Taboos: Why people don’t talk about them, and why maybe they should

ta·boo adjective \tə-ˈbü, ta-\

1 Forbidden to profane use or contact because of what are held to be dangerous supernatural powers

2 Banned on grounds of morality or taste <the subject is taboo>

3 Banned as constituting a risk <the area beyond is taboo, still alive with explosives — Robert Leckie>

There are many subjects that are taboo, topics that people just don’t talk about. Taboo subjects aren’t universal either. Everyone has their own preferences due to their own experiences and upbringing.

I’ve never seen it, but Dexter is one of those shows that people may be uncomfortable with, given what Dexter does.

In fiction, horror specifically, dismembering bodies and killing innocent people isn’t the best thing in the world, but more than likely we’ve all read a book or two that contains a graphic scene. But even those books don’t breach certain topics. I don’t want to even type them here because they’re so undeniably wrong. Perverse acts that involve the deceased or children tend to be on the other side of that invisible line we all know not to cross.

(This is, of course, a generalization. There are sick people out there that enjoy these things. There are people out there that might not see a subject like necrophilia as taboo as the average person, but those are the outliers. We’re ignoring them for the sake of our own sanity.)

The world is ever changing, and different cultures have their own special circumstances when it comes to taboos. When I was in Italy, visiting Pompeii, there was a stand selling little mechanical dolls. When you moved the trigger up and down, they would come together and fall apart in the act of sex. As an American, we were pretty shocked and embarrassed. Can you even imagine someone selling that on a street corner over here? But the guy, in broken English, laughed at us and said, “It’s funny! It’s a joke!”

And, of course, time changes taboos too. A few decades ago no one talked about sex or menstruation. Now? Sex is all over the radio, and I see about thirty commercials a day for feminine products. We’re much more comfortable with certain topics these days than we were back in the ’50s, for example, and that’s going to keep changing and keep evolving.

But should it? It’s an honest question, not because I feel uncomfortable talking about certain taboo subjects – in fact, I find the idea of some of those subjects being taboo completely ridiculous – but because you have to think of the whole picture. You have to think of other people.

Over on Hypable, one of the other staffers wrote a brilliant article titled, “Breaking fandom taboos: Let’s talk about slash shipping.” For those that don’t know, slash shipping is the pairing of two characters of the same sex. This might just be who you want to see get together in a show (your “OTP,” or “One True Pairing”), or it might be who you decide to pair in your fan-fiction.

The Dean and Castiel (“Destiel”) pairing from Supernatural has a huge following.

In the article, Selina talks about what happened at a Supernatural panel and the followup explosion that resulted from it. It’s an interesting read, and I suggest you read both the Hypable article and the Daily Dot article she sources. It really is fascinating to see fandom coming out into the daylight and walking around in the real world. It has some interesting consequences.

The question here is, should these subjects stay taboo? Should they stay in that dark corner of the internet we call Tumblr? Or should we talk about them, bring them out in the open, and normalize them?

I’m of the opinion that the more we talk about these uncomfortable subjects, the less uncomfortable they’ll be. Acceptance of certain subjects in pop culture can lead to their acceptance in real life, and in some cases that truly is a wonderful thing.

Don’t get me wrong. Some subjects should be taboo. Some subjects are just plain wrong. I’m not talking about those.

Love it or hate it, this book has done a lot for the erotica category.

But, to bring this back around to fiction, as I know most of you here are writers, it makes me wonder, what can we be doing to help normalize the topics that have not quite stepped over that invisible line yet? Shows like Teen Wolf make homosexuality a complete non-issue. Books like The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices by Cassie Clare have insanely popular and likable characters that just happen to be gay. And this is just one topic in a long list of topics that are beginning to be addressed in popular works.

To give you guys a more relevant topic, I feel as though erotica is just touching down on the other side of that invisible line. Some people still don’t like to talk about it. Some people still giggle or side-eye you when you say you’ve read it, but a lot more people are accepting it as okay. And whether or not that’s your thing, I think acceptance of any person and their preferences – save for the truly twisted, of course – is a wonderful thing.

