I like how it's safe to post this shit on LJ now because Tumblr is where the crazy lives
i guess my major problem with writing is that i like to have terrible things happen to people, i like them to be panicky or undignified or fucked up beyond reparation. i don't like writing about heroes who do the right thing anything like as much as i like writing about assholes who do the right thing by accident or because they're forced to.
i find it patronising when female characters are always presented as noble or strong or good or empowered or kind or whatever, and unrealistic when queer characters show up in always-functional relationships instead of the same mix of fucked, functional, and pretty damn good relationships that straight characters have. both are as much insulting othering crap as wicked women who want to destroy the world with their evil vagina magic, spine-free distressed damsels, and the perpetually single gay best friend.
despite being entirely unqualified to comment, what with being a white european living in europe whitely on top of a big pile of literature which is about white europeans being white whitely, often in europe, it does occasionally cross my mind that complexity of character is sort of important when writing characters who are not white europeans living in europe whitely on top of privilege mountain, and that unremitting dignity and heroics or and especially the "noble savage" archetype are kind of no more helpful than the antagonist/sidekick who dies to provide revenge arc.
i dunno it just seems like there are a lot of universal human constants and culture and society play a part in how we express them and what experiences we have to shape our personalities, but that the vast majority of us have moments when we're selfish cake-hoarding snappish fucks and moments when we're ready to run into the burning building for someone else's goldfish.
and i have a personal preference for characters who are or at least believe themselves to be spineless uncommitted assholes, or lumbering monsters who follow orders because they're troubled by the responsibility of self-determination. with depth and complexity and sometimes totally lacking in dignity. individuals shaped by their societies but not representative of the society as a whole any more than i stand in for every single woman every time i express an opinion.
can someone write me these characters? like, from every culture and ethnicity? from every gender identity and sexual orientation? from every corner of the world?
Poetry
it might as well be an airline brouchere
i find it patronising when female characters are always presented as noble or strong or good or empowered or kind or whatever, and unrealistic when queer characters show up in always-functional relationships instead of the same mix of fucked, functional, and pretty damn good relationships that straight characters have. both are as much insulting othering crap as wicked women who want to destroy the world with their evil vagina magic, spine-free distressed damsels, and the perpetually single gay best friend.
despite being entirely unqualified to comment, what with being a white european living in europe whitely on top of a big pile of literature which is about white europeans being white whitely, often in europe, it does occasionally cross my mind that complexity of character is sort of important when writing characters who are not white europeans living in europe whitely on top of privilege mountain, and that unremitting dignity and heroics or and especially the "noble savage" archetype are kind of no more helpful than the antagonist/sidekick who dies to provide revenge arc.
i dunno it just seems like there are a lot of universal human constants and culture and society play a part in how we express them and what experiences we have to shape our personalities, but that the vast majority of us have moments when we're selfish cake-hoarding snappish fucks and moments when we're ready to run into the burning building for someone else's goldfish.
and i have a personal preference for characters who are or at least believe themselves to be spineless uncommitted assholes, or lumbering monsters who follow orders because they're troubled by the responsibility of self-determination. with depth and complexity and sometimes totally lacking in dignity. individuals shaped by their societies but not representative of the society as a whole any more than i stand in for every single woman every time i express an opinion.
can someone write me these characters? like, from every culture and ethnicity? from every gender identity and sexual orientation? from every corner of the world?
Poetry
it might as well be an airline brouchere