Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2012-12-26 06:34 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2012-12-26 06:34 pm
[ SECRET POST #2185 ]
⌈ Secret Post #2185 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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[not a repeat; was broken yesterday]
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[not a repeat; was broken yesterday]
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 034 secrets from Secret Submission Post #312.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
no subject
That said, romances in particular can cause problems that other subplots don't, necessarily:
1) The dearth of good male/female friendships in media. As someone who's longest-lasting and closest friendships have been with men, this is particularly galling. The need for romance to appeal to certain target audiences destroys even the possibility of friendship, even if that's how it started (and results in all kind of social ills, such as the "friendzone" where in - because of this kind of media - men assume a friendship with a woman entitles them to an eventual romance).
2) The dearth of good, stable, realistic relationships. Because "romance" virtually always means "two characters falling in love" there's a severe lack of characters who are already in relationships, and stay that way (pre-existing relationships tend to exist only to be ripped apart so that the characters in them can fall in love again with someone else). As soon as characters get together, they "live happily ever after" - which is completely untrue and extremely boring. I'm sick to death of always watching the beginning phases of a romance. If someone thinks that nothing exciting ever happens within and existing relationship, certainly nothing worth writing about, then they've never had a good one. I have, and this is shit.
3) The total derailment of good female characters. It doesn't have to happen (see Aeryn, Roslin) but it so often does. As soon as she falls in love with the hero, that's all her character will be about anymore - being his girlfriend. And more likely than not, being the hero's girlfriend means he'll have to save her (even if she was tougher than him beforehand) and she'll mysteriously lose all courage and common sense just so he can accomplish this. Bllleeeeeccccchhhhh.
As a result, OP, I concur. It's part of the reason I skim the synopses of films and books that look like they might be interesting, but might also have a sappy, stereotypical romance in them. It's a dealbreaker, for sure.
And if you haven't already, may I suggest militaria? Avoid "epic" Michael Bay shit because that'll have romance in for sure, but the gritty, realistic kind (Das Boot, The Hurt Locker, Apocalypse Now) almost invariably avoids it. And fuck yeah.