen as a woman’s craft in Viking Age Scandinavia and men who practiced it were considered weak and unmanly (like how Loki mocks Odin for practicing witchcraft in the poem Lokasenna)

[@quinnsinclair7028]

“Nope, we’re still mostly pagan around here. In our religion having magical powers is awesome.”

[@barbararab6390]

Jesus was a magician yet they burned them at the stake

[@Butterflier00]

@@barbararab6390 please say you're joking.

[@HisameArtwork]

@@Butterflier00 not just a magician but a necromancer dabbling often in dark magic. I'm surprised the romans didn't do more considering they did believe in magic and bad magic. I guess they didn't take him seriously as a wizard either.

[@dontletthemtakeourmaymays4690]

They killed him cuz they said he couldn’t do “magic” (which doesn’t exist.) They were then dubbed miracles. The pagans say Magik with a k. I guess there’s a difference. And that has to do with manifesting and stuff. They killed witches cause of “magic”. Like Harry Potter magic.

[@JayJayM57]

@@barbararab6390 I think the Romans were concerned about Jesus's anti-Roman beliefs and his desire to eradicate the rich to help the poor.

[@akisutahatter3245]

when the credits are going and there are still three minutes left i get very excited for the incoming cat-bloopers

[@RobinWood1292]

haha me too!

[@Lacrimarimus]

Can't get enough of the cat bloopers.

[@k1tkat-kate]

Same

[@Liv19Liv19]

I would watch 10 minutes of cat bloopers, happily

[@AvgJane19]

😂😂

[@samanthaw.6929]

Me, watching the adorable outtakes: *suddenly remembers that viking brides were given cats as wedding gifts because they were sacred to the goddess of marriage, Frigga*

[@thevoidlookspretty7079]

“The horse’s name was Sleipnir” was one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a good while.

[@poeticsparrow]

It lived up to the hype! 🤣

[@Alice0hMy]

Well, sleipnir is the name of Odins eight-legged horse in norse mythology, so it definitely makes sense

[@YuriXEstelle]

@@Alice0hMy To add to the hilarity, Sleipnir is the son of Loki. Whom is the horse's mother, the father is a stallion named Svadilfari.

[@whovianinthehizzayy]

oh the irony

[@NWolfsson]

@@YuriXEstelle The stallion being the draft horse of a giant with whom the Aesir gods (the main dudes and dudettes) struck a deal, basically that the giant will construct a fortress for the gods in one season, and if he manages it he gets Freyja, the Sun and the Moon. High stakes, and thanks to Loki the gods accepted, and it was when they realized the builder was able to finish his work that they menaced Loki of painful death if he doesn't correct this. Which he did. By distracting Svadilfari by taking the form of a mare in heat. The rest is history, a few months later an eight-legged foal was birth, and taken by Odin as a mount because the man LOVES having reminders of when Loki f*cked up!

[@selkiesiren1807]

We need more content of you reviewing weird romance novel genres. Vampires are to mainstream, but I bet there's at least a dozen books about falling in love with Orcs out there somewhere in the hidden corners of the internet.

[@leadingblind1629]

😲😵

[@koramagna]

Or trolls.

[@gimzod76]

Or dinosaurs Yes that is a thing

[@Dreigonix]

Orcs are unfairly stereotyped as crazed rapists- we need more consensual orc romance stories. Especially with elves. #JusticeForOrcs

[@reveranttangent1771]

Orcs? Wow

[@shadowscribe]

I suspect Sleipnir did not appreciate them banging on his back.

[@jessielefey]

Given Sleipnir's parents, and current owner, poor thing has probably seen way way worse. (Yes, no I know, it was a joke I couldn't bear to not make, I know this horse only has four legs.)

[@larissas706]

@@jessielefey If two people are going at it on top, technically, there are eight legs.

[@3katfox]

If any of the horses I've ridden are any indication, it would either buck them off or just stop and start eating grass 🤷‍♀️ Horses DGAF

[@wonderorsupergirl]

@@3katfox yeah, but wouldn't it be heavy to carry 2 people?

