Help! Need strong women, STAT!

[jane_elliot]

I just read a story that made me ill, containing all of those horrible romance novel stereotypes that pervade a lot of het fic: rape equals love, women are naturally submissive, the weakest man is totally capable of holding down a strong woman and raping her

Comments

[lothy]

I hate that stereotype SO MUCH. I especially hate that the submissiveness at least is still the norm in romance novels (I think rape as love is at least less common nowadays in published fiction, though it still happens more than I'd like).

I'm actually reading a series of paranormal romance novels right now that I love mainly because the women are never submissive (and sometimes even dominant!). But that's published fiction.

I think you've probably seen all the het fanfics I have bookmarked, though?

(I've used this icon because that is one canon pairing where the woman would NEVER be submissive. In fact she rather likes being in charge.)

[jane_elliot]

What drives me nuts is when I read fanfic with those stereotypes, because for the most part (i.e., the well-written part) fandom seems to consist of intelligent, independent-thinking women, and I just find it so hard to believe that a strong independent woman wants nothing more than to be dominated. *sigh*

I actually started reading one of my own het fics. At least I know that in stories I write, the women will always kick ass:)

[lothy]

What I hate the most is when it's an assertive woman in the story, and then the alpha dominant male comes along and makes her "realise" that all she really wants is to submit. Because of course he knows better than she does what she wants, in the two minutes or so he's known her.

I like D/s fics, I like slavefics... but that's when I'm looking for a power imbalance, and it's written as a kink. Not as "normality".

Have you read Lit Gal's het fics yet? She always writes strong women, including sometimes femdom.

[jane_elliot]

I know! I'm not a huge fan of D/s anyway, but I absolutely *loathe* the assumption that women are naturally submissive. Especially since most of the women I've met aren't submissive in the least:)

[petzipellepingo]

The Wilderness Series (six books in all) by Sara Donati. All the women are tough, highly competent and a pleasure to read about.

There is, however, a rape in Book No. Five although there is no great detail and it really is essential to the plot.

[jane_elliot]

Thanks!

[endeni]

- Angel the series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer:
How about some kick-ass Illyria?
The Compelled series by Hotpoint - The God-King of the Primordium decides to replay the game from an earlier level and shows the universe what an Old One with a grudge is capable of... (four books complete and still ongoing, Illyria/Wesley)
- Star Trek Voyager:
And some Captain Janeway awesomeness?
Talking Stick/Circle series by Macedon & Peg - Faith, community, alienation and belonging, honest conflict between Maquis and Starfleet, and the realities of life far from home and safety. (complete, Janeway/Chakotay)
- Stargate Atlantis:
Heteronormativity, Gender Construction and Nonverbal Signaling in Intercultural Communication: A Comedy by mad_maudlin - In which Teyla may be plotting something, Keller may be delusional, Ronon may be cheating and John may in fact be the girl. (complete, Sheppard/Emmagan)
- Harry Potter:
Man of Property series by Josan - Two days later, in the estate agent’s office, with some additional conditions agreed upon, Snape wrote a

[jane_elliot]

*Awesome*! Thank you!

I have what you're lookng for but it's in print...

[iwerewolf]

If you don't mind spending a few bucks on a zine, I have two really good zines out that fit what you're looking for. However there is rape in the first one but it's not explicit or anything like that. However it's very brief and the woman has her moment of dealing with it but then is back to her old self

Re: I have what you're lookng for but it's in print...

[jane_elliot]

Thanks!

Re: I have what you're lookng for but it's in print...

[iwerewolf]

you're welcome. and like I said, don't focus on the non consensual sex, it's more mentioned in passing than the focus. if anything, I focused more on the torture scene than the rape one.

[thisoldhighway]

I'm curious... which fandom housed this horrid fic?? Hopefully the characters were ooc.

[jane_elliot]

You could probably guess the fandom that prompted this request, considering my previous one, but I've honestly seen these tropes in pretty much every fandom I've read. Which drives me absolutely batty. (Especially the passive in bed thing; apparently a lot of authors think that women are 'instinctively' submissive in bed. *hurl*)