I’ve been on a vampire kick lately. Or honestly, anything with werewolves, werecats, fae, monsters, creatures, etc.
One thing I find frustrating is the difference between the men and women monsters in these books. I love the supernatural but I’m tired of these books being self-inserts and being relatable by having the main character be some frail, average human (but sassy! they’re always so weak but somehow mouthy) that gets kidnapped/stalked/desired by the vampire/fae/whatever king and but oh, they’re actually super strong and beautiful they just didn’t know it!
I want feral, genuinely dangerous women. I’m tired of hearing about how alluring, beautiful, and potentially dangerous they are. I want women that will sink their teeth into someone. An actual monster. Give me women who shapeshifting into horrifying beasts, not just some subdued, feminized, still attractive version.
I do like the moral and ethical dilemmas that come from interacting with humans as a dangerous creature (whether they do or don’t want to harm humans), but I’m tired of the old woe-is-me I’m a horrible thing.
I’d love to read about a character like Jane! Her power is causing psychological pain that feels excruciatingly real. I want to know how something like that came to be, why she’s so sadistic, how she hunts. I love Rosalie’s revenge arc and the dynamics of her character and how even though she doesn’t WANT to be a vampire, she took glee from killing her abusers. Give me lady vampires that actually HUNT.
I DO enjoy these books and characters, but it’s tiring reading similar plot points and characterizations. There’s a lot of nuance, and there’s a reason these are popular tropes, but I want something different.
by teacupshrimp
1 Comment
Read the original Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. Fair warning tho, the author was kinda lesbophobic, and made her a lesbian to creep out female readers. So yeah…Carmilla, a lesbian vampire, stalks the protag, Laura. Carmilla is an actual monster.