[@3katfox]

@@wonderorsupergirl depending on the breed probably not, most breeds from northern Europe are pretty sturdy and strong because of the cold 2 adults riding a horse wouldn't be a problem 2 adults *screwing* on a horse is a whole different ball game

[@TheCoelura]

“No enemies had ever taken Ankh-Morpork. Well technically they had, quite often; the city welcomed free-spending barbarian invaders, but somehow the puzzled raiders found, after a few days, that they didn't own their horses any more, and within a couple of months they were just another minority group with its own graffiti and food shops.” - Terry Pratchett, Eric

[@yamiatemyugi]

I have no idea why I find this so funny, it also really makes me want to read another Discworld books.

[@GloriamMonarchia]

*"You can't have your characters constantly patting themselves on the back for respecting consent when they clearly super don't."* This is the best line of your review in my gentle opinion. Thank you so much for saying it. Big regards, Dom! 🙏🏻

[@damn_son9683]

Here's another basically unknown genre in literature: Dinosaur smut (I'm dead serious)

[@lord0jackostar]

Damn Son I feel like that needs some context...but I’m too horrified by the logistics to ask any further questions.

[@moxiebadger]

I would love to see him cover Chuck Tingle

[@doll_dress_swap1269]

Everyone in the comments keeps bringing up these allegedly sexy dinos and this Tingle guy, and want to Google yet I'm so afraid.😅😅😅

[@moxiebadger]

@@doll_dress_swap1269 It's worth the google search, trust

[@KaiPonVisp]

@@doll_dress_swap1269 Tingle is love, Tingle is life. For real though, some of his writing is fun. Weird, but(t) fun.

[@hopewells5997]

This should be a series. “Insert random thing here” romance is a thing.

[@sorayaalcyone2726]

That could get weird, well weirder, real quick

[@cheshirekat3050]

Insert rule 34 reference, here.

[@aubreyackermann8432]

So, platypus romance is a thing... So, zombie romance is a thing... So, coma romance is a thing... So, pyromaniac romance is a thing...

[@samiraansari5686]

My I recommend „Hot pterodactyl boyfriend“ to you, if you want a creative romance set up.

[@cheshirekat3050]

@@samiraansari5686 No you may not.

[@jackcarson5401]

I've started reading a book called "Hot Pteradactyl Boyfriend." God help me, I don't think it's a parody...

[@Spookyexe_]

If you are referring to the winged dinosaurs pterodactyl than I'm gonna pray for you even tho I'm not religious... just in case.

[@jackcarson5401]

@@Spookyexe_ By all means, please do.

[@Daelyah]

Yo, update us when you're done! I'm sickened but curious...but also don't feel like working for all that trauma. 😝

[@jackcarson5401]

@@Daelyah Well, as of now I've finished chapter 1. I'm already disappointed that the pterodactyl is purple. I was picturing him green like the recurring X-Men villain Sauron.

[@zakle3805]

Yeah, that’s also a (extremely weird) romance sub genre. I think I’ve heard ‘Dinosaur Erotica’ being thrown about in regards to it.

[@ShadowKaiserin]

"Sir Terry Pratchett, stop that at once!" Me over here, giggling at the image of a old bearded author in a stylish hat shredding the curtains.

[@janicechristiedenton0451]

Sir, if the penguins are threatening you, please blink three times.

[@elywahl9520]

He blinked alot more then 3 times... 😂😂😂😂😂

[@felinefriends7797]

Dom: "All my bloopers are about cats now. You understand that, right?" Chat: YES

[@v-mouse]

We love it 😻

[@sorayaalcyone2726]

Which is why we watch the whole video

[@medeaworbs6970]

I gotta know... is _chat_ a pun? Because that's how you spell the french word for cat? If so, that's great ♡

[@TheBurkissWay]

So over the quarantine, a friend of mine had a series of livestreams where she read a random Viking romance novel that an ex had left in her apartment and My God Sandra Hill's 'Truly Madly Viking' is completely bonkers. A Norseman time travels to modern times when his ship is attacked by a telepathic orca (I repeat: TELEPATHIC ORCA), and he ends up in a Texas mental health hospital, has a relationship with the single mother doctor, and slowly turns into a cowboy. Also, he helps a veteran deal with PTSD. Also also, the book is apparently part of a series, and he travels to Maine to meet up with his brother who time traveled in a previous book. So yeah, steamy sitcommy time travel romance is a thing.

