yonmei

yonmei @ 10:55 am: Last night the mist came down
Really, with darkness: it was like a bad fantasy novel. The sun set and the haar rose, and from a sunny shiny day it was a misty blurry night.

Things I wish writers warned for:

- "The writer intends to trash the female lead in order to justify the two male leads getting together with each other even though both had shown interest in her in canon."

- "Out-of-character misogynist or homophobic abusive comments."

- "For plot reasons, the writer intends to make both central characters refrain from talking to each other about something very important: out of writerly incapacity, no good reason will be given for why they don't just say something."

- One of the worst things I ever read was when RayK from Due South decided to "punish" his ex-wife (I think it was Stella - I read it just once, years ago) for making mildly homophobic remarks about his relationship with Fraser, by slipping very explicit and very identifiable shots of her naked into a presentation she was giving to a conference of her professional peers: the story closes on RayK and RayV in satisfied giggles at what they'd done, which (in direct discussion with the writer) I found she considered was a happy ending, because Stella had been so mean to RayK about his finding love with Fraser. Writer apparently did not follow why this was "excessive", though she said other people had said that to her as well. There were no warnings for it, but though I can't now remember the pseud she was using, I didn't read anything she'd written in DS fanfic again. There was no warning. The writer really didn't see that there was anything wrong with that.

- The writer is an idiot.

Nobody warns for Regency romances:

BABY SARAH: Whaa... oh I get it. Stockholm Syndrome! What an interesting book, examining Stockholm Syndrome and rape from the inside out. I am enthralled.
RAVEN-HAIRED MARQUIS: It is possible that, given your brave tolerance of all the rape, your virtuous defence of peasants and bunnies, and your occasional indignant foot stamps and fiery lock tossing, you may in fact not be a ho. Whoops. Sorry 'bout that. I love you. Let us be wed!
BABY SARAH: Now's your chance! This is his moment of weakness. Bop him over the head with a chamber pot and make a break for it across the tennis lawn!
FLAME-HAIRED SPIRITED INGENUE: Yay! Marriage and babies.
BABY SARAH: And then he got away with rape and she never recovered from Stockholm Syndrome the end? Oh my God, the chill unbelievable horror of it all.

Then Baby Sarah stayed up all night, stock still and terrified that a marquis would come and brainwash her. That book stayed with me a long time. I entirely refused to read romance because of it.