not everyone will climb to the top of mordor, and drop the ring into the fire. not everyone will pass through to the land of fairy in a magic mirror in an old manor’s parlor. not everyone will walk across the ice plateau of an alien world to safety on a quest of good political intentions gone awry. dueling massive polar-bear monsters on a desert world will also be rare in the life of most men, named John or not.
but, we will all fall in love. everyone will. if you are not in love, you will be again in love soon. it is what happens among humans who are among humans. it is the way things are.
fall in love today. fall in love with someone new, or someone you already love. find something new to celebrate with love. you have my permission.
the books dedicated to these baser emotions are usually quite apparent from their cover. the cover speaks to the fantasy of being adored. hot chick with sword/tramp stamp/etc? this will be a power fantasy, taking control of her body and emotions. hot chick with pirate/cowboy/viking? this will be a powerlessness fantasy, where adoration happens on its own while he or she was busy living and doing and probably scheming. books that talk about these things tend to be set aside from other books and labeled and covered in pink, purple, and clear symbologies of romance, sexual attraction, and the appeal to baser emotions through advertising. in other forms of fiction, where these advertisements tend not to take place, the elements of the larger story that are fueled by these baser, older narratives of love and abandon, become a layer of complexity that humanizes and personalizes the narrative.
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I’ve a confession to make. I’ve a very conflicted relationship with romance. I’m a closet romantic, you see. I’m also a feminist raised in a misogynist environment which makes me extra twitchy. So, I’ll warn you now about the big, red, shiny, candy-like button that’s been accidentally mashed. (Already.) Dear Gentle Reader, do please turn down the volume on your inner ear. Chances are, this is going to come off 40% stronger than I actually mean. I’ll try to keep my gut reactions checked — no one likes being shouted at, and I do believe that other points of view are valid — so do try to keep all this information in mind. Danger, Will Robinson. There. You’ve been warned. 