[@TheBurkissWay]

Also also also, the tenth century Norseman can understand modern English BECAUSE of the telepathic orca.

[@becauseimafan]

@@TheBurkissWay This is so WTF I need to check it out 😂

[@Sailormac2]

Are the telepathic Orcas in the sequel? Is there an entire Psychic Orcaverse?

[@emmashane8762]

4:14 I have the sneaking suspicion he picked Viking romance so he could dress up and pretend he was a tall muscular sexy sweaty Viking man 😂

[@Ben-vf5gk]

"Viking Romance is a thing" What isn't a thing at this point?

[@gambit8766]

Circus clown Romance 🤡?

[@Zapporah85]

@@gambit8766 Oh sweet, innocent child...

[@cjmoore9966]

Zapporah Mann I’m disturbed, slightly aroused, and must know more. (We’re talking clown chicks, right? I am so creepily on board with that.)

[@Carewolf]

Rule 34 applies to all porn, including pornoliterature aka romance novels.

[@Zapporah85]

@@cjmoore9966 I'm sure they come in various shapes, sexes, and positions. Not that I'd know... 😅

[@mary34channel]

"Postman Nation" sounds like a good name for a band tought

[@esterolofsson1329]

I can tell you, as a Swedish speaking person, that the word ”viking” is most linked to the word vik, which means bay or cove in English. They were simply named vikings because they came in their ships from sea and arrived in the coves (vikar in Swedish) of the main land. So the vikings should be called the coveings or something.

[@jaojao1768]

Det beror på, det finns flera teorier kring ordets ursprung

[@messman10]

Weren't many "vikings" called "Danes?"

[@esterolofsson1329]

@@messman10 Well, "Danes" simply means Danish people, and the people in Denmark were "vikings" so that is probably accurate

[@jaojao1768]

@@esterolofsson1329 in England they called called all norse people danes

[@harmlessratz7151]

still unclear where the word "viking" comes from and its meaning, but very likely related to looting/piracy, hence "go viking". not all scandinavians where vikings and scandinavians traders where scared of running into vikings, even fellow countrymen hade bra

[@roseflorintine]

I’m honestly living for the concept of dom reviewing increasingly absurd bodice rippers

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

One Youth Group white elephant celebration, one of the other teens got a set of "Pirotica." (Entertainingly enough the Leaders found it fucking hilarious) and tried to trade me for the Zebra kigurumi I opened. Looking back, I kinda wish I had taken that trade so I could 1. Donate them to Dominic Noble to read or 2. Review/live read them myself lol

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

Update: I looked it up and appare tly Pirotica is a well-recieved series with glowing reviews across the board and now I'm genuinely curios about them XD

[@yugoxgc]

Big foot romance is a thing too. After that I'm just assuming romance novels have their own equivalent of Rule 34

[@reveranttangent1771]

Wow

[@idontknow4950]

Pretty much, I mean romance novels are to women (generally) what porn videos and porn comics are to men, considering that a lot of nowadays romance novels are fanfictions, and fanfictions are rule 34 made """" book""""(not all of them though).

[@combustible7267]

I forgot about the cryptid and was just staring at this comment for waaaaay too long lmao

[@yugoxgc]

@@combustible7267 lol xD

[@arachne6074]

You’re not wrong

[@Nikkitapup]

The big thing I took away from the review: That poor horse. Horses are for riding, not for you to be ridden on.

[@LittleHobbit13]

"A modern author writing for a modern audience has a responsibility _not_ to present anything that involves non-consensual conduct as romantic regardless of whether it's set in the past, present, or future." *Here, here!* Seconded, and well said.

[@83croissant]

I don’t know... this just reminds me of the hysteria around comic books in the 1950’s. Not everything is for kids ya know. It’s fiction, the people are fictional, there’s no sex workers being put at risk. If the book is for adults, then it’s just consensual kink isn’t it? It’s not consensual within the work of fiction, but that’s the point, it’s a fantasy. The informed reader goes into a Viking abduction fantasy novel from the 1990’s with a certain expectation of dubcon, it’s what they signed up for. And if it’s too much for them, they can get out of the scene by stopping reading. The reader is in control. No one is hurt by this.