What do you think? Should taboo subjects stay taboo? Are we becoming too open and too comfortable with certain topics? Or do you think accepting people with open arms as they are will bring us all together in a more positive light?

Fandom Thoughts [Supernatural/The Vampire Diaries/Sherlock]

I’ve been a good little writer recently (and a good procrastinator). I’ve been watching tons of movies and TV shows on Netflix. I never realized how much they can teach you about novel writing until I really started widening my horizons. For a taste of what I mean, check out my writing category and look at my “How to…” posts. I take a character and a trait from a TV show or movie and break it down to see why it works and how it can help us out as writers.

So, naturally, I’ve become invested in more television shows than I have time for. I’ve recently gotten caught up with Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and Sherlock. This is a post about my thoughts on each show because I don’t really have anywhere else where I can ramble on and on about them. And, yes, that’s your warning. This is a ramble.

(Also, I tried not to give anything major away, but this post does contain some light spoilers.)

The Road So Far on Supernatural

I saw the first few episodes of Supernatural when they aired about eight years ago (whoa). I’m not sure why I didn’t keep watching, but I can only guess that it was because I was too scared to continue.

Yeah, I know. I have a low tolerance for scary stuff. A very, very low tolerance.

But I took it up again recently and watched all seven seasons within a few weeks, trying to catch up on the series before the eighth season began. I really enjoyed it. Without knowing much about the series to begin with, I got a full experience of the twists and turns and I was really taken in by everything that happened.

One of my favorite things about this show is that the story weaves its way through all of the seasons. What happened in the very first episode has ramifications that carry on to the most recent episodes. Some shows tend to have a single “big bad” each season and when you look at the first season compared to the last, the show feels completely different.

Not Supernatural. It honestly feels like you’ve been in the Impala for eight years, driving around with the Winchester brothers. Sure, they’ve grown up and things have changed. People have come and gone. Big bads have been defeated and new ones have popped up. But it essentially feels like the same show to me, and I love that. It makes it feel a lot more realistic.

The humor in this show is just out of the park. Dean’s sarcastic “sasshole” (<– new favorite word, thanks to my friend Caitlin) attitude just makes you shake your head and laugh. His one liners are so wrong sometimes, but I’d like to meet a person who can honestly not laugh at them. (“A Hand of Glory? I think I got one of those at the end of my Thai massage last week.”) And not only that, but there are some episodes (like any of the ones with the Ghostfacers crew in them) that you literally just can’t stop laughing at. One of my favorites was when Sam and Dean were trying to tell Bobby a story about a case and they were telling their version of the story (2×15 “Tall Tales”), which put each brother in quite an interesting light.

There are some things that I don’t like about the show. I find the constant fighting between Dean and Sam a little tiring sometimes. Not that it’s not realistic, but I’m so invested in them as a team that whenever one decides to leave, it really hurts. The human heart can only take so much.

My one other big quibble? We need more Cas. Like, seriously. Please? I find myself just waiting for him to pop up because I love him so much. His dead-pan face, his unintentional humor, and his deep caring for Dean just make me want to hug him. (Or “glomp” him, which is another new word I learned recently.) Can he just be in every episode already? My heart hurts when he is away too long.

Previously on The Vampire Diaries

I was pleasantly surprised by The Vampire Diaries when I first started watching it. I thought it was going to be a little too Twilight-esque (not that I have a huge problem with Twilight, but it’s been done so there’s no need to repeat it). What I found was a show that incorporated love, but also made sure there were tons of interesting characters, scary bad guys, and some awesome vampire fight scenes. Can’t argue with that.

My favorite thing about this show is Damon. Which, I mean…come on. (Debra, if you’re out there, you know what I’m talking about. We have pretty much the same opinion on this subject matter.) Not only is he incredibly easy on the eyes, but his character is also really fun and interesting. The other characters also all bring something to the table, whether they’re good, bad, or just enjoy making some trouble. Caroline is another favorite. (Expect a post on her soon.)

