fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2389 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2389 ⌋

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

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[Avenged Sevenfold]

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[Professor Layton]

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[Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors)]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 015 secrets from Secret Submission Post #341.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - 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

10. http://i.imgur.com/Uoilarj.jpg

That's not necessarily a bad thing, OP! But then again I still have a soft spot for some of those books, so maybe I'm biased.

WHY DO ROMANCE NOVEL COVERS ALL LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME?

SERIOUSLY, WHY?

THERE'S ALWAYS THE SHIRTLESS MUSCULAR DUDE AND THE HALF-NAKED CLEAVAGEY WOMAN HOLDING EACH OTHER AND SOMETIMES GAZING INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES WHILE THEIR LONG BEAUTIFUL HAIR BLOWS IN THE WIND IN AN ATTRACTIVE-BUT-UNREALISTIC MANNER.

WHERE IS THE VARIETY?

There is variety! I know it probably doesn't seem like it for anyone who hasn't really read Harlequin (or whatever), especially since those typical covers always gets bandied about -- but they don't all look the same.

Here's a random example: http://i42.tinypic.com/2z89idl.jpg

It's either what you just described or a random photo of "sexy" Fabio (or another Fabio-esque dude).

Sometimes their hair colors are different.

The funny thing is, people who don't read SciFi/Fantasy probably say the same thing.

There is variety. But if you're not actively looking at the genre, you probably only notice the stereotypes.

You should check out the cover cafe. You can find some very nice romance cover as well as some LOL-worthy bad ones (many of which do feature the Fabio look-alikes).
http://www.covercafe.com/

It's a fetish. Depictions of fetishes can look so samey cos it represents something beyond that gets the viewer excited, they don't notice the sameyness. Same with tits'n'arse, or big pecs, depending on straight or gay male gaze. So. Fucking. Samey.

I never read that stuff and I'm kinky as fuck...so, probably not just the novels.

[Picture is the cover image of the romance book "Lovestorm" by Judith E. French. It features a man with tanned skin, longish dark brown hair, golden armbands and a loincloth and wearing nothing else, holding a woman who is leaning back. The woman has long blonde hair, lightly tanned skin and is wearing a white see-through dress. They are on a beach.]

I'm a little worried that all the bad eighties romance novels I read as a pre-teen have given me a lifelong dubious consent kink. (Picture is just a randomly selected example, not the specific book in question.)

I'm pretty sure lots of women 'learned' that it's hot to get forced down from those books. So romantic when your partner doesn't take no for an answer, amirite?
And they grew up to be TwiMums.

It's... not that common, actually? Out of the ones I read, I'd say not even 10% featured that element. But sure, it was a long time ago and I was rather selective in which ones I read. I'm not into Twilight and I have no kids, so there's that at least!

You're not. I read the books and I didn't grow up to be a TwiMum. I find Twilight to be the worst kind of trash and nothing on earth could make me read 50 Shades of Gray.

Don't generalize, babe. Some of us have brains but we like to fantasize harmlessly. I have a healthy lifestyle where I believe in equality, respecting boundaries.

Not necessarily, anon. You're confusing fantasy and what people enjoy reading with reality, with a generous portion of kneejerk prejudice that's not at all called for. Do you also assume that people who read murder mysteries must secretly want to find all their acquaintances bludgeoned with the silver candlesticks in the drawing room? Of course not. So take a deep breath and let those preconceived notions go, you'll be better off without them.

Totally OT, but I find the use of "amirite" completely off-putting. To paraphrase a common fic complaint, it "throws me right out of the secret when I see it." Meh.

Well, it's as good an excuse as any.

all the bad 80s/90s romance novel covers have given me a life-long kink for trashy, cheesy, bad romance novel covers...do you know what's it like to still lust after Fabio? DO YOU?

I always thought Fabio seemed like a genuinely nice guy! I mean, just look at all those photos were he's princess-carrying random men who asked for a fun pic.

I may or may not have met him once when I was slightly younger.

He's awesome and incredibly kind, but alas, he's very much straight. Also not into teenagers.

Ooo, that's cool! Sorry you didn't get a shot at him though ;)

(no subject)

ooh_mrdarcy - 2013-07-19 14:21 (UTC) - Expand

Aw, that's a cute story. ♥ And isn't it great when the people we like turn out to be the nicest of people?

ooh_mrdarcy - 2013-07-19 14:22 (UTC) - Expand

(Anonymous) - 2013-07-19 18:37 (UTC) - Expand

(Anonymous) - 2013-07-19 02:32 (UTC) - Expand

ooh_mrdarcy - 2013-07-19 14:31 (UTC) - Expand

It looked like that guy had an awesome steampunk prosthetic arm, until I realized it was just an arm band and hair.

Fuck, I thought the same thing.

I started reading those when I was 9 years old, and I know it gave me a dubcon kink. It also really fucked with what I thought relationships had to be like. I thought if a boy liked me, I had to run and he had to chase. And chase. And chase. It took a long time, but I finally got over that. But...I'm 42, and against my better judgment, all my higher brain function, sometimes I STILL get turned on when watching some random bit of dubcon...even noncon.

lol this would be a problem/worry why? ;)

yeah, I read hundreds of those books in my teens, and it definitely shaped my future sexual fantasy life to a fair extent. I was really into the coerced sex thing (I hate him but he sexes me so good and so now I love him) until I tried to think that through in real life with someone I actually didn't like at all, and yeah... no go. There were some strong female role models in some of those books, but in retrospect, I can't stand the alpha male overpowering her dynamic.