[@JenamDrag0n]

@@83croissant I have to disagree with this somewhat. It's a fantasy yes, but there are adults who read stories with dubious or non-consensual romance and then don't realize this in an issue in their real-world relationships because it's been romanticized in books they enjoy.

[@83croissant]

@JenamDrag0n I don’t think so. That’s a very bold claim and it would be difficult to prove. It could also just be that media is reflecting life rather than life reflecting media. How would you know? We could argue over the psychological effect on young people, but these are books for adults. Adults can take responsibility and think for themselves. We’re getting into Hayes Code era hand-wringing over media. Do video games have a responsibility to depict only lawful people doing legal things, and limit the player from committing war crimes or running over sex workers with stolen cars? It’s not something people would be okay with in real life, and playing a video game is not going to convince people to do violence in real life that they wouldn’t otherwise have done.

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

I dunno, I agree with both sides of this debate. You can write stuff like that, but make it super squicky and uncomfortable. Liek, straight up deconstruct the acceptable norms of that era. A Song of Ice and Fire pulls that kinda stuff off pretty well(well, despite being in a fictional universe)

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

@@83croissant Thank you my dude for defending video games. I hate the argument that games cause violence when 1. It's pretty obvious and clearly to literally any person playing it(adult _or_ younger) that maybe you shouldn't do that amoral shit in real life, and 2. The parents who complain about it are usually the ones who allowed their kid to be in a situation where they played a game that was for adults.

[@JP-dt5sv]

“The postman nation” Ah yes the fifth element MAIL

[@berengustav7714]

The fifth element is deff cheese.

[@RedGalaxy00]

"Get off the desk, Sir Terry Pratchett." Yes, this is something I'm glad I've heard in my lifetime.

[@russianvalkyrie2358]

Radioaxive i need it on a t shirt honestly

[@pushinguproses]

I want How to Marry a Highlander to be adapted into a made for TV movie. Preferably airing in the Hallmark channel.

[@sadies8100]

Yeah, sounds beautiful.

[@petra5979]

When you told us the general plot structure of these books: not gonna lie that sounds like my kind of fanfic

[@alyssafoster4765]

I feel attacked lol

[@GreenWormJello]

Similar to these romance novels the first few seasons of the show Vikings, is in fact about a Saxon being kidnapped by a hunky Norse Viking and after spending some time together they slowly fall in love.

[@gracefutrell1912]

Except he was a dude 😆

[@gingerstorm101]

“All my bloopers are cats now” and this is a problem how?

[@jemlolirocktoyz2516]

yeah, the camera should've been tilted or moved so that we could see the cats

[@KayLoo202]

i used to follow a tumblr (that was removed following The Great Purge of 2018) that poked fun at romance novel covers and every thursday was Happy Objectified Scotsman Thursday in honor of the Highlander subgenre. I suggest talking to Jenny Trout on Twitter about the historical romance genre of novels for how they allow(ed) women to explore their sexuality and fantasies and how unfortunately they are looked down on for being imho unfairly for being trash.

[@whiteraven562]

I second the recommendation about Jenny Trout. I follow her blog and she's pretty awesome

[@Dominic-Noble]

I used her Fifty Shades breakdown when I did my review to look up bits I forgot so I wouldn't have to open the book again ^__^

[@haggisa]

I third the Jenny Trout recommendation to anyone reading this. She rips apart so many terrible books and does with wit and style. Also, it’s sad how the romance genre in general is looked down upon, even though there are thousands of romance novels, that are truly terrific and well written. Like Eve Dangerfield’s books.

