Had to stop.

[logansrogue]

I think True Blood is something I'm going to have to space out and save for my very good days when I'm not in a bad head space. I found it triggery in some places, and Sookie as Anna plays her is leaching into my characterisation of Miri (main character in my novel Amaryllis, which I cast Anna Paquin as), and I can't have that, case Miri and Sookie are totally freakin' different. Miri = Australian, intellectual novelist wanna-be, discovering a new homonoid culture by accident and getting involved in an uncomfortable love tangle.

One thing that I'm kind of tired of in modern romance is the "Virtuous girl seduced by darkness" trope. Not that True Blood follows this to the letter, but it's part of the make-up. A lot of modern fantasies involve women being lured by the Wrong Kind of Man. What worries me is that in real life? That never ends well.

The other thing is usually that trope is an expression of women who are not comfortable with their own sexuality. There has to be a passiveness about their part in the romance or they feel as though they're "naughty" or "bad". Sometimes that naughtiness and badness is a feature of the genre, as some people love to feel it.

But I really want to write a story where the women in it are in charge of their sexuality, are not ashamed of it, and enjoy it entirely. And it involves a man that isn't dangerous (physically).

I get the feeling nobody would want to read that story, cause it's not dramatic enough. :T

Comments

[bunny-m.livejournal.com]

But I really want to write a story where the women in it are in charge of their sexuality, are not ashamed of it, and enjoy it entirely. And it involves a man that isn't dangerous (physically).

Sign me up. (You might want to check out Jim C. Hines' Princess novels: The Stepsister Scheme, The Mermaid's Madness and Red Hood's Revenge for women that aren't the passive, scared of their sexuality stereotype.

I have the first two already, and *will* be getting Red Hood's soonish.

I can lend them to you, if you'd like.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I don't want to read too much while I'm in my writing phase, and I have a huge "to be read" waiting list already, but should I find myself wanting to read them, I'll let you know.

Good to know there are books out there that don't play into that stereotype!

[jennykate75.livejournal.com]

I have to do that with True Blood too - space it out. No more than 2 episodes at a time. I had to do that with the Sopranos as well, before I eventually just gave up and stopped watching it. But eh, I like Bill in True Blood too much to do that. *G*

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I love Anna Paquin too much to not watch the show at all, ever. But I can't watch it right now. :T

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

I discovered True Blood (http://darksumomo.livejournal.com/211813.html) recently, and I agree with you. It's trashy, compelling, fun, and disturbing all at the same time. It might also be a little too much at times.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Oh God, if it gets that abusive, I might have to stop watching it. O_O

[zzzzsleep.livejournal.com]

You probably don't want to watch season two then... just a heads up.

[hippiegal22.livejournal.com]

I think you should write that! Being a mom I find many of the themes in music, movies and especially romance novels to be disturbing!

People give me the 'bitchy feminist' talk when I tell them that women are taught by the media to look at men as their knight-in-shining-armor who will protect them. Men are taught by porn to look as women as disposable sex objects. When you put those two together in the real world it's messy.

PS I still need to sit down and watch True Blood. My sister keeps on raving what a great show it is.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely writing it, it's just taking some time to finish. Like, years.

Hah, if we're bitchy feminists, I never want to be anything else.

True Blood is pure trash. For some reason, that makes it addictive.

[asweetdownfall.livejournal.com]

But I really want to write a story where the women in it are in charge of their sexuality, are not ashamed of it, and enjoy it entirely. And it involves a man that isn't dangerous (physically).

I would love to read that story. Just saying. :)

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

It's the one about mermaids. :)

[tangofiction.livejournal.com]

Now wait a minute, what about Xena/Ares? She's totally cool with her own body and sexuality, and he's not in the least bit threatening to her, which matters -- in fact, they are about as equal as any two partners can be. The world needs more X/A!! :D

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

You just listed all the reasons why I love Xena/Ares. It can be dark and dangerous, but it's not leaving the woman powerless. I would say that Ares *has* been dangerous to her welfare in the past (body swapping with Callisto, fighting with her) but I've always had the impression that Xena can deal with it. I honestly think she'd be bored with a regular guy.

[tangofiction.livejournal.com]

Well yeah, she's never been a victim -- and fighting is what she does, so they are perfectly suited. Actually, it's Ares who chooses to leave himself powerless (literally) for her sake, so yeah... *wistful sigh*. I still re-read "The Band" occasionally, you know, to get that wonderful shipper fix. :D

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I have the sequel for that in the works, I've just been so busy lately with art commissions and my original novel! I will finish the sequel one day, I really will!

[tangofiction.livejournal.com]

When that day comes, I shall come a-running. :D (Provided it doesn't break them up or anything?? Say it doesn't. Can't cope when sequels do that -- like "A Man and a Woman" or "Funny Girl" or something. Happy endings are sacred :D).

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

No, it doesn't break them up. Not permanently at any rate. :)

[tangofiction.livejournal.com]

*Hugs OTP close to heart* After all, if those two can't be happy together, who can.

[drbunsen.livejournal.com]

I kinda liked the interplay between American and Russian sexualities in Red Mars - not that it was a huge feature of the book. Mostly what I remember is the Russian woman chuckling quietly to herself at just how hung up and neurotic her American lover was about the whole thing, and wishing he'd just get over it.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Hah! That sounds awesome!

