In terms of the conversations around people not accepting tshd queer themes or choosing to not acknowledge them. There's this youtuber called Krispynatz who made this video talking about Killing Stalking years ago, and he made this genuinely profound statement. He discussed how we need to stop accomidating for straight people and tell stories without it being labeled as fetishism or romanticizing abusive relationships and themes. He compared stories with straight romances having far darker subject matters and vivid protrayls of those matters.
Even though tshd is more about the experience of being a closeted gay with internalized homophobia in a rural small town that ostracize queer people. Who attempts to make the protagonist conform to what's deemed socially acceptable. The message of: "We need to stop diluting queer stories to appease the straights" still very much applies.
If people aren't willing to accept what tshd is and what it represents and choose to ignore those aspects. That's their problem. If they can't engage with the story, then their opinions are mute.
The fandom's opinion about Han Sooyoung's position in the trifecta is either "omg girlboss dokjoong couldn't live without her, she's at the centre of their lives" or "how dare you think that witch (exaggeration) has any place in my dokjoong" and well, dare i say its actually both and niether?
Let's put the romantic and platonic tags aside for a moment. This is in terms of the story.
Han Sooyoung is important in the author, reader, protagonist trifecta due to her role as the author, this much is clear. But if we talk about the relationship between yoohankim, she is not the one at the centre;
Kim Dokja is.
When Yoo Joonghyuk had to choose between finding Kim Dokja and living a life among his companions, he chose Dokja twice
When Han Sooyoung had to choose between saving Kim Dokja and preventing the tragedy of the scenarios, she chose Dokja
But Kim Dokja can't choose between the two. No, he can't choose between any of his companions. He always finds a way to save everyone and if he can't, he sacrifices himself so they can survive.
Kim Dokja is like the sun, the star (heh) of the solar system. And the companions are like planets, asteroids, and moons. It's evident in the epilogue and even before, during the three years he was gone, that he's the one holding them together. They did try to stay together but it didn't really work out too well.
So the reason you can't have dokjoong without Han Sooyoung (not saying she has to part of their relationship) is not because she's at the centre, but because she would keep in touch with Kim Dokja frequently (much to Joonghyuk's chagrin).
Kim Dokja is a buy one get several free. You have Dokja, you have the whole kimcom with him
i don't ship skulduggery and gordon but i can't stop thinking about how it looks to valkyire that her bachelor uncle (who had no strong feelings about her father "stealing" her mother from him) having a very deep very secret friendship with a man that is only revealed upon his death and reveals a whole other side to her uncles life. she must have been like did gordon not know its legal now. damn.