[@isabelperry4097]

Your comment sparked a lit of thought for me! Since I read pretty much anything I can get my hands on, I've read and enjoyed a lot of romances and romantic works. I agree they have value, but I don't think having value makes them good writing. It's all well and good to explore sexuality and fantasies and other things in writing, I'm all for it, but I don't think it means a writer can't write well while doing so, and I don't think we should overlook or excuse bad writing just because we enjoy reading a piece or think it has value. And I think most genres, regardless of reputation, have a lot of trash to sift through to get to the good works. It's just that people are more willing to sift through trash we enjoy than trash that we don't care about very much, so generally society sees more of the trash from romance and fantasy and SciFi and such than of less popular genres like sick fic, political allegories, biographies, etc., where mostly we see the best works already sifted through to by people who read those genres more than the rest of us. Further, a lot of works we value now were considered trash in their day due to genre or author or language or whatever else, so I don't think it's fair to say that a few good works make the genre good. It just makes those works, in particular, good (or popular). Which is not to say that the less skillfully written works have no value, just that having value doesn't also make them good writing. In short, I like your opinion but also respectfully somewhat disagree.

[@KayLoo202]

@@isabelperry4097 I wouldn't discount your opinion at all! I think a lot of historical romance doesn't have the best writing due to how formulaic the genre can be and often is. There are a lot of gems and authors known for excellent prose, though these can be few and far between. I was only saying how it feels like the entire genre is looked down upon rather than individual works. :)

[@irunamuk]

I love that he will literally stop a recording because his cat requires his attention.

[@issyd.c.]

I used to work at a nonprofit bookstore and one of the manager’s of the store was an elderly lady who had us keep A LOT of Romance books for older women and while sorting through them I noticed the different sub genres within the romance which honestly were mostly like the nationalities of the men. They had cowboys and Scottish men and EVEN A NATIVE AMERICAN SECTION which tended to have the word SAVAGE in the title lmaoo

[@cholten99]

"The horse was called Sleipnir". Is the Norse protagonist secretly Odin???

[@mugo1999]

Aren’t most people secretly Odin?

[@helenl3193]

How I wish I was secretly Odin!

[@TheSleepyowlet]

@@helenl3193 There are only two genders: Odin and Loki.

[@synflwr]

Murray Gordon You’ve called me out, oh no! The biggest spoiler of the whole book!

[@2wingo]

No joke, in Norse mythology, Loki was in the habit of changing himself into a human and marrying and having children with both genders, so people whose mother or father just disappeared one day without a trace were colloquially known as "Children of Loki."

[@vidoquen111]

I mean, hilarious cat bloopers are what you get when you put the cat tree and scratching post in your filming room. ... Don't you dare move them.

[@sunnybreeze4543]

Try Werewolf mate fiction. It's horrible.

[@akeliawilson6672]

ive read some nice ones though like psy changeling series though not all are werewolf for one wasnt that bad and ive read another series that was very well written for the most part

[@ConniJo]

@@akeliawilson6672 the psy changeling series is actually a good series, I agree. Especially with the world building etc. The Werewolf mate fiction found on Wattpad however is a whole different story xD

[@neoqwerty]

@@ConniJo Wattpad ANYTHING is like going "FFnet isn't bad enough quality for me."

[@noodlekatz4449]

Terrible and wonderful trash

[@justbeyondthecornerproduct3540]

You mean. Furry smut.

[@femmefuntime]

I’m determined to write about a “postman nation” now that has the “never ending chain of mailmen delivering mail to other mailmen” that spongebob wondered about in the episode where he had to write an essay

[@dracognia]

"Get off the desk, sir Terry Pratchett!"

[@Maniac536]

Viking: “in our culture having magic is awesome.” Good to know, good to know...

[@quinnsinclair7028]

Maniac536 That’s not wrong. In Norse culture women took care of the finances of the household because math was regarded as a form of witchcraft.

[@BlazeDupree1525]

@@quinnsinclair7028 it is

[@a.polifolia9719]

At least if you're a woman...

[@somechray3718]

@@quinnsinclair7028 I suspect you've got that information from that one Tumblr post, but, as many things are on that platform, it is exaggerated and warped to fit a specific narrative. Yes, women took care of the household in many of the viking subgroups, and yes, women had important roles in the practice of "magic" (seiðr), but doing math was NOT considered to be witchcraft. There was a form of number mysticism, just like there is nowadays in western culture with the numbers 3, 7 and 13 for example, but that does not really count as math in the sense of the word we use today

[@KaiPonVisp]

@@somechray3718 t h i s. So much this.

