He’s still undeniably nerdy, but his hobbies and fashion don’t restrict him to an old trope. He’s also pansexual when the nerd trope is traditionally crazy about just girls. He might be less experienced, but he’s not shy or embarrassed by it which show’s he’s eager to learn. He might become flustered easily, but he can also easily make the first move. Nerd defies all these past tropes by being the adorable heart-breaker that he is. If they are romantic leads, they often undergo a transformation before ending up with the romantic lead that is “out of their league.” Nerd Profile by Refrainbow The nerd character is typically not smooth, not experienced with romance and/sex, and not someone people would instantly describe as attractive. The romantic leads of this webcomic are named after teen archetypes, but they are introduced in new ways. The fact none of them have any experience in polyamory doesn’t stop these boyfriends! Playing With Classic Characters The chemistry between these four finally draws them together and they decide to enter into a polyarmous relationship. After Jock and Prep begin dating, they feel conflicted because while they like each other very much and are happy to be together, they can’t keep the other boys off their minds. The two become an official couple and work together to entice their crushes into joining their relationship. After Nerd explains he likes Goth but also likes Prep and Jock, Goth admits he feels the same way. While Jock and Prep try to figure out their misunderstanding, Goth and Nerd discuss their relationship. Jock also hits on Goth just to learn Goth might be more than he can handle, which he finds very attractive. While Prep and Jock try to recover from their awkward meet-cute, both of them meet Nerd and find him dangerously adorable. Unfortunately, it takes Prep several hours after rejecting him to process the invitation as a flirting. Later, Prep trips in the hallway and is caught by Jock, who then asks Prep out. Nerd is an anime-loving freshman who is clumsy, but still very direct about his desire and naughty thoughts. While Prep complains about being single, Goth decides to tease him and get the number of a cute boy walking near them. However, according to Prep this is just what “bros” do. This is despite the fact that the friendships includes a history of regularly making out and having sex. While Goth harbors a long-time crush on Prep, oblivious Prep thinks their relationship is a typical friendship. Goth and Prep are college seniors and childhood friends who are living together while attending school. Meet The Boyfriendsīoyfriends follows the polyamorous love story of Goth, Prep, Nerd, and Jock. So, let’s jump into Boyfriends, the queer poly rom-com with trans representation that everyone should be reading. Thus, Boyfriends provides the happy rom-com that is missing from the media. With their poly rom-com, they break the rules right off the bat by having more than two romantic leads! They even challenge the cisnormativity present in many queer webcomics/comics/manga with their inclusive portrayal of trans characters.
Reinfrainboy’s Boyfriends challenges this long-standing history by creating a series that has the tropes beloved by fans of a cheesy rom-com and a heart-fluttering shoujo manga, but none of the typical romantic leads. Even when media creates queer romances between two men or two women it can still be cisnormative, and can demonize or fetishize non-monogamous practices if it doesn’t ignore the polyamory all together. Whether its an American live-action or shoujo manga, cis-straight couples with monogamous relationships are the stars of nearly all romances. Media reinforces these beliefs with love stories featuring a cisman and ciswoman falling in love, having a closed marriage, and having kids. Cisnormativity assumes that everyone is cisgender, meaning that their gender and sex “match” according to socially constructed rules about gender and sex. i Cis-straight people also experience privileges in a cisnormativity society. Straight people who are monogamous, married, and procreative are considered the normal practice of heterosexuality. According to Gayle Rubin, cultural anthropologist and theorist of sex and gender politics, heteronormativity empowers a specific type of heterosexuality. Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality is the default sexuality and that everything besides that is abnormal and/or requiring explanation.