(no subject)

[muladhara]

OH GOD.

WHY DO PEOPLE THINK ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR IN FICTIONAL WORKS IS OK?

IT'S NOT OK IN REAL LIFE.

[There was more blah here. I've redacted it because of a) lack of relevance and b) pretty much these three sentences are it. Also only tagging books because it seems to turn up more in books than other fiction? Correct me if I'm wrong]

Comments

[zerenitia]

I personally haven't run into a lot of instances of abuse in books that are shrugged off, or perhaps my case is that I read a lot of books where I accept it as part of a particular setting like those really high fantasy, medieval-ish type of setting?

I know one thing that I've seen in a few books, particularly in romance novels is the misconception of rape. I have one book that I'm looking at on my shelf RIGHT NOW that pissed me off severely because the premise--which nothing in its summary would tell you about beforehand so I had no clue until I started reading it--is a woman whose family was killed when she was a young girl so she ran away, ended up a slave and was repeatedly raped, and after she escaped she spent her whole life plotting his and her parents' killer's demise (he was a pirate. These are pirates!), her love interest turns out to be a douchey pirate who apparently is soooo bad and does all the heinous things but she loves him anyway and she easily bones him and there's nothing that ever triggers her memories or haunts her about her abused childhood.

Oh wait, it does, but only like, when the author needed something to write about because they got bored. It becomes a chapter on its own, and then again it's swept under the rug.

I LOVE HOW SOMETHING THAT TRAUMATIZING CAN BE INSTANTLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT AT YOUR COMMAND. TOTES LIKE REAL LIFE. GOOD WORK, WRITER.


My issue is if you don't feel like legitimately writing out a character who is destroyed in some way and needing to overcome this, then don't make their backstory about something that traumatizing to begin with

[muladhara]

When it comes as part of the setting, that makes more sense, I agree. It's when you get romance novels shrugging it off as "romantic" or an unchanging but OK part of someone's character. One of the books on my list has a violent and abusive male character, and it's all swept aside as part of his character, and even though his friends react appropriately, ultimately they're just "nah, that's who he is" - because he cage fights, you see, and all boxers are violent abusive jerks, it's just who they are. NO. Also when you get Edward's behaviour in Twilight (which is really fucking creepy and manipulative), and there are women going, "oh but that's SO ROMANTIC". LET ME TELL YOU A THING: no it isn't.

Oh man, that book WHAT. Mmm, yeah, I bet he's different to all the other pirates, right? Because no way would a nice (nice as in the sense of non-rapist, since you said he's totally EVUL) pirate be triggering at all, eh? (What the hell book is that, btw?) And yeah, that's totally how triggers work! (If only! My cases aren't as bad as they could be but jeez, if only I could switch them off on command, that would be AMAZING).

I dunno if it's just me, but I get the feeling that a lot of writers are lazy these days, and they put stuff in to make the characters interesting, but then can't be bothered dealing with it or being consistent.

I keep thinking I have other things to add, but it's most incoherent yelling and keyboard mashing, heh. (And not directed at you, of course).

[zerenitia]

sorry for the late response! XD

I totes agree, and that's the one thing that keeps me from even bothering with Twilight is seeing and knowing that that's the kind of character he is but the girls all think it's super sexy or some shit.

Also the book I mentioned is called What a Pirate Desires, by a uh....Michelle Beatie! I guess I just don't get the sex appeal of pirates when you write them in a world where they're supposed to be the violent, rapey, abusive criminals they are but you write THE ONE AND ONLY really good guy who did bad things in his past but NO, HE'S REALLY A GOOD GUY somehow in the end...?


ALSO I'M FINE WITH ALL THE KEYBOARD MASHING IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO ADD. I LIKE KEYBOARD MASHING, DOING AND READING IT LOL.

[muladhara]

No worries! I don't mind if replies are months old, to be honest :)

Exactly! I bet they wouldn't find it so sexy if they had to deal with it in real life.

Ahhh, thanks! I am now conflicted about either looking out for it to see the horror for myself, or avoiding it altogether. I think I know what you'd recommend ;)

LOL, it would've literally been ASDFGHJKL;;DBEWIWENFJWENJVNJGRG. When I say incoherent, I mean incoherent. And lots of repetitions of WWWRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYY. Because WRY I DO NOT COMPREHEND. Or something.

[zerenitia]

If there was any way I could "like" posts on here like facebook, I would totally do it right now xDDD;

But then again I don't really want to get this confused with facebook. Ever >>;

[muladhara]

Wow, really? Thanks :)

(Oh man, NO. I *HATE* facebook. It can burn in hell as far as I'm concerned).