This show also genuinely surprises me. Very few shows actually do this anymore. Very few shows actually make me gasp out loud. I love twists and turns, and I love last-minute reveals right before the end credits come up. (Although, I say that having watched the first three seasons on Netflix. Now that I have to watch this show on a weekly basis, I’m sure this is going to be a major complaint for me.)

The first few episodes were a little hard to get through because “love” occurs so quickly between the main characters. But, you know, whatever. That’s a problem with a lot of television and movies, so I’ve learned to just accept it as unrealistic and ignore it. I’m also kind of over the love triangle thing – especially since I don’t agree with Elena’s choice (go figure). Also, is it just me, or does anyone else find Stefan incredibly boring? He got a little more interesting as of late, but I still don’t really care too much for his character.

What the heck just happened on Sherlock?

I’m going to preface this with the bad, and then get into the good because that’s how I have sort of made my way through this show.

I had heard of Sherlock through Hypable and through the people that already watched Doctor Who. Steven Moffat writes for both shows and since I already enjoyed his work with Doctor Who, I decided to take up Sherlock as well. And, as it was already on Netflix, what was there to lose?

The first episode was incredible. I was totally impressed by Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock) and the way the character was portrayed. If you’re unfamiliar, he’s a “high functioning sociopath” as the character himself claims, and goes about solving mysteries and making people very, very angry. It’s a good old time.

But I also really enjoy how the show is set up. Text appears on the screen in order to show us what Sherlock is seeing when he views a dead body, or what kind of text messages the characters get. You’d think this would take you immediately out of the show, but it truly doesn’t. It helps to prove how incredible Sherlock is without an overabundance of explanatory dialogue.

The second episode fell through for me, as did the third. They didn’t seem to have the same punch and I wasn’t as interested in the mysteries. Maybe it was just me, as I’ve heard tons of people rave about the show for months and months. Perhaps I’ll do a rewatch to figure out if I still feel that way. All I know is that I watched the first episode and fell in love, then watched the second one and fell out of love.

Not that I’d drop the series all together. I knew it would get better and, well, I have a problem putting things down once I pick them up.

The second series just recently hit Netflix, so I sat down to watch the first episode, hoping that it would give me the same feelings that it gave me when I watched that series premiere.

It didn’t. It gave me MORE.

I was blown away by the first episode. I sat down to watch it and ended up doing a marathon until I finished the second series. (It’s only three episodes long, but they’re 1 ½ hours each.) The new characters were incredible and dynamic and interesting. Moriarty was everything that I ever wanted in a bad guy and so much more. He was completely insane and I loved every second of it. A truly, nearly undefeatable bad guy is so hard to find nowadays. No pre-killing monologues. No stupid revenge schemes. He really just wanted to ruin Sherlock in every way possible. He knew exactly where to hit him, and he hit him so hard that it knocked the wind out of the greatest detective of all time.

And Sherlock. Oh, Sherlock.

We got to see such a different side of him this series. He’s not completely emotionless. He does understand love. He does feel. His relationship with Watson is lovely, and the connection between him and Irene Adler was confusing, tragic, and yet somehow beautiful. I love this show because it’s so complex, but it’s non-apologetic about it. It gives you what it wants to give you and forces you to draw your own conclusions.

I’m pretty sure this show makes me smarter, too. After I finish watching it, I find I’m a lot more sarcastic and witty (to the chagrin of my friends, I’m sure). I also feel like a pseudo-detective, drawing conclusions from crinkled gum wrappers and empty glasses. I may not be as good as Sherlock, but that won’t stop me from trying.

And that episode 3 ending? Oh, that ending. Just wait for it because it’s beautiful and haunting and absolutely perfect.

[/End Rambling]

So what conclusions can we draw from this?

1. I have too much time on my hands.
2. I need more of a social life.
3. I spend a lot of time watching TV, and I will forever claim that it’s to become a better writer.
4. These shows are amazing.
5. I want you to give them all a chance. Get a Netflix subscription and start watching!!

