Writing and political correctness.

[dmacabre]

For people who savor the snark, get out the popcorn 'cause fantasy author Scott Lynch did a breath-taking job of tearing someone a new one when they complained about how one of his characters was a middle-aged black female pirate with kids. It was magnificent. Call it schadenfreude, but I really, really enjoy seeing someone deserving get their butt

Comments

P.S.

[dmacabre]

I meant to work on my exchange fic tonight, but I read Lynch's post and it got me thinking. I wrote this instead, which was good in a way because it got some thoughts tidied up in my head but not so good in that the exchange deadline is looming in the distance like a dark cloud over Mordor. :-/

I don't think anyone on my flist would say this, but I'd like to state upfront that if anyone's tempted to say anything along the lines of, "... but I don't WANNA think about all this hard stuff, I just want to ENJOY what I read/write", I will be very disappointed. You're entitled to feel that way, of course. If this is something you never have to worry about, that's nice. For you.

It is, however, the equivalent of "Fuck the disenfranchised, they're harshing my squee."

[shiv5468]

He's been on my to read list for ages, and he's just moved up a couple of rungs, because I like the cut of his jib.

Yeah, it's not as if people can actually cast spells, or ride unicorns or anything else, so why can't teh wimminz be pirates.

[dmacabre]

Ditto. I'd been hearing how awesome the Gentleman Bastards series was for ages before I managed to pick up the first book. It was fun. Sometimes slightly rough, gory fun, but fun. I appreciate fantasy authors who think big and splashy, just as I appreciate a writer who can delivery a verbal ass-kicking with aplomb.

You'd make one hell of a pirate! And I'd be up for some rapier swinging, but that whole having to wee off the side of the ship might be a dealbreaker.

[shiv5468]

The Lady Pirates would install a loo, with proper loo paper.

And then take over the world.

[dmacabre]

I had the same reaction. The rest of the series was on my reading list, but hearing the details got it bumped up.

And yeah, that was some grade A snark.

[lone_gothic]

'That by writing a story about a Chinese heroine who's commuting to work on the subway but misses her usual stop only to disembark into some sort of steampunk faerie-land, you're being the PC-est person in the whole friggin' PC universe.'

Wait. This is what his series is about? brb dropping everything and looking this shit up.

[lone_gothic]

... wait. It's not. Danse, I think you broke my heart here.

[themsmine]

Yeah, seriously. Where is this book?

[dmacabre]

Someone should write it so I can read it. *nods*

[themsmine]

I don't usually read scifi/fantasy, but now that I know that the book is about a middle-aged black female pirate with kids, I kinda have to because that's awesome.

[dmacabre]

Ditto. I'd only read the first book, and one of the issues I had with it was that I missed having more dynamic female characters because dammit, why should men have all the fun? But hearing about the black female pirate with kids in tow definitely perks my interest up.