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[bookelfe]

Today is a day I think for talking about immortal boyfriends!

Okay, more specifically, it is for talking about Tananarive Due's My Soul to Keep, which is, I believe, the first book in a trilogy about secret immortals. I really enjoyed Due's The Good House, and I had heard that her other books did some interesting and unusual things with the

Comments

[agentclaudia]

I am super big on all things vampire-related... except Dark Angsty Immortal Boyfriends. >.>

Occasionally there's a series where Speshul Human Chick dumps Dark Angsty Boyfriend Vamp and hooks up with Blond Brat Prince Vamp for a bit, and those can be fun. Actually, I can only think of two, which are Buffy/Spike (not really my OTP but at least Spike doesn't make me want to stab my eyes out like Angel did), and Sookie/Eric from Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood.

But, um, that's really all I can think of.

[bookelfe]

Actually Angel kind of makes me laugh . . . but mostly because he is so hilariously expressionless most of the time that one can fill in one's own entertaining mental monologue! Also because the show at least pokes a significant amount of fun at his Angsty Broody Stalkerness. If I am going to be stuck with Angsty Immortal Boyfriends, I would at least like them to come with a side order of hilarity. >.>

One thing about this book that I did like was that Jessica is very much a real person, with strong family ties, a promising career, actual friends and goals and so forth. There is no Dudes Fall Over In Droves For Her Love, and the pressure that Mr. Immortal Perfect puts on her to give up aspects of her real life actually is a big and problematic issue.

[bookelfe]

Your icon is ALMOST glorious enough to make me appreciate Bill "Sucky is Mahn" Compton. Almost!

I keep feeling like there must be one that does it well! Somewhere! Out there! Like a mysterious brooding immortal holy grail!

[ceitfianna]

The first one I think of is Duncan from Highlander the Series, he's got all the angst and flashbacks and people from his past keep appearing. The only thing is its been so long since I watched the series, I don't remember too many of the details.

Though I know for a fact, it probably wasn't done well, but I always enjoyed it because at least there were swords with the angst and pretty flashbacks.

Honestly after playing lots of Vampire the Masquerade in high school, I've never really been that much of a fan of reading actually books with Vampires in them. I tried some Anne Rice and found the purple far too much for me and I don't think I've ever really read any others.

[bookelfe]

I keep feeling like there must have been vampire books that I read and enjoyed at one point in my life, and keep drawing a blank. Perhaps I will think of them soon!

Ironically, I know I've enjoyed the occasional angsty ghost romance - despite being technically similar in premise, somehow that does not ping as many of my irritation buttons. Possibly because it usually doesn't work out in the end. >.>

[ceitfianna]

Yeah, I had sort of the same feeling as I was reading this going, I must have read vampire books that I liked, right.

Ghost ones sound much more interesting and if I'm in the mood for crazy angst, I'll read Wuthering Heights, the only Bronte book I like. Jane Eyre made me want to hurt Jane so much, she just annoyed me.

[bookelfe]

Hah, it's the opposite for me - I love Jane Eyre and want to kill everyone in Wuthering Heights. (Except for the frame story narrator. He's hilarious!)

[bookelfe]

I think it's also the age difference thing - it's cool for guys to be older! But older ladies are obviously sketchy. (I want to say L.J. Smith has at least one with a Vampire Girlfriend, but that may be a lie; I have not read any of the L.J. Smith vampire books so I do not know for certain.)

- actually, you know, speaking of ghost stories up above, I think Ghost Girlfriend is significantly more common than Vampire Girlfriend or Immortal Girlfriend. Which is really, really disturbing, when you think about it.

Well, I do think that adults hitting on fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls is pretty creepy! So I get where that comes from. Seventeen or eighteen is a different story, even though it sketches me out still.

[bookelfe]

These are fair points all - especially when you consider that, like them or not, and find it sketchy or not, these angsty immortal romances are wish-fulfillment for the girls. Girls are watching and imagining themselves as Buffy, they're watching and imagining themselves as Bella, and they're allowed to do that.

[elspeth_vimes]

As far as immortal girlfriends go, I love Serafina Pekela and the sad story of her time with Fader Coram.

Really, the only other things I can think of (which I like) off the top of my head either involve both parties being immortal or the relationship is confined to the tragic fanfiction in my head. This could also be the result of me not thinking too clearly today, though.

...For the record, I am very fond of Angel as a character. But I was first exposed to him through Angel, so it was him being angsty but also goofy and heroic. And well-acted. Without Buffy around. (And before the thing with Cordy. ...Which I actually liked. So, yeah.)

[bookelfe]

Immortal girlfriends are better than immortal boyfriends! IT IS PROVEN WITH STATISTICS. Statistics like Serafina Pekkala is awesomer than everyone.

I was trying to think, and the only one I can really thik of is Mitt/Maewen of Diana Wynne Jones' Dalemark Books . . . and, first of all, it is DWJ and she is the exception that breaks every rule, and second of all, it is pretty much confined to angsty fanfic, yeah. (And third of all they knew each other pre-immortalness, which is kind of a significant factor for me.)

I think Angel is a HILARIOUS character. I love it when he is angsty as long as everyone else is making fun of his angst. :D Sadly the show tends to take him seriously when it is Romantic Angst, which is less entertaining for me. >.>

(Also, you should know that I got the first volume of Monster out of the library because I was sick of waiting for the second volume of 20th Century Boys to be processed. Damn you, Urusawa!)

[elspeth_vimes]

Your math is impeccable.

Ooh, I hadn't thought of them, it's been so long since I've read Dalemark. Though actually, my examples were also DWJ! I was thinking of how Mordion and Vierann in Hexwood are both going to live a very long time. ...Also of the angsty fanfic in my head regarding Jamie and Helen. >.>

Even he makes fun of his angst sometimes! And he can be so...dorky. I love my brooding tough guys who are secretly dorks. (See: Fakir. Also Bourne.) But yeah, I could deal with much less Angel/Buffy romantic angst.

(Aaah, I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on it! The art isn't quite as polished as it gets later on, but it is still AMAZING. Especially the end of the volume~ Urasawa is too compelling for his own good. ...Okay, our own good.)

[bookelfe]

Mathematicians are totally in awe of me.

Both semi-immortal is different I think! Jamie and Helen totally count, though. >.> Not that I have mental angsty fanfic for them either or anything, uh.

I think my favorite Angel moment in all of ANYTHING is the dorky dancing scene. Well, that and "usually we're laconic," although that is really more an Oz moment. (HAHAHA FAKIR. Fakir is in a special broody category all his own. The kind of category that jumps through windows JUST FOR THE DRAMATIC LULZ.)

(The library has ALL OF THEM! The library that I now live ten minutes away from! I sort of predict devouring at speed once I have paid off my fines um.)