What do you guys like or dislike about these three shows? Seeing as I’ve written an essay, long and rambling comments are totally allowed!

How to be inhuman, with Cas and the Doctor

Here’s the next post in this series where I discuss TV shows and movies and the knowledge that we can gain from watching them. We can apply that knowledge to our writing. As always, I never pretend to be an expert. I just like exploring my own thoughts on the matter as I write these blog posts! I welcome all comments and would love to hear what you think about this topic.

Make sure you check out my previous post, titled, “How to be human AND evil, with Rumpel and Regina.”

I’m not exactly quiet when it comes to which fandoms I particularly enjoy being a part of. Supernatural and Doctor Who are certainly two of them. Within each of those shows, there are some favorite characters. Dean is obviously one of them – how could you not love his sarcastic dialogue and amazing one-liners? I miss and love Donna Noble, not to mention Amy and Rory, too.

But Castiel and the Doctor own my heart.

You can probably count the number of times Cas smiles throughout the whole series on one hand.

Cas popped up in Supernatural about half way through its run. It’s a new-ish character (at least, not as old as Dean, Sam, or Bobby), but he made quite an impact. At first you’re not sure if he’s a good guy or a bad guy – or, rather, a good guy with interests that don’t involve keeping Dean and Sam alive. But he slowly grows on you as he becomes more and more aware of how amazing the human race is.

The Doctor is an alien that travels all across space and time. He visits different galaxies and planets like we visit our local grocery story. But he seems to have a particular affinity for Earth. He loves the human race – we have so much potential, so much greatness flowing through our veins. And although he’s run into plenty of people that don’t live up to that standard, he never gives up hope for us as a whole.

Neither one of these characters is human, yet they have to interact with humans on a daily basis. This often leads to plenty of hilarious situations, particularly because neither one truly knows how to act human. They’re like foreigners on steroids – it’s a little obvious they’re not from around here.

Castiel’s voicemail message: I… I don’t understand… Why do you want me to say my name? (sound of random phone buttons being pushed)

Take Cas, for instance. He just about never shows emotion. He doesn’t understand sarcasm. And he doesn’t know about that little thing called personal space. The writers make his inhumanity obvious by putting him in situations where he wouldn’t understand what’s going on. It’s not giving him wings and a white robe to wear to make him seem inhuman – it’s more about making it subtle.

This is where the latest version of the Doctor discovers his favorite food – fish fingers and custard.

This goes with the Doctor as well. He’s an alien, but he looks just like one of us. So how do you make him seem alien? It’s in the way he acts – his insistence on kissing a person’s cheeks when he meets them, whether or not the occasion calls for it. It’s also about what he doesn’t know – like modern currency. Giving someone a million dollars to rent a flat for a few weeks? Sure, why not? He’s also never surprised, not matter what kind of alien race he’s bumped into this time. Where humans would probably run screaming for the hills, the Doctor just sits there and marvels at the creature he’s discovered.

Craig: Where did you learn to cook?
The Doctor: Paris in the 18th century. No, hang on, that’s not recent is it? 17th? No no, 20th. Sorry, I’m not used to doing it in the right order.
Craig: Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit weird?
The Doctor: They never really stop.

If you’re writing a book about aliens, it’s not always about the big grand spectacle. Sometimes it’s about the subtle things, the little hints that this person might not be who we thought they were at first. It’ll keep things fresh and allow you plenty of moments for hilarity – a winning combination in my book.

Do you like your favorite inhuman characters armed to the teeth with tentacles, or do you prefer someone like Cas or the Doctor? (Also, share your favorite Cas & Doctor moments in the comments!)

How to be brothers, with Sam and Dean Winchester

This is my second post in this series where I discuss TV shows and movies and the knowledge that we can gain from watching them. We can then apply that knowledge to our writing. As always, I never pretend to be an expert. I just like exploring my own thoughts on the matter as I write these blog posts! I welcome all comments and would love to hear what you think about this topic.

Make sure you check out my first post titled, “How to write about guilt, with Damon Salvatore.”

I’m an only child. I’ve had close friends and close cousins, so I sort of know how it feels to have siblings. But not really. Once of the best TV shows that depicts the love/hate relationships that family members often have with each other is Supernatural.

Most of you are probably familiar with the show, as it’s been around for quite a while and is already going into its eighth season. But for those of you that aren’t, the premise of this series is pretty simple: Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers who travel the country and fight demons and other evil beings.

[DISCLAIMER: I just finished season 2. I won’t spoil anything from the first two seasons – this is just about characterization. I would also really appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything in the comments from season 3 or beyond!]

Sam is the younger child. He decided that hunting demons wasn’t really his thing. He didn’t get along with his father (probably for the reason just mentioned) and ended up going off to college to study law. In the meantime, big brother Dean stayed with his dad and did what he was raised to do – kill things and protect the world.

Through a series of events that we’ll gloss over for the sake of time and spoilers, Sam and Dean are now in it together. They travel all across the United States, finding these things, killing them, and saving countless lives in the process.

But these are two very different people. Where Sam is quieter and more in tune with people’s emotions, Dean is loud, obnoxious, and sarcastic. Sam questions everything (including his father), while Dean takes his orders and just wants to get the job done.

Imagine spending years traveling the road with someone who is the complete opposite of yourself. Not to mention someone that you’re also related to.

That can be tough.

And it is. They get into squabbles here and there, and even some serious fights. They disagree all the time on the best way to handle a situation, and sometimes it gets one (or both) of them into trouble. They know each other’s buttons. They can see right through a lie. They can tell when something is wrong with the other one.

On the one hand, you have this person that sometimes you just detest. They harass you, put blame on you, single you out, put you down, and use you as a punching bag.

And yet, you love that person with every fiber of your being. And they love you too.

Families are such complicated monsters.

As someone who grew up as an only child, this is fascinating to me. I can relate to it because my best friend and I are very close. She feels like the sister that I just happen to not live with. We know each other’s secrets, we can read each other’s minds, and we trust each other completely. I love her so much.

But we still drive each other nuts.

Sam and Dean are the same way. To apply this to writing, I think it’s important to first start with a base character for each person. Build them up as an individual, each with a specific identity, and then set them against each other. Opposites will clash, and that kind of conflict is great for any story.

It’s even better if they’re related and you know that one would never actually throw the other under a bus. Therefore, that conflict will never go away, for as long as they both live.

But there needs to be something else about the relationship of your two characters, too. Sure, we all know how the younger sibling is such a brat, or the older sibling seems to have it all. That puts them at odds with each other. But what brings them together time after time? The best stories based on families are the ones that use what’s happening in their lives to get past their differences. Those events actually bring the characters together and remind them that love is so much stronger than hate.

As far as Sam and Dean go, I think a lot of it boils down to trust. They trust each other completely – and they have to, don’t they? They couldn’t do their job together if they didn’t have complete trust in one another. And at the end of the day, despite all of their differences, they also have the same goal in mind – to rid the world of evil.

It’s important to establish sibling rivalries. What have they competed for since they were younger? Girls? Money? Fame? Glory?

Give each one of your characters quirks that get on the nerves of the other. Something really stupid that one does without knowing it, but the other picks up on right away. It drives him up the wall. Why? This will give him character and depth and a back story.

Make sure they fight. A lot. Dean and Sam always argue. About stupid things. About important things. About things that pertain to the hunt and about things that don’t. Not only will it establish each character’s personality, but it’ll show the relationship that they have with one another. Does one always win? Does one always give in? Who can never say they’re sorry, and who can admit when they’re wrong?

But make sure they always make up. Even though they drive each other up a wall, Dean and Sam need each other. This is particularly evident at the end of season 2. For all the headaches that they’ve given each other, we know – without a doubt – that one wouldn’t hesitate to give up his life for the other.

What do you think? Have you seen the show, and if so, do you like it? What do you make of Sam and Dean’s relationship? How did you establish a relationship between siblings in your own stories? Did you pull from your own life for ideas?