fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2998 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2998 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

__________________________________________________

03.

__________________________________________________

04.

__________________________________________________

05.

__________________________________________________

06.

__________________________________________________

07.

__________________________________________________

08.

__________________________________________________

09.

__________________________________________________

10.

__________________________________________________

11. [repeat]

__________________________________________________

12.

__________________________________________________

13.

__________________________________________________

14.

__________________________________________________

15.

__________________________________________________

16.

__________________________________________________

17.

__________________________________________________

18.

__________________________________________________

19.

__________________________________________________

20.

__________________________________________________

21.

__________________________________________________

22.

__________________________________________________

23.

__________________________________________________

24.

__________________________________________________

25.

__________________________________________________

26.

__________________________________________________

27. http://i.imgur.com/1PIv5hG.jpg
[Archer, linked for cartoon nudity/sex]

__________________________________________________

28.

__________________________________________________

29.

__________________________________________________

30. [ SPOILERS for Kingsman ]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #428.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

28. http://i.imgur.com/2Rnds88.png

You don't find the Warded Man runs afoul of #2? I liked the first but I've heard the series goes disturbing places with sex and 'purity' of the female characters.

I haven't read anything past the first, since I'm waiting for it to finish. I've heard some really bad things in passing.

I'm pretty pro-social justice, but even I stay away from the ableism/mental health sections, (despite having mental health issues myself) because everyone there is so incredibly picky and explosive. Not surpassed this happened tbh.

THANK YOU, OP.

As a long-time reader of fantasy novels since childhood, thank you - you've articulated a lot of reasons why I no longer read much of the genre beyond Terry Pratchett.

God, I'm so sick of that grimdark stuff and authors putting their political opinions in the characters mouths. And is it really so hard to write something standalone? UGH.

What do you prefer to read, OP?

You're probably going to laugh at this, but I've been reading a lot of manga lately. I know it brings a truckload of fresh issues to the table, especially with female characters, but it's often stuff that I can more easily deal with and put aside. I can't speak for anyone else, though.

Huh. I had a few friends in high school who tried introducing me to what they considered to be 'classics' - Evangelion, Death Note, Baccano, Fruits Basket, Claymore, Hellsing, some other stuff I can't remember right now...

I do still have a soft spot for some of those, although I've long since departed that friend group (a lot of them got older and turned into creepy, awful misogynists and I realised we had nothing in common.)

Are there any particular ones you'd recommend?

DA

As a manga reader, I have to say I hate that kind of recommending. "I don't care about your taste in entertainment, here's a bunch of classics, have fun!" No, it's much better to ask what kind of things the friend likes in general (genre, characters types, tropes etc.), and then find manga that have at least some of those things.

I can't promise I read something you might like, but what kind of stuff do you like?

Hard to say without knowing your tastes. I could recommend anything from Deadman Wonderland to Full Moon.

I guess Princess Tutu is a decent starting point (the anime, not the manga). Most people who can get past the title seem to like it. Other than that, you could just browse TV Tropes for interesting tropes and genres and see what's in the anime section.

Does urban fantasy count, OP?

I have a really hard time finding high fantasy concepts that I like, and so I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy or trying but the random rape scenes (among other things) really put me off. The casual treatment of rape really disgusts me. Outside of Mercedes Lackey, who is the bubblegum of high fantasy, and very select urban fantasy, I've about given up on new authors.

And this worries me a lot, a writer myself, I've got rough drafts of stories I would want to read and they aren't grim dark because I don't like reading/writing through sewage. I hope the trend swings back sometime soon.

By bucking the trend, you'll be catering to those of us who are thirsting for something other than grimdark.

You definitely have an audience, anon!

ayrt

well, phew, I'll have to get on those copy-editors and agents then and get published.

(If only it was that easy.)

I don't know if it would be your type of style, but Seanan McGuire writes urban fantasy that isn't that dark and she has stated, "My response: "None of my protagonists are getting raped. I do not want to write that."" (Source: http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/470626.html ) I have found her books to be a fun read. She might not be your thing, but I figured I would toss it out there. (Her Mira Grant persona is much darker, though, so I wouldn't recommend those works to you. Still no rape, but darker.)

AYRT

Thanks for the rec. I've read her. There was a lack of grimdark and rape. So, I will give her that. She just ended up not being my cup of tea. But thank you so much for trying.

It's really interesting to me that you mention Mercedes Lackey, because the one book I read by her had a ton of rape and more grimdark than I generally like. I've been too afraid to read anything else by her, because I figured it was all the same.

I know, right? I've read at least two books by her that had some violent rape scenes - the last Talia book and the last Vanyel book, IIRC. Oh, wait, and then there was that whole arc in the Mage Winds series about like... the daughter of that evil mage dude who is like a catgirl. She gets raped a lot. Yeahhh. And then sexual healing. Oh yes, and there was another dude who received sexual healing, too... Actually, now that I think of it, pretty much every single rape scene is followed by sexual healing. I think she has a thing for that...

I don't think her series are steeped in it, though. Like I don't feel like rape is looming over every female character's head - in fact, half the time it's dudes getting raped, so there's that?

IIRC, the Bardic Voices series is rapeless. It's been a while since I read those, though...

Image: a fantasy building surrounded by clouds, with a ginormous Earth filling up most of the sky

Text: I haven’t felt genuinely excited for a new fantasy novel series since 2009*. My experiences mostly boil down to:

1): This series would be asesome if it ever actually finished.

2): No, I don’t want to read grimdark with a sprinkle of rape on top.

3): You actually expect me to find this character sympathetic when he says that? Wait, this sympathetic character seays that, too! And this one! a?nd this character who disagrees is the bad guy… Holy shit, do you actually believe that? (The statement avaries, but it’s generally horrific.)

There are a few things I like, and I’m submitting a whole bunch of series about them, but I feel like the fantasy genre as a whole is mired in a bunch of trends I don’t want to deal with anymore.

(This would be a lot less painful if I weren’t a fantasy writer.)

*The Warded Man. A guy tattoos himself with anti-demom runes so he can punch demons to death. Book four of a planned five is coming soon!)

[ SECRET POST #2998 ]

no subject

no subject

OP

no subject

no subject

OP

Re: OP

Re: OP

Re: OP

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Transcript