[@freddysmith9800]

I really appreciate the trigger warnings and the "skip to this time" things you do, it's really helpful and so rare that KZbinrs care this much so just thank you x

[@jhawkshaw]

How about: Ordinary teenage girl gets isekai'd into the Viking era

[@pyroshayniac1090]

This reminds me of the whole "My boyfriend is a monster" genre.

[@edisonlima4647]

Isn't that a mostly m/m subgenre?

[@sokkvabekkr5973]

@@edisonlima4647 really? As far as books go, I've only seen f/m versions of that but I guess with yaoi stuff of whatever it might be a thing

[@sadrabbit53]

@@edisonlima4647 It's equally popular between f/m and m/m, if I'm not mistaken. There are plenty of ads for both... I I don't know why I get them, but I'd like to stop seeing wolf men

[@haggisa]

So it Goes Nope.

[@averyjeanne]

Lindsay Elis has a really interesting video on this trend in female directed media. I thinks it’s actually called “My Monster Boyfriend”.

[@RIlianP]

Ah the genre "Men who lost their shirts" Viking edition. On the other hand go for Dinosaur erotica like Taken by the T-Rex :)

[@chloemarso1778]

Илиан Тодоров what... taken by the t-rex? Please tell me you’re joking?

[@RIlianP]

@@chloemarso1778 Nope, search on Amazon if you want your innocence taken away forever. There is even Wikipedia page.

[@MissCaraMint]

Илиан Тодоров Did you find that through Vaginal Fantasy? Please say you did.

[@RIlianP]

@@MissCaraMint Nah, read an article about it in Cracked years ago xD

[@KaiPonVisp]

Is Taken by the T-Rex a Tingle book? It sounds like a Tingle book.

[@Dragonsphinx]

I don’t know why being introduced to these strange genres I’ll never voluntarily read is so entertaining, but… It’s REALLY entertaining. Mainly because of the little sketches you act out Dom. 😊

[@TheSuzberry]

Check out “Bond of Blood” by Roberta Gellis. It is historically accurate contains some wonderful battles and real courtship. It started as Gellis’ PhD thesis before she decided she didn’t want to teach. (That’s the story she told me when I cornered her babbling about how much I love the book.)

[@simonepreussner]

This time travel thing you mentioned when you talked about the common Tropes is also a thing in the highlander romance genre.

[@BrytteM]

*whispers* You mean it's not just Outlander?

[@simonepreussner]

@@BrytteM Noooo. Take a look at the Highlander novels by Karen Marie Moning. But to be honest they also have magical elements

[@kohakuaiko]

@@BrytteM It's quite common.

[@BrytteM]

YASSSS Edit: HOLY FUCK, THE WRITER OF FEVER!!!

[@Forgefaerie]

@@BrytteM outlander is not even the most interesting one, just the most well known one, and god help you if you tell Gabaldon herself that its romance. hide. HIDE! the world of romance is vast and infinite and contrary to the popular perception that its mainly read by middleaged unsatisfied women - its read by all kinds of people. the main attraction of a romance novel is that 1. its women centric. and 2. it is the ONLY genre where you are guaranteed to get a happy ending for the characters you've come to care for. bonus 3. any genre of fiction you can think of? there is a romance set in that genre. so if you are into sci-fi or fantasy? there are going to be books that focus on a central relationship that concludes with a happy resolution. in a sci-fi or fantasy setting. and so on. and so forth. you basically get the best of both worlds with romances.

[@stonescorpio]

The consent issues in romance novels can be alarming, especially when you consider that for many women these books often substitute for sex ed (thanks, American education system!). That said, I think a lot of romance novels are best viewed as being more like BDSM scenes than true fantasies about what someone would literally enjoy. The novel's heroine is the persona that the (typically female) reader adopts when entering the "scene". The reader is the one who consents and the one who can revoke consent at any time by closing the book. Thus, I don't think the lack of good consent by characters in romance novels has to be a major fault as long as the novels are approached as "scenes" and not educational material.

