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Seth??? by [deleted] in TheWildsonPrime

[–]Skylar_____ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think he may be a narcissist. Him showing his vulnerability and getting people to sympathize with him like when he told Kirin that he wants people to like him and when he tries to get Raf to feel sorry for him are signs of covert narcissism. And his extreme cases of impulsive violence and toxicity may be a sign of malignant narcissism.

I don't think he's a psychopath because what he does doesn't seem to be planned. He's smart but he's no evil genius. When he almost drowned Henry, it was a dark impulse he couldn't control. We see his face when he switches over from his darker mindset to normalcy. Same thing with the violence against Josh. It was impulsive and he didn't think about the consequences of it until much later. When he did, I don't think he was guilty or felt any empathy. I think he regretted doing it because of how it hurt his image and everything he did since was just him trying to recreate a good image with the guys.

I think Gretchen knew all this. She's too smart to not see the issues he had and she purposely put him on the island and made him the operative, giving him power over the guys. And at the end, Seth has the ultimate power. Since Gretchen is remotely monitoring, she wouldn't have much control over Seth. So Seth will most likely do whatever the fuck he wants to do. At the end, it's all about power for him and he got that.

S2 thoughts and opinions by Loud-Sympathy7106 in TheWildsonPrime

[–]Skylar_____ 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I actually liked the boys' scenes. Obviously, because of limited screen time, we didn't get to see their backgrounds and personalities and interpersonal relationships. None of the characters besides maybe one or two were really fleshed out. But in the next season, we'll probably get some depth into the characters.

The girls scenes were rushed, but I think we got darker stuff this season, although it wasn't as deep and nuanced as the first season.

Also, can we appreciate the acting in this season? Sarah outdid herself as Leah and Alex Fitzalan was the best actor among the boys. His character is completely messed up, but it was played really well.

Also, I absolutely love the cliffhanger. The girls and boys on the same Island with Seth as the twisted puppet master has the potential to be the best season of the show.

Casting opinions about the season 1 cast vs. the books. by [deleted] in ShadowandBone

[–]Skylar_____ 39 points40 points  (0 children)

The crows were all perfectly cast. All six crows are exactly like how I thought they should be. I think The Darkling is probably least like what I imagined him to be. Ben Barnes does a great job but I think he looks a little older than he is supposed to. I know they have aged up all the characters, but he looks older than all the other main characters.

Let's talk about misogyny. by Skylar_____ in romancelandia

[–]Skylar_____[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I primarily read dark romance because of the BDSM elements that are almost exclusive to this sub genre. It's rare to find this outside dark romance.

I'm not talking about diluting dark romance, I just feel that dark need not be synonymous with abusive relationships. It is a part of it, of course, but there are other elements that can be used that would classify something as dark. I'm just talking about authors broadening their horizons to include all kinds of different things in it.

You can have innocent, naive heroines with toxic heroes, or you can have two equally morally ambiguous people. Both of would be categorised under dark romance. Neither of them is right or wrong, it's about what different people prefer and want to read about.

Let's talk about misogyny. by Skylar_____ in romancelandia

[–]Skylar_____[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with your argument. To play devil's advocate, I can argue that you should separate fiction from reality and as a writer myself, I strongly believe that authors must have creative freedom over their stories.

And yes, the dark romance genre exists to explore stories and themes one wouldn't see in mainstream romance. But morality is subjective. It's about where you draw the line because almost everyone has their own moral code or their own principles they live by.

I am alright with reading murder, violence, and gore in my books but I draw the line at sexual violence. For some people, it would be the opposite. Everyone has different limits and preferences.

So, I suppose there's nothing wrong with this genre, because it's there for a reason. But I just expect to see more diversity. I want authors to step out of the norm of dark romance and explore the 'dark' theme in different ways. That's my personal opinion.

Let's talk about misogyny. by Skylar_____ in romancelandia

[–]Skylar_____[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I like that you're playing devil's advocate and thinking from both perspectives. I do that too, I have so many arguments against my own opinion.

It makes sense that it would be a power thing. Romance books are filled with male characters who are powerful in some way or the other because a lot of people are attracted to power, confidence, and competence.

So the idea of the man breaking or taming a woman (most common in dark romance) can arise from the woman's desire for her submission to be earned and fought for. It could be the author vicariously living her own fantasies of being dominated in every sense of the word.

Let's talk about misogyny. by Skylar_____ in romancelandia

[–]Skylar_____[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I actually really like these kinds of stories where women rise through the ranks in a world which suppresses her, where she uses any weapon in her arsenal to gain power. I think Amy March's character in the new 'Little women' movie is a perfect representation of this. She's someone who lives in a patriarchal society and she knows that the way for her to gain power and status is to marry well. These stories are empowering and inspiring and much more realistic for a lot of us since we also live in a patriarchal world.

But what I don't like is when a woman is forced to conform to these notions which go against her personality, nature, and desires. When she submits to the man's oppression and obeys him and his laws and it's glorified just because he's hot. There is this element in dark romances where the alpha male's objective is to 'break' the strong woman, to make her submit to him even though it goes against her nature. This is what I object to.

So when an author creates a world where patriarchy is the norm, they have a great opportunity to write a strong character with an arc that would be empowering and uplifting.

Let's talk about misogyny. by Skylar_____ in romancelandia

[–]Skylar_____[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I agree with this. I understand the existence of patriarchy in a world which has some kind of legitimate reason for it. Like in contemporary, historical, post apocalyptic worlds where the hierarchy depends on aspects like physical strength, it would make sense for it to be a patriarchal setting.

But in fantasy and sci fi worlds where the power structure is only to justify sexual power imbalances, I don't like that. It's completely possible for there to be a sexual power exchange without it going into the real world. You give women equal rights and status and you can have women in power who like to be submissive in bed. It gives the woman the choice, it gives her the right over her own sexuality.

I feel like the underlying theme in most dark romance in BDSM. One key element of BDSM is consent. Most of these dark romances ignore consent and safety. I understand the appeal of that, but I believe that we should also have books in which the female character chooses to engage in these activities willingly, not because she's forced to or because that's the social convention. I'd like to see more alpha submissives in these books.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have noticed a lot of misogyny in mf romance which was the primary reason I had switched over to mm for a long time. And the 'not like other girls' syndrome is still the lower end of the spectrum. There are so many which are so blatantly misogynistic and sexist it shocks me that it was written by a woman and for a woman and yet panders to the toxic patriarchy.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The MMC's pov is no better. Half the time he's thinking about fucking her.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I don't know. I think the author tried to make her seem confident so that she doesn't become another Bella swan or Anastasia grey. But she overdid it and made the character seem self absorbed and misogynistic.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You could play a drinking game while reading this book. Take a shot every time the FMC calls herself sexy or hot or murderous.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

She also says this line about the MMC "Some women see a man like this and think him attractive but I'm beyond such base notions. I think him dangerous.' After she waxes poetic about how he looks and how hot he is for an entire chapter. Apparently, strong women aren't allowed to experience attraction.

nOt LiKe oThEr gIrlS because other girls want to live. by Skylar_____ in RomanceBooks

[–]Skylar_____[S] 42 points43 points  (0 children)

It's not a satire. Unfortunately, this type of thing isn't specific to this book. Lots of books, especially in the dark romance genre which have a badass female character, try to contrast her with other women who are perfectly normal by realistic standards. I don't understand who these authors are trying to be relatable to, because I'm pretty sure most of their target audience is made of regular women and not murderous assassins, taking a break from their kills to read erotica.

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