tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post22502396762448459..comments2024-03-25T12:56:59.509-04:00Comments on alien romances: The True Founder of Alien RomanceRowena Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11839386556697211986noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-25172447870417694782007-06-26T23:56:00.000-04:002007-06-26T23:56:00.000-04:00Oh, my character, Junior (a nickname), doesn't ref...Oh, my character, Junior (a nickname), doesn't refuse to bond with Ariez. She's actually in love with him.Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-90792120996993872322007-06-26T21:34:00.000-04:002007-06-26T21:34:00.000-04:00Jacqueline, I particularly enjoyed your wit about ...Jacqueline, I particularly enjoyed your wit about the longevity of a species where the reproducer died before....<BR/><BR/>Being a contrarian, I immediately thought of the unfortunate male praying mantis (and some species of spider and scorpion) who is able to initiate and continue mating while distracting the female by allowing her to eat his head.<BR/><BR/>I don't think my editor would "buy" that as a happy-ever-after, so it would not do for an alien romance.<BR/><BR/>LOLRowena Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11839386556697211986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-87538740451232489512007-06-26T21:09:00.000-04:002007-06-26T21:09:00.000-04:00Kimber An, interesting about your character's refu...Kimber An, interesting about your character's refusal. I've got a pointy-ear character who refused to re-mate after her first mate died quite young. She was essentially disclaimed by the family, as their traditons prescribed, but her father still loved her enough to sponsor her as the captain of an Enforcer ship, a rough life, but one not uncommon among second sons. The similarity to practices among wealthy nobles in Earth's history is intentional. Did I step in another one?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-4579955578262361052007-06-26T20:54:00.000-04:002007-06-26T20:54:00.000-04:00Well, actually, there is some opposition -- from y...Well, actually, there is some opposition -- from yet another species who've long resented the pointy-ears' position of dominance in space. And too, the pointy-ears were essentially ordered to invite the humans by their ethereal partner species. On top of that, both species have made not-quite-clandestine visits to Earth in the distant past. Pointedly, there's an ancient prophecy the ethereals believe could potentially be fulfilled by a human. In fact, the potential of the protagonist to be that individual is what prompts the ethereals to approve his adoption into a pointy-eared noble family. And these guys haven't the slightest inclination toward any non-interferance directives. They pretty much run the galaxy. Anyway, the details of Earth's arrival in the big-boys club isn't actually spelled out. I just know about it because it's part of the pack story. ::shrugs:: So, how many tropes have I just stepped in? ::shaking my head::Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-63587321140492882222007-06-26T20:35:00.000-04:002007-06-26T20:35:00.000-04:00Well, now I have to read up on Theodore Sturgeon t...Well, now I have to read up on Theodore Sturgeon too!<BR/><BR/>It never occurred to me that the motivation for creating a book trailer might be to convince people the book would make a good movie. Any time a book I love is made into a movie, I'm always sorely disappointed. LORD OF THE RINGS is the only exception. I figured book trailers were simply moving billboards.<BR/><BR/>There are two reasons telepathic bonding is appealing to me, as a reader and as a writer:<BR/><BR/>1) It can symbolize the human relationship. People who are happily married to each other for a long time are often incredibly in tune with each other. This was how my husband knew I was pregnant last time before I did. This is why elderly couples will often die within days of each other. They've been 'one soul' for so long that they simply cannot function without the other spouse.<BR/><BR/>2) It puts an interesting twist on Cultural Clash & Racial Ignorance. In my story, for instance, the Menelaens assume the human brain is too primative for telepathy. They conclude humans are incapable of enduring love relationships or strong bonds with their children. So, when the bad ones secretly engineer Delano's discommendation which leads to Olivia divorcing him, it never occurs to them that their love-bond will endure. It's incomprehensible that Delano and Olivia's teenage daughter could reject the telepathic Marital Bond with Ariez in order to save her father and reconcile him with her mother.<BR/><BR/>It brings us all back to what our Human Spirits long for in the real world - enduring love and communion of soul. <BR/><BR/>'Amok Time' is compelling to me because the mating drive is so devestating to Spock's logic that he fights and 'kills' his best friend - *the one he actually loves.* The love in this story isn't about Spock and his Vulcan 'wife.' What he feels for her is sex all by itself without love. It's about Kirk's friendship with Spock being so strong that he's willing to risk being killed by Spock for it. Knowing and loving the Spock character like we do, it's powerful for us to feel Spock's devestation in realizing he wasn't strong enough to resist the mating drive to stop himself from killing his best friend (the person he truly loved.)Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-30486384195586580362007-06-26T19:29:00.000-04:002007-06-26T19:29:00.000-04:00David:Yeah, it would be HARD to sell -- any one of...David:<BR/><BR/>Yeah, it would be HARD to sell -- any one of those similarities alone wouldn't trigger rejection, but all of them in one piece would still spook editors.<BR/><BR/>Not all bad news. You can re-carve your alien's ears easily.<BR/><BR/>Telepathic bonding is now a stable of Alien Romance, so you can use it freely.<BR/><BR/>Get some DIFFERENT species to invite Earth and your currently pointed ear folk to grab that and run with it - spearheading a campaign to get Earth welcomed against opposition.<BR/><BR/>Then you're home free and can write your story your way! <BR/><BR/>Trying to be helpful here.<BR/><BR/>Jacqueline Lichtenberg<BR/>http://www.simegen.com/jl/Jacqueline Lichtenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613040740264804278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-34090934545737988692007-06-26T19:08:00.000-04:002007-06-26T19:08:00.000-04:00Oh, boy. Now I feel like a total goober. It's been...Oh, boy. Now I feel like a total goober. It's been a long time since I last saw Amok Time (like maybe thrity years) and I'd forgotten all about the telepathic bonding. It's relevant for me because in my own story I've got an alien species who, guess what, have pointy ears and bond telepathically between mates. Worse yet, they invited Earth into the larger realm of star-travelling societies. *sigh* I think that's all the similarities there are, but jeez, those are some big ones. In the bigger picture, there are significant differences, but I wonder if such a heavy similarity on key points could potentially turn off readers knowledgeable in the early ST lore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974492.post-34834797353535145422007-06-26T14:23:00.000-04:002007-06-26T14:23:00.000-04:00After reading your post I have come to the conclus...After reading your post I have come to the conclusion that it would have to be a joint honour between Gene Roddenberry (for having the vision to hire him) and Theodore Sturgeon :D<BR/><BR/>Either way I am glad that it was conceived at all, as they are my favourite kinds of romance :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com