[@vilena5308]

Laughed wholeheartedly at the "I will never forgive you for what you did to poor Stefan" scene.

[@Jayfive276]

Everything changed when the Fireman nation attacked...

[@bribrichan1]

May the algorithm Gods accept this offering of a comment.

[@VampireGrl4eva]

I loved the way he said "smmmmmMUT" 3:10

[@v-mouse]

Me too.

[@lex6819]

Reverse harem, dragon shapeshifter romance is my personal favorite genre...

[@rebecca7856]

Love a good reverse harem.

[@sadies8100]

Same, I love myself a good reverse harem.

[@becauseimafan]

I have no idea what that is, and now I must look up "reverse harem" 🔎

[@animelovergirl8461]

@@becauseimafan Just in case if you haven't looked it up yet. The term "reverse harem" basically means a girl surrounded by guys. Usually more than three according to anime. Also, the word "harem" itself means a guy surrounded by girls.

[@BooksToAshes]

I love reverse harem lmao I'm reading one currently Probably because I've only been with one guy my entire life, and plan on marrying him. Just reading about a situation I'd NEVER be in is fun to me

[@sugarbaby1974]

I lost it early in this review at "sorry for Dom-splaining to you" - ROFLMAO, well done, sir! XD

[@XanderVJ]

"For all of yours... having sex on the back of a horse stories needs" That's... an oddly accurate need.

[@hadrian8712]

😏

[@paris_2518]

Savage Thunder anyone?

[@thomaswillard6267]

"He came riding on the back of a horse" Has a horseback rider just arrived? Or has a horseback *rider* just *arrived* ?

[@yudithcaron8053]

Has a Mongolian porno just arrived? "Riding a beautiful maiden like a filly, riding a handsome youngster like a stallion (is so much fun)"

[@thomaswillard6267]

@@yudithcaron8053 You can't make a professional porno featuring horses . . . unless you're the mongols

[@lucifer5788]

Bro omg my mom was into like native romance books. Titles were like savage passions, savage desire, savage this. Savage that... Just all around bad. Captured by a native man and "slowly fall in love"

[@lalacustard]

How to achieve love: take someone captive and after spending time together you will slowly fall in love

[@charlotteroberts]

You have utterly hit your stride with these. LiA has been wonderful for a long time, but you're continuously knocking them out of the park now. Incredibly impressed. Looking forward to the next one.

[@insilencea4599]

"Domsplaining" 🤣 No, I didn't know that about Viking(s).

[@Ikajo]

I did but I'm Scandinavian so it doesn't count.

[@demonwolf74]

I did but I'm a history nerd that is facinated by that whole area and time period

[@seanathanbeanathan]

I had a vague idea but his description cleared it up for me

[@seanathanbeanathan]

I only recently found out I'm primarily Norse

[@doll_dress_swap1269]

You make it sound so kinky, lol.

[@AutobotChick25]

"Which one was Stephan?" "I don't know" D Y I N G LMAOOOO

[@sunnydragon722]

I have no idea why but when he added the horses name was Sleipnier, I burst out laughing. Just the way that was attached to the end cracked me up.

[@adeer87]

First impression: Olaf is in this book, it’s going to be good. Everyone loves snowmen. Edit: nvm

[@PyroCeras]

Highlander romance novels are my guilty pleasure. I regret nothing!

[@BeriaLima]

Samesis, I should def read more serious books but hey, he is wearing a kilt withou a shirt OH PASS ME MY SMELLING SALTS

[@alexb7596]

Mine too,.....mine too

[@RedHeadedAuthor]

"All my bloopers are about cats now" YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!

[@theslimcreeper3779]

So. How Chandler from FRIENDS would phrase it: "Viking - it's Hiking, but with villainy"

[@sarahriddle7211]

I work in a library, and I can attest that there are some WEIRD sub-genres out there...

[@sonofthewolfguardianofthef1214]

4:30 what frustrates me is that Olaf literally had something exactly like his “twin brother” who was his rival for his crown.

