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seriousficSo I was thinking about the Bechdel test and The Hollows the other day when I came to a startling revelation. Sorry, let me try that again. A startling revelation! Better. I was thinking that, in writing a female relationship that's shipped by femslashers, it'd be best to say "They do have great chemistry, but if I did write a lesbian relationship, I would want the endgame to be a happy ending instead of a cliched death or split, so since they won't end up together, I'm just characterizing them as good friends. I do have other story ideas which include lesbian characters (dude, lesbian pirates, it's HISTORY. IRL, hung for being pirates (being lesbians probably didn't help). In-story, recruited by the government to hunt for the inventor of a steampunk submarine!)"
Yes, the ol' "lesbian pirates" rhetorical device. Guaranteed to win any debate. But yeah, I think most people would prefer to know right off the bat that it's not going to happen rather than get strung along by the occasional significant look or lingering hug and "well, you never know where the story would go." Because that would be just incredibly cynical and manipulative and WHOA! Hasn't everyone on my f-list been asking why the creator of Lost Girl gave this interview about a Bo/Dyson/Lauren love triangle and fans being Team Lauren when Bo/Dyson is pretty much a full-blown couple these days? Do they just suck that hard at love triangles?
Or... someone with a knowledge of fandom could run a racket. We all know that most shows have an "official couple" that TPTB intend the fans to root for... John/Aeryn, Buffy/Angel, Richard/Kahlan, the list goes on. And a lot of stories have a "Ralph Bellamy" that the audience 'knows' is wrong for the heroine. And this is where the genius comes in. Make the Ralph Bellamy a woman. Show Dr. Lauren H. Pants to be untrustworthy, not as "in love" with Bo as Dyson, just not right for her in general. It's just a small change to a well-worn formula, but it nets the show liberal street cred, a fanbase that is so desperate for maintext representation that they'll accept table scraps, and the story is still about the love affair of a badass monster hunter and her broodingvampire werewolf boy toy.
So here I am, torn between being impressed with the sheer cynicism of this and shocked at the immorality of exploiting a minority group's wish for representation to get ahead. NGL, I'm cynical as all get-out and a part of me trying to be feminist/anti-racist/un-homophobic (we need to think up better words for these things) in my writing is because I believe these are niches that are just waiting to be filled by anyone who's willing to not be a total ass about it (after all, it's not like anyone goes "well, that was a good book with a strong female character, I AM NOW FULL UP ON STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS"). So hearing that someone has not only beaten me to the punch but done it in a way that is too dark even for me... kinda flabbergasted here.
Yes, the ol' "lesbian pirates" rhetorical device. Guaranteed to win any debate. But yeah, I think most people would prefer to know right off the bat that it's not going to happen rather than get strung along by the occasional significant look or lingering hug and "well, you never know where the story would go." Because that would be just incredibly cynical and manipulative and WHOA! Hasn't everyone on my f-list been asking why the creator of Lost Girl gave this interview about a Bo/Dyson/Lauren love triangle and fans being Team Lauren when Bo/Dyson is pretty much a full-blown couple these days? Do they just suck that hard at love triangles?
Or... someone with a knowledge of fandom could run a racket. We all know that most shows have an "official couple" that TPTB intend the fans to root for... John/Aeryn, Buffy/Angel, Richard/Kahlan, the list goes on. And a lot of stories have a "Ralph Bellamy" that the audience 'knows' is wrong for the heroine. And this is where the genius comes in. Make the Ralph Bellamy a woman. Show Dr. Lauren H. Pants to be untrustworthy, not as "in love" with Bo as Dyson, just not right for her in general. It's just a small change to a well-worn formula, but it nets the show liberal street cred, a fanbase that is so desperate for maintext representation that they'll accept table scraps, and the story is still about the love affair of a badass monster hunter and her brooding
So here I am, torn between being impressed with the sheer cynicism of this and shocked at the immorality of exploiting a minority group's wish for representation to get ahead. NGL, I'm cynical as all get-out and a part of me trying to be feminist/anti-racist/un-homophobic (we need to think up better words for these things) in my writing is because I believe these are niches that are just waiting to be filled by anyone who's willing to not be a total ass about it (after all, it's not like anyone goes "well, that was a good book with a strong female character, I AM NOW FULL UP ON STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS"). So hearing that someone has not only beaten me to the punch but done it in a way that is too dark even for me... kinda flabbergasted here.