[wingedselkie.livejournal.com]

I gave up on True Blood after the first season. I read the books and just couldn't get over the differences.

On another note, I don't know if you like the YA category of books, but if so, "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore is pretty good, with a great strong female lead.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Were the books more or less "helpless Sookie"-ish?

[wingedselkie.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. I'd say in the books she's much more in control of her sexuality, yet she does end up getting rescued a lot. Some books were better than others. I read them more for something to do than out of love for the series. Still, you should at least borrow the first one ("Dead Until Dark") and see for yourself. You can always put it down if you think it's stupid.

[epea-pteroenta.livejournal.com]

I'd read that!

Pretty much totally off-topic (but not quite) but I thought I'd check out Supernatural. I watched about half of the first episode and just got pissed off. So there was the mother who died. Then there was the hot girlfriend in a short skirt who was "out of his league" and got left behind but was terribly understanding. Then some guy got lured back to a weird house by a beautiful literally otherworldly woman tin a artfully ripped white dress who did virgin/whore to perfection. Maybe the show plays with stereotypes and is actually making ironic statement about what we expect from female characterisation but somehow I doubt it.

How hard is it to write female characters who are just characters and not Campbell-esque tropes?

[/rant]

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I'm writing it, so I'm guessing you'll get to read it at some point.

Yeah, Supernatural is like Misogyny City. Its fandom is worse, apparently. I don't think the show is that layered, I think they just don't know what to do with women (the writers).

It's not hard at all if you're not drowning in male privilege, or trying to appease male privilege, I think.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

That's OK. I want to write a book that doesn't have any active romance (meaning none developing during the course of the book), but I would not mind throwing in a mild undertone of possible homosexual leanings of my main character (meaning, he's not going to come out and say he is, but it's not a dismissed possibility either). We'll see if I ever do it, LOL.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Oh, Arthur Conan Doyle did that! Sherlock Holmes! (Ba doom boom!) No seriously, if you write it, I'd read it. It sounds like a great idea!

[holly-go-noor.livejournal.com]

"One thing that I'm kind of tired of in modern romance is the "Virtuous girl seduced by darkness" trope. Not that True Blood follows this to the letter, but it's part of the make-up. A lot of modern fantasies involve women being lured by the Wrong Kind of Man. What worries me is that in real life? That never ends well."

Ha. Tell me 'bout it. I've often wondered, if that wasn't such a common element in stories, would women be attracted to "bad boys"? I certainly USED to be, and pop culture romances that tell me just how AWESOME it is and how POSSIBLE it is to tame those types didn't help. My belief that it was possible led to a LOT of heartache, and not one case ended well (unless of course you count the lessons I learned, certainly the relationships didn't!)

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, I have never, ever wanted a bad boy in real life. I've flirted with a few loud-mouth arrogant types, but usually to bring them down a few notches with the eventual flick-off. But I'm *very* cautious about who I date. The only guys that I've ever dated have been so impossibly sweet, it would melt your face off.

I want to see the love of sweet men in romance novels. I don't mind "He seems like a douchebag but he's actually quite nice" stories, because let's face it, Darcy is hot, but these out and out "He terrifies me... yet I'm so attracted to him!" stories are a really dangerous trope to make popular. It scares me so many women are clamouring for it.

That said, rough, darker sex CAN be that AND safe and consensual. My friends Donna and Bree write werewolf romance fiction and the women in that are no flimsy waifs waiting on their men. Very good stuff.

To complete the irony, I'm using my icon of my favourite bad boy. The lure of him is that at no point does he overpower Xena, and if he does, boy does she ever make him pay for it.

[holly-go-noor.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I wish I had been as wise as you! >.<

OH WELL live and learn!

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Not wise, just lucky enough to have been brought up with a loud, abusive man and therefore want nothing more than to get away from that type of fellow.

[holly-go-noor.livejournal.com]

Ah. Well, I wouldn't call that wise OR lucky. :-/ Although I'd still say it's wiser than me because...

My father was very abusive, physically some but most of it was being a passive-aggressive shit and wittling my self-esteem down to a nub. Anyways, I'm pretty sure that's why I ended up with my seemingly-nice-but-waaaaaaaaaaaay-passive-aggressive-husband: working out Daddy Issues.

Though I think part of it may have been that I just had such bad self-esteem that I didn't think I deserved better.

IDK if you knew, but I left him four months ago. I'm telling you cause I'm proud and feel like bragging, lol!

AND NOW I'm crushing on a super sweet, shy, soft-spoken artist who I've known since I was literally just a few months old. Maybe I've learned my lesson?

/ramble

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

No, that's not being unwise. When people are accustomed to a certain treatment, a different treatment makes them wig out. I know what it's like to expect a certain level of affection, and then get weirded out by a healthy level of affection. I get seriously wigged when Dad is nice to me these days (he chilled out over the years, hence why I'm okay with him).

It takes a while to acclimatise yourself to a non-abusive environment. Don't feel bad and don't feel like you're unwise. My Dad is a good Dad as much he is a stinker, so there was a balance and I could navigate dating easier. Plus I had a strong mother who didn't put up with shit, so I had that role model there. Dad never, ever crossed Mum.

Good luck with the crush! I need myself one of those, I'm dying of no-sex here!!

[catchingspirit.livejournal.com]

I'd absolutely read it.