[@TheDancingBell]

"delicious smut" lol the way he said that made me laugh my ass off

[@efoxkitsune9493]

Hearing you call your cat "baby boy" made my entire day Also you named your orther cat Sir Terry Pratchett?? Legendary. Love the cat bloopers!

[@Dreigonix]

_I’ll swim and sail on savage seas_ _With ne’er a fear of drowning_ _And gladly ride the winds of life_ _If you would marry me_

[@thesewinggeekmiri9029]

*no scorching sun nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey*

[@limitlesssoul2882]

If you will promise me your heart And love...

[@Dreigonix]

+limitless soul And love me for eternity...

[@thesewinggeekmiri9029]

@@Dreigonix my dearest love my darling dear

[@tatjana2893]

@@thesewinggeekmiri9029 your mighty words astound me But I've no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me

[@juliemassam933]

Now I'm trying to remember a romance I loved for years, where a male doctor got kidnapped by a beautiful viking female, in order to help heal her father. It was cute and pretty progressive. Speaking of cute, your cats are adorable!

[@ericward8459]

DO you... Do you remember now?

[@ShyKaiju]

I really love how you were able to make legit criticisms of the book, while still respecting the opions of people who like it

[@earlgrey8143]

I watched this with my girlfriend, and it lead to them thoroughly explaining to me why sex on the back of a horse is a very very bad idea because oddly enough horses are not regularly trained for this situation and will probably get spooked. I can only assume Studly Vikingsen specially trained his horse so he could pull off this maneuver.

[@foxyjambread3826]

This had inspired me to start writing historical romance novels, only they'll be heckin gay.

[@poeticsparrow]

I can't tell if this serious because gay regency is 100% my literary candy

[@petalite3354]

@@poeticsparrow have you heard of Cat Sebastian? She has several gay recency books and I've enjoyed them.

[@poeticsparrow]

@@petalite3354 ahh cat sebastian has been on my tbr list forever, but I've read almost everything by kj charles! and enjoy ava march as well

[@jjh8367]

Now this is a breath of fresh air.

[@Shadow1Yaz]

Huh, this makes the Viking Village of the How to Train Your Dragon extra ironic.

[@fuchsfarben]

Don't know if you're particularly fond of hearing it but all those different costumes and weird green screen scenes are very much appreciated, they never fail to make me laugh :) So thanks for putting in the extra effort (and the cat bloopers, we understand and we love them).

[@yugoxgc]

"Why not try going Viking?"... Hilarious bit of phrasing issue after you explained the proper meaning of the term xD

[@marisp2588]

Dom covering bizarre pulpy romance novels is my new favourite thing

[@artemiswolf4508]

My only criticism of this review is that it could’ve use more cross dressing sketches, those are really funny

[@OmegaTheSillyWolf]

"One by one the penguins steal my sanity" I need one of those shirts. Also, I'm not sure if you're big on recommendations but you'll find some WEIRD shit on Wattpad, especially if you go looking for any supernatural romance stories.

[@jentzi23]

"In a world with 50 shades"... You just had to remind me.

[@lilyme3]

I'm cracking up more every time he says "Tall sweaty long-haired men."

[@BVBloom]

Singing along to Hamilton whilst wearing a long blond wig. BOSS.

[@heidiwills4259]

"The word 'Viking' does not refer to the people." You are right and have now become my favorite KZbinr for pointing this out. I can now tentatively step off my Norse Soap Box .

[@TeroTheShortOne]

You should wear the laced gowns more often, Dom. They work really well with your figure!

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

Book cover have man with a naked chest and long hair + Romance genre + Dramatic pose = OH BOOOYYYYYY.

[@ordinarytree4678]

... so its a step away from being a Jojo story?

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

@@ordinarytree4678 Yare yare daze.

[@uddelhexe3545]

I've only had dogs for more than 20 years...3 Kittens just joined us two months ago. The bloopers are much more relatable now LOL

[@wingdingdoes6687]

man the budgets on the costumes just keeps getting better and better. also "Get Off The Desk Sir Terry Pratchett" is a wonderful sentence

[@Sapphirerosewolf]

The way you said "straight up delicious smut" had me stop, rewind, and replay that multiple times because WOW I have never heard a man say the word smut like that.