Since I haven’t done this in a very long while – I just didn’t have anything to confess, okay? I ain’t been holding out on you! – this is a segment of the very infrequent meme here on Bibliophilic Monologues where the author of the blog post, (me), will reveal a deep dark secret which turns out is not a secret after all.
Today’s confession is:
I loathe all these Team Fictional Boy One and Team Fictional Boy 2 factions that readers are so joyfully categorizing themselves into. And trust publishers/authors to milk off that too.
Okay, I may be fuddy duddy and old fashioned-ey but what does it say about your book that it has been condensed into the love triangle which I like to think is part of a book but not its entirety and certainly not the most important part of it. I mean, even if it is a romance – surely there is more to the romance than which boy the girl picks as her sparkler?
I think fictional characters are hot, of course I do but when you are not a teenager lusting after fictional teenagers, it just becomes awkward and stilted and weird and awkward and weird and you know, I could go on. It’s not like I do not have preferences for who the heroines end up with either and I have been very loud in my criticism when the MC has picked the, in my opinion, wrong dude but still, that doesn’t mean reading is less cerebral and more uh…loin-al. Fire in your loins! Yes, I came upon that phrase in a romance novel and laughed. A lot. Because that would hurt, man.
Anyway, that’s my not-so-dark-but-just-as-deep confession for today.
Say no to the Team _____, yo!
This is clearly at its worst when the Crush Tourney is happening. That’s when people just get really out of hand with it, I think. I’ve seen bloggers host giveaways in honor of their “team.” That, to me, is overkill. I’m fine with simply retweeting some support, but I won’t go out of my way like that – not to the point I’m essentially paying for votes.
Nice to read your post ….. I never really understood the whole “Team ______” thing. I guess when I read a book, I don’t automatically look for one character to choose over another. Plus, I’m not a teenager, so ….. yeah. I don’t really have any problems with anyone who does choose a particular Team in a book, but personally, it’s not my thing.
I’m right there with you. I don’t get the Team such and such either.
I’m on Team Reader. ;)
I’m with you though. I don’t understand the Team mentality for books. I try not to get too involved because like you said it’s a bit weird to be crushing on teens when you’re out of your teen years.
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I agree. I am not a fan of the Crush Tourney for a few reasons, but it is also a little strange, to be honest. I think the best love triangles are the ones where the reader is conflicted, so it’s really a shame that there are books where there’s one clear guy and the “heroine” is just leading the other on, even “unintentionally.” See: Twilight, The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, etc.
Brave post!
It’s all very silly, I agree. I don’t really “get” the Crush Tourney thing, it seems pretty stupid to me. But I’ve always been a much more private person – when I had big fictional crushes as a teen (and I had a couple of biggies!), I kept them to myself. Even if blogs and social media – hell, the internet in general – had been around then I would’ve kept it mostly to myself. (I’m not too old, the internet hasn’t been around all that long, especially social media – I was a teen in the mid-to-late-90s. Not that long ago!!)
I agree with the keeping it to yourself thing. It just seems so…embarrassing for some reason. Not long ago at all! I was a teen around that time too!