Before I get down to the business at
hand, I want to announce a new section of this blog. This week, I
will begin to do book reviews of tasty titles that catch my eye. I
begin with The Highest Bidder by Kimberly Hunter, a very creative spin of the sex slave
story. The links for books reviews is on the right under Hot Links,
but here is a direct link to the review:
http://www.sybpressyaoi.com/p/book-review-highest-bidder-by-kimberly.html.
Also, Cook Like a Uke is delayed again due to technical difficulties with the editing program. I hope to have it up this week as we are shooting another one soon! I really appreciate the interest and concern. I ask for patience a little longer.
And now...
When I first wrote about possessive
Semes, it was solely in the context of one particular Seme in one
particular book. This time, I want to talk about the subject in
broader terms and cover more characters from my books along with
those in anime and manga. For those just joining my blog here, I'll
briefly cover some necessary ground rules. Possessive lovers can be
really romantic – if the partner is completely fine with that kind
of behavior. It's just like being a kinky lover is great if that
lover's partner is a kinky sort. However, in most relationships,
couples need space to enjoy friends and family on their own. It's
healthy for a relationship, because each partner is always bringing
something new to the conversation. Healthy is a very important word
in this discussion. Keep that in mind for later. At any rate, if the
a lover is not comfortable with possessiveness in a partner, it can
end badly. Words like 'restraining order' and 'house arrest' can come
up. This is far from sexy and romantic. If your lover is behaving
like any of these characters, and you don't completely dig it –
run!
Possessive Seme's have magnetism as
characters because of the intensity of their focus on their lovers.
It's all the more thrilling when they are handsome and accomplished
and powerful. Often, the ukes cannot believe that they have such
attention from these men. That kind of romance is a lot of fun to
read. It is also a lot of fun to write. However, the pragmatist in me
can't have possessiveness without some sort of character background
to explain the behavior. I simply cannot ignore reality – even when
I am writing absolute fantasy. It makes no sense that a man with all
of those positive attributes (looks, wealth and power) would have the
need to be possessive of a lover. They are beyond confident in
themselves and their ability to hold onto a lover. There is no need
for possessiveness. Why indeed?
Before I get to my own works, let me
talk about one of my favorite yaoi anime series, Junjou Romantica
. For those who want to give yaoi anime a try, this series is a funny
and mild introduction. You can check out the 1st and 2nd
episodes here on the official Youtube site. In this story, Akihiko Usami is the very handsome scion of a powerful and wealthy
Tokyo family. He has a law degree from a prestigious university. He
became a wealthy bestselling author and the winner of Japan's highest
literary prizes by age 28. Legions of women and some men chase after
his affections. On the surface, there would be no reason a man with
all of this going for him would clamp onto an 18 year old orphan who
required tutoring to make the wait list at a university for dear
life. Usami-san is not all he appears. His childhood was full of
family strife and acute loneliness. When he finally fell in love, it
was with someone who could never return more than friendship – the
older brother of said 19 year old orphan. Misaki chanced to find out
that Usami-san was in love with his brother. He figured out something
no one else could see – that Usami-san was a fragile soul. And he
reacted with protectiveness. Misaki even protected Usami-san from his
own brother. Such a gesture given so easily and with such fervor was
something that shook Usami-san to the core and permanently shifted
his affections. He takes Misaki as a lover as soon as he can and is
highly possessive of anyone who comes near him – something he
readily admits. He is quite upfront that he means for Misaki to stay
at his side forever. That tends to be a bit much for a college guy
who is just testing his wings. And thus begins the epic and often
comedic battle between them. Misaki loves this crazy author who has a
fondness for stuffed bears with all his being, but he will not
sacrifice his college experience and his new found friends. I love
this series for that.
And just as this accomplished author
has flaws that cause his possessiveness, so do my Semes. Let's begin
with my mutant, super soldier, Colonel Rik Heron from A Solder's
Choice and A Soldier's Fate. He is handsome, brilliant, strong and
accomplished. For a time, it was believed he would be the youngest general to hold the rank. However, as strong as he is physically, he
is also fragile and deeply flawed. The process that turned him into
the Altered soldier was physically punishing. The traits he possessed
that caused the military to be interested in him also made him a
social outcast for all of his life. Public arrogance hides all the
wounds Rik carries every day. When he realizes that the most talented
soldier he'd ever trained, the volatile and beautiful Major Vincent
Greven, was in love with him, Rik falls very hard. Despite military
protocol and all other obstacles, they come together. Rik is loathed
to let anyone or anything come between them. He grows anxious if
Vincent is out of his immediate reach for more than a very short span
of time. He doesn't like anyone outside of their immediate
circle looking at Vincent. His hyper senses can detect if anyone has
even touched him. Fortunately for all involved, Vincent is as damaged
and as possessive as his lover. They need to be that intensely needed
by each other, so it works for their relationship. Their friends and
family accept it and celebrate it, because the pair are happy for the
first time in their lives. I emphasize the strength in these
characters as well as the joy and the intense sensuality of the
relationship. However, I make sure that the flaws that cause their
behavior are clear to the reader. This is an underpinning to this
behavior.
By comparison, Lord Darius Galatea is
far less possessive with his uke, Andreas Hesper from Ensnared
Volumes 1&2. Darius is not flawed per se. Though Andreas would
argue that his monumental arrogance is a flaw. Darius is the perfect
representation of his kind. He was bred and raised to be exactly
that. His only real flaw is that he really doesn't suffer fools well.
In fact, he has a vicious temper when when pushed, and it takes very
little to push him. Andreas is never subjected to that temper. In
fact, he is never spoken to or touched with anything tainted by
violence. Darius comes to find Andreas so compelling and humorous and
engaging that he becomes far more attached to him than he ever
expected. His possessiveness is born of a need to protect the man
from forces who seek to hurt him through hurting Andreas. Darius
falling for this man from the underclass has endangered that lover.
Before Andreas, he had no weakness that could be exploited. This is
the source of his protectiveness. He is perfectly fine allowing
Andreas to run his life even though that means social engagements of
all sorts without him – so long as he is adequately protected.
Despite the collar of physical ownership (which is a shared kink),
Darius and Andreas have a healthier relationship on the whole than Rik and
Vincent.
I hope this clarifies the nature of
possessive Seme/uke relationships without destroying the fun. Again,
you can find links to excerpts to the books I've mentioned in the Hot
Links Menu on the right hand side of this page.
Links to Buy Books
You can find all my titles in paperback and Kindle on my Amazon Page HERE.
You can find ebooks in all formats for my titles on my Smashwords page HERE.
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