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I read a series of historical romance novels recently and was reflecting that, as close as they came, they still didn't manage the emotional payoff that I get from fan fiction. It's also that queer historical romance is an arid desert when it comes to lesbians and bisexual women. I thought this series delightful when it started because it was about, generally, men who'd been abused coming to terms with their sexuality and living happily and non-judgementally ever after mostly with lady loves, once with a fellow, twice in a varieties of m/f/m poly relationships and once relationship between a black man and a white woman. But as I approached the end of the series the lack of any lesbian or bisexual women became really offensive. True, women got in bed together but only to touch a man, as if there was an unseen, unfelt force field that kept them apart. For all that the author had her characters talk of healthy sexuality, consensual kink, understanding and loving yourself first etc etc there was still "NO LESBO" stamped across the series. Women did not sleep together or ever express any interest in sleeping together.
So anyway, I thought of pro fiction that does give me a fan fiction level of emotional payoff: the Modesty Blaise books, comics and yes, movies. The epic "live for you/die for you" relationship that Modesty and Willie have is completely perfect and intense and satisfactory. Willie is Modesty's life partner. For sex they have partners who are almost always written as respecting the centrality that their lovers have in each others lives. I think Peter O'Donnell understood the plurality of human sexuality, but just didn't have words. Modesty and Willie aren't just friends, and they're more than found family. They're in a relationship. They share houses, danger, joy, responsibilities. Their former lovers marry each other and remain a part of their family. Fan fiction understands this multiplicity of potential in relationships.
In summary, if you have pro fic recs, bring them on. Series welcomed. (Note, though, that though I love intense relationships, I thought the Attolia books were bleh, mostly due to disliking the protagonist.)
Very much in two minds about this show. It truly has the biggest case of 'threesome is the answer' I have ever seen i.e. a RIDICULOUS triangle. I was beside myself at the end of the first season because OMG Amy can't make out with a cute lesbian she's just met but she can have sex with Karma's just ex-boyfriend. Fucking cliches. But ARGH okay yes it's entirely real for Amy to be confused, maybe she's a lesbian, maybe she's bisexual, maybe she's Karmasexual, all these are valid things to be, as is confused. And then they pulled out the regular intersex character surprise. Fuck. And didn't seem to fuck it up in the first ten minutes so who knows. And sympathetic, sharp pharmacy lady woo! She may have judged but she also protected and did what was helpful for the girl in front of her. Well done addressing unprotected sex and appropriate morning after cautions and for making it canon, without a single bit of fuss, that Liam, a teenager who has a lot of partners, gets tested regularly. Making stupid unprotected sex mistakes not the end of the world. You can still be a responsible person, taking care of yourself and your partner/s.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth.
comments.
So anyway, I thought of pro fiction that does give me a fan fiction level of emotional payoff: the Modesty Blaise books, comics and yes, movies. The epic "live for you/die for you" relationship that Modesty and Willie have is completely perfect and intense and satisfactory. Willie is Modesty's life partner. For sex they have partners who are almost always written as respecting the centrality that their lovers have in each others lives. I think Peter O'Donnell understood the plurality of human sexuality, but just didn't have words. Modesty and Willie aren't just friends, and they're more than found family. They're in a relationship. They share houses, danger, joy, responsibilities. Their former lovers marry each other and remain a part of their family. Fan fiction understands this multiplicity of potential in relationships.
In summary, if you have pro fic recs, bring them on. Series welcomed. (Note, though, that though I love intense relationships, I thought the Attolia books were bleh, mostly due to disliking the protagonist.)
Very much in two minds about this show. It truly has the biggest case of 'threesome is the answer' I have ever seen i.e. a RIDICULOUS triangle. I was beside myself at the end of the first season because OMG Amy can't make out with a cute lesbian she's just met but she can have sex with Karma's just ex-boyfriend. Fucking cliches. But ARGH okay yes it's entirely real for Amy to be confused, maybe she's a lesbian, maybe she's bisexual, maybe she's Karmasexual, all these are valid things to be, as is confused. And then they pulled out the regular intersex character surprise. Fuck. And didn't seem to fuck it up in the first ten minutes so who knows. And sympathetic, sharp pharmacy lady woo! She may have judged but she also protected and did what was helpful for the girl in front of her. Well done addressing unprotected sex and appropriate morning after cautions and for making it canon, without a single bit of fuss, that Liam, a teenager who has a lot of partners, gets tested regularly. Making stupid unprotected sex mistakes not the end of the world. You can still be a responsible person, taking care of yourself and your partner/s.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth.
comments.