[ SECRET POST #3230 ]

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⌈ Secret Post #3230 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 053 secrets from Secret Submission Post #462.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

I'm reading the final book of a trilogy I picked up when I was about 13.

AND I AM REALLY PEEVED right now. Are relationships between older men and TEENAGERS normal? That is, "she was a woman of 16", is that normal? If it helps, it's akin to Arthurian legends/ a GoT situation (but it's another world and time), and the guy who's in love with her and who she may have feelings for is about 23 (my age, so I feel uncomfortable, because wth). And while 7 isn't a great deal of difference, at least not once you hit 20...it bothers me that she's 16 (and mind you, EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER has been going on about her beauty since she was 12--there was an obsessed perverted old man, but that was addressed, so...eh.)

Side note: my heart goes out to the beautiful princess's servant girl who is pining after that young king that will never look at her.She too is 15/16, so I'm not too mad.

So yeah, fantasy readers: is this high court marrying a off a "16 year old woman" normal?

(I do realize in history that was quite often the norm, but my modern sensibilities are most offended. And I liked the young king, he was good. Now I'm just mad. Not what I was expecting. They put a young teen on the cover of the book for Pete's sake! I thought she was going to be his daughter. WTF. But she's so damn beautiful, and she understands him, and they have demons, etc. etc. Cry me a river. Please excuse the rant toward the end. Thank you, kind people.

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

ohhhhhh boy.

Is this old skool fantasy? It sounds like it probably is. That or Piers Anthony. Ugh.

Yeah, I would say that is pretty damn creepy by most readers' standards. I'm also not sure how common young marriages actually WERE in history - I've read stuff indicating otherwise, that such age gaps were rare and usually in cases of royalty marrying off strategically to retain power. Wish I could find you links on that.

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

OP

No, it's not old skool at all! Which is why I'm even more like WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

The one I'm reading now was published in 2008. For context, it's The Fatal Child, by John Dickinson. His first and second book were okay (and the first had its moments of questionable shit, i.e. older man secretly harboring emotions for a teenage girl, grooming-the prince, also 20ish and handsome showing up int he young girl's dream so thaw hen she was 16 she'd run away with him-WHY?! WHY?!!! I didn't realize it at the time I first read it, but nearly ten years later, I'm beside myself).

I don't know if I can finish it. I want to out of principle, but I'm really upset. WTF JOHN DICKINSON.

Reading this comment over, this is even worse when I look back on it.

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

wow, what the fuck.

well, that's one author i'm going to avoid!

unfortunately, there is a certain section of fantasy readers who are the sort of creepy sexist dudes you'd associated with comic book stores and 4chan. and unfortunately i guess that overlaps with some of the writers. :/

there is so much good fantasy out there you don't need to bother wasting your time with them.

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah :/ Still going to finish it, though it boils my blood. Aside from LotR and some C.S. Lewis, I haven't really delved into fantasy.

Do you have any personal favorites/recs? Thanks!

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

Also adding, the author on his website seems ok (but what does anybody know?). And apparently he has other books...? I liked the first book well enough (aside from the parts that made me wonder wtf was up when he was writing this and who didn't check him) and the second one was pretty good too, in terms of the politics, suspense and betrayal, but...damn. why?

Thanks for voicing your thoughts, anon, and the other anon!

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

It's gotten less normal in the last decade for even high fantasy novels to have that sort of age difference, but yeah, if you're reading old school fantasy it's going to be pretty common. Then again, in a LOT of high fantasy books, everyone is considered an adult at 16...

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

It's a common fantasy trope, partly based on misunderstandings people have of medieval history. Even in the Middle Ages, women weren't necessarily married off that young, or if they were it was a political match and not consummated until she was older. There were exceptions, of course (see: Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII) but that didn't happen often because surprise, your chances of conceiving and bearing a healthy child were better if you weren't a teenager.

The other reason it's a common fantasy trope is because so much fantasy is written by middle aged guys.

Re: FANTASY BOOK READERS, enlighten me please

[(Anonymous)]

OP

Yeah, there were definitely some political matches, and if I'm not mistaken, the marriage was consummated a little later, although I think the main character was about 17? I really hope she was 18. I can't recall. The current book has me questioning this later consummation, because there's already declarations of love and a kiss and she's 16, which is a green light in this book, apparently. One of the other anons also mentioned that it wasn't as common for the age gap in history, so you're probably right on the misunderstanding.

Also, the writer